Bupropion Xl By Cipla Pharmaceuticals (Page 3)
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My pharmacy has been giving me refills of the generic bupropion for my last two refills that are manufactured by CIPLA. The pill is oblong and has the number 13 on one side and what appears to be a capital I on the other side. I do not feel that this generic is doing much for me. I have researched this manufacture they are located in India. Approximately 45% of the medications that are sold in the United States are manufactured in foreign countries. I am going to call my pharmacy to see if they can get one of the generics that were previously dispensed to me. The buyers for drugs at pharmacies look to find lower priced drugs, which I understand.

I have been taking Wellbutrin XL 150 mg three tablets daily for about eight years including the generic form. This medication helped my severe depression. I have tried many other families of antidepressant medications that did not work or caused side effects. The cost for the brand Wellbutrin XL continued to increase because of big Pharma greed (a discussion for another time). Eventually I had to go to the generic Wellbutrin because of the cost and my insurance would not pay for brand or my copay was too much.

When I could no longer work because of my Multiple Sclerosis and another incurable gene mutation condition I eventually received Medicare. I continued to take generic bupropion XL because I had no choice. Various generics of this medication have been dispensed to me for a number of years. The generics have never been a good as the brand Wellbutrin. For those of you that may not be aware a study was done that proved there was a difference between the brand and the generic. The main factor is that generic Wellbutrin XL rises quickly in your bloodstream then drops. The brand Wellbutrin rises up in your blood stream then goes down over a number of hours.

Perhaps for some people the generic form of Wellbutrin works okay for them. In generic medications different fillers are used and the percentage of the main ingredient can be less or higher on either side of the main ingredient. I know a pharmacist that explained this to me that confirmed my suspicions. I take other medications that are generic that seem to do okay. Nevertheless, I firmly believe that certain medications such as antidepressants, seizure medications to include some others should not be propped up as being a bioequivalent.

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I was taking the brand name Wellbutrin SR 150 twice a day for 2 mos. I took it years ago and had problems with the generic one so switched to the brand name and was fine. When I went back on it this time, I insisted on the brand. I was having a lot of anxiety on it although it did help mood, and when I started seeing a psychiatrist she suggested they wellbutrin xl 300 as she felt the delivery on xl would do better with anxiety. I agreed to the generic and the first 2 weekd I did feel better re: anxiety , then I kind of leveled off. I did notice a lot of cravings and mentioned this last week. She suggested Contrave as an adjunct and I declined because of the naltraxone (crazy stuff). I'm almost at the end of the month and the mood effect is waning, I've lost all my motivation, getting a little weepy again and wicked carb cravings which I'm giving into and gaining weight so I'm going to ask her to give me the brand name and see if there is a diff.

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MyHeadsHurts: Thank you, I'll look into that. CVS is helping me switch back to Mylan SR soon, and I hope that helps me go back to normal. In addition to physical symptoms I've noticed a return of depressive symptoms. It essentially felt like I haven't been taking any meds.

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IMGT: you can report medications to the FDA via their "MedWatch" program. Not sure if this site allows direct links, but if you google FDA MedWatch, you'll find it.

BioEq: I hope things are getting better now that you switched back. Hang in there.

An update on my situation:

I began taking Par/Achen again this morning ("A 102" marking on the pill). 7 and 1/2 hours in, my headache has diminished to a dull ache (instead of flaring up after taking the Cipla), I am much more energetic, and I am beginning to feel better overall--less out of it, vision is becoming sharper again, and I can finally focus a bit. The difference in such a short amount of time is remarkable.

Just to add to my previous note, here's the 3 generics I've taken (there's more than just these besides the Cipla that I have not taken) without issue:

-White oval pill marked "A 102" (made by Par/Achen, a subsidiary of Par.)
-White oval pill marked "WPI 3332" (made by Watson.)
-White elliptical pill marked "142" (made by Actavis.)

I'll be notifying my doctor as well about the Cipla "I 71" pill.

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I've been having those syptoms as well since I got my refill 3 weeks ago. Also noticed I was suddenly switched to Cipla from Mylan. My syptoms have included cluster headaches, dizziness, spaceyness/unable to focus, and minor nausea. I'll be calling CVS tomorrow, how do you report it to the FDA?

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I switched over from PAR to Cipla (Bupropion 300 mg XL) 3 days ago. Had been taking it for year plus for major depression and doing really well. After switching I had green/yellow flashing visuals, lightheadedness/distant, difficultly concentrating. The next day I had all of that plus a headache and extreme fatigue, and have been sweating/clammy. Had to take a 3+ hour nap (haven't done that in over a year). Emotionally I feel drained and have had to skip activities because I cannot concentrate. Cannot stop crying. This medicine definitely is NOT equivalent to the PAR generic. I've switched back to PAR this morning, but do not yet have any relief.

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I began taking the Cipla version of Bupropion HCL XL 300mg 4 days ago. Each day I've had a strong, clustered headache; the headache would be minute in the morning and then grow after taking the medication.

In addition, my vision has been a little blurry and I've felt off and fatigued. Nothing else in terms of medications, lifestyle, diet, etc. has changed these past 4 days. Given the timing, I can only assume it's due to the medication.

I've taken 3 generic brands of Wellbutrin XL 300mg in the past, each without issue. This is the first generic that has caused me problems. CVS is going to refill with their remaining supply of Achen (a white pill marked A 102), but I was told that the location would no longer be carrying it. When I inquired over the phone as to whether any locations in the area would continue offering a different generic, I was told I'd have to check each location in person.

If you are having similar side effects as I am, I encourage you to report the medication to the FDA and CVS. I've seen multiple other reports of the same side effects on this forum and elsewhere regarding Cipla's version.

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Hello, Pat! How are you? I am sorry about the problems you're having.

Yes, you can read about the allowable differences in generic medications by looking up the Hatch-Waxman Act of 1984. They can differ from the name brand by a maximum of plus or minus 20%. They also don't have to measure against each other, only against the name brand, so it is conceivable that you could get one that's slightly higher, for awhile, then suddenly receive a different one that is slightly lower, which could cause it to not work as well for you.

Have you had any luck getting the pharmacy to order in a different one for you?

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