Has Anyone Tried The Generic Version Of Wellbutrin Sr Made By Sun Pharma Bupropion Hcl (Page 4)

Hi - I just got a perscription for the Sun Pharma generic version of Wellbutrin SR (Bupropion HCL SR). Has anyone had success with this one? If not which generic version have you had success with?

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Can someone please say which state and which pharmacies they go to, to get Sandoz version wellbutrin??
everyone says they get it, but never say where, i've tried CVS, Walmart, small local pharmacies, Wahlgreens, Kroger, NONE say they get Sandoz version.

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We used to get it from Express Scripts mail-order company.

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You might want to look at my previous posts on this list - sixscrews- but I have had some not-so-good experiences with generic versions of bupropion SR 100 mg tablets (I take 300 mg/day in three separate doses). My health provider's pharmacy switched over to Actavis (?) bupropion several years ago. The tablets were grey in color as opposed to my previous tablets that were bright blue. After about a week on the grey tablets I slid into a serious depression. I called my pharmacy and asked for the previous blue tablets (Sandoz) of which they, fortunately, had a remaining inventory. Three days later and I was back to 'normal' (no comment). Ever since I have refused to accept a bupropion Rx that is not bright blue and labeled 'Sandoz.'

I don't know if the Actavis/DrReddy/what the fxxx Indian pharmaceutical manufactured medications are - but they, as far as my metabolism is concerned, are NOT buproprion. Many articles have been published in various magazines (NY Times, for one) showing them up as a bunch of scam artists. And, of course, our lovely gov't, for which we pay so much in taxes, has no interest in slamming these people into the dirt where they belong. Back in 1904 after the Pure Food and Drug Act was passed hundreds of quack docs and pill rollers got 5-10-20 year sentences in federal slammers after keeping their scams going despite clear federal prohibitions. Of course, these days, the quacks are run by a bunch of multi-billion dollar outfits that can pay off whatever Republican senators/representatives they want to and monkey-wrench up the whole system. Want a better system - vote for Dump or whatever his name is and see what turns up in your pill bottles. Good luck.

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I am taking the bupropion by Sun Pharma. It isnt working for me and it is sweet. I told my pharmacist that I thought they were fake and she told me that wasn't possible but now reading the comments it sounds totally possible.

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Hello all, let me tell my tale of Wellbutrin and bupropion generics. A little background first. I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2012. I have struggled with depression most of my life and come from a family with a deep history of mental illness. I have taken SSRI's in the past with more problems than success. I usually tolerate generics...the only time I can think of an issue is years ago when they switched my BC generic and I had more side effects. But on to this story...over a year ago I was given a script for Wellbutrin to help me with depression, focus and fatigue...all issues that are standard parts of MS. It took me a while to actually fill the script... I was wary. I know that some anti-depressants can actually cause people to commit suicide.

I finally filled it and my first bottle were the purple ones from Eon Labs (which is now Sandoz). My fatigue grew worse...to be honest I had no desire or inclination to get out of bed. I didn't realize how bad things were until I got my refill and it was a different generic. This time it was Watson and it was like night and day. I started being a pain at the pharmacy and insisted on Watson and not Eon/Sandoz. It got to the point where they had my name written on bottles in the back. So almost a year that way and then I am told they can't get the Watson anymore. That is when I was given some from Sun Pharmaceuticals.
Those were horrible. I could tell within two doses that they were a problem. In less than a week my anxiety and mood swings increased dramatically and I was hit with full on suicidal ideation. I stopped taking them.

After some calls to my doctor and the insurance company I was put on the straight form of Wellbutrin (no sr or xl). More pills a day didn't bother me, I already take pills all day long, what is a few more? I can't even begin to describe the difference. I suddenly realized what the drug was *supposed* to be doing. My 5 and 7 year old noticed a difference. I became more focused, my anxiety and panic attacks gone, mood swings diminished. No more angry outbursts. I was getting up on time in the morning and being productive. It was the best month of my life. Then when I went for my refill I was told they aren't making that form of it anymore. The only form of name-brand my insurance doesn't exclude. I wrote GSK and yes indeed they stopped production of it.

The pharmacist handed me all her bottles of the generics to see if there were any I could take. The two they can get are the ones I can't have. She had one bottle of Actavis (which merged with Watson) so I tried that. It was tolerable, but after knowing what the drug should do, it wasn't up to par. Not that it matters...my pharmacy can't get that one anyway. So here I am...off my meds documenting my slide back into mental illness while I wait on my appeal with the insurance company to get on some form of name-brand.

For reference I live in Connecticut and have been getting my prescriptions from Stop and Shop. I work full time and have two young children and a chronic illness... I don't have time to chase down generics from pharmacy to pharmacy every month. I have had serious problems with the insurance's mail order pharmacy in the past and don't trust them to work with me on this. Their formulary still lists the drug no longer being made. I have filled out the FDA forms on all generics I have taken. So here I sit waiting...poster child for what is wrong with this system. Honestly, on my darker days I think they are doing this on purpose hoping I will kill myself so they don't have to cover me and my chronic illness anymore.

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I was reading this thread also after being given the SR from Solco....just started taking it. I don't have anything to add at this time, but I thought that commenting would sign me up for updates, should there be any.

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I took Solco 100mg SR once a day for a month before switching to Sandoz 150mg SR once a day. I had no side effects from Solco besides anxiety for 2 weeks (also pms) and frequent urination for some reason. Other than that I couldn't tell if it was working. Maybe it was too low of a dose. But it didn't give me physical side effects. Now going on the Sandoz for a week and a but more now I still have nothing.. Except initial anxiety and back to pms .. Again. Can't tell if it's making it worse. Been crying a little more. A bit more depressed and emotional. I'm pretty sure I need an increase to 300mg a day. But my doctor told me to wait out until the 150mg is up. Ugh. I think my pharmacy has Mylan and Sandoz for 150mg SR. And I happened to get Sandoz.

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The aforementioned eye stutter could well be due to Magnesium deficiency, as twitching and similar are common symptoms of this. Magnesium plays many roles in the brain, including production of certain neurotransmitters. Taking antidepressants, specifically reuptake inhibitors of Dopamine, Serotonin, Norepinephrine etc. can deplete not only those neurotransmitters, but also the factors needed to produce them. This is why it's important to get dietary sources of Tryptophan when on SSRIs, and Tyrosine when on SNRIs/NDRIs (Bupropion). Magnesium is a good supplement to take in this situation, along with Vitamin D.

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Edited from speech to text lol: Hi MS chick, you may have heard by now, but you can get Brand Wellbutrin through a web-based company called direct success Pharmacy. However they only distribute the xl form, so your doctor would have to write a prescription for that. It is either zero or $50 a month depending on your insurance. That's what I've been doing for the past 2 months. Just wanted to help!

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I am very suspicious of the whole Direct Success Pharmacy thing. Something just seems 'off' about it.

My insurance company denied my first request and now I am in process of my appeal. Honestly their causation leads me to believe that they never even read my actual case.

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Hi! That was best for me but Kmart just told me it's being discontinued :(. Whatever generic I got from Walmart in 2015 was horrible and had me nauseous all day. I take sr 100mg 2xday for MDD.

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You have to remember that different brands work for different people. Sun Pharma was best for me and now it's no longer available. I have been able to work full time for over a year with very mild episodes on about 4 occasions. That is significantly better than ups and downs every month, unable to maintain a job.

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Sun Pharma Caraco is the only Wellbutrin I've ever been able to take (2015, 2016) -- no side effects and works very well (high dose). I was blindsided by it being taken off the market in the U.S. I am completely out of the ones I've been using, now, and have been bouncing from one to another of the others with no luck. This is not fun.

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I was taking the original brand of Wellbutrin 300XL since it was first approved in 1996. Over the last year, I've tried generics by Anchin, Watson and the Canadian "brand" by Valeant. None of these generics worked for me. Don't be fooled by the Canadian brand by Valeant - it's just another cheap generic. The problem is that the time-release mechanism doesn't work properly in these generics, and the FDA allows them to use only 80% of the original formula. So, there were only two choices for me: 1) pay $1300 per month for the original US Glaxo-Valeant brand, or 2) try the only generic that has a good reputation - Sandoz 150sr (twice per day). Fortunately, the Sandoz generic works almost as well as the original, and I'm adjusting to the minor differences. If you don't have insurance, you'll need to order Sandoz from a independent pharmacy. The cost is around $100 per month (however, there may be discounts or coupons available). If you have health insurance, you can request this specific generic through your insurance company's mail order pharmacy and they'll special-order it for you. Then, you'll only pay the regular generic price under your plan.

I've been reading, researching and experimenting with the various dosages because Valeant (who owns the US rights for the original Glaxo version) is a greedy, unethical and opportunistic company who has raised the cost of the original US brand to over $1,300. As of Aug. 2016, Valeant has been under criminal investigation by Federal prosecutors, and the ex-CFO and ex-CEO are the focus of a criminal probe. It's simply outrageous that this 20 year old medication (Wellbutrin 300xl and 150xl) have been priced to gauge the public due to lack of quality competition. So,the best solution for me was to switch over to Sandoz 150sr which was the only alternative that came close to the original. It's amazing how many people are searching for a viable alternative to the $1300 US brand - and my best advice to those who are seeking a replacement is to try the Sandoz. Good luck!

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I've been taking Wellbutrin on and off for quite sometime because I often suffer from situational depression and it gets pretty bad. For some reason recently my insurance company decided they're not going to carry the name brand anymore but they will pay for generic I tried it as I have tried generics over the past years and it didn't work. I just felt more depressed than ever the only thing the generic medication has to have is the main ingredient nobody knows what other chemicals they put in the pill I guess unless you research it I have to pay out-of-pocket a lot of money every month for my Wellbutrin because my insurance won't cover it I'm in the middle of fighting them to cover it to this day because it is a previous condition and I've been taking this medicine for years namebrand only as prescribed by my doctor I feel like a brand-new person when I take it I only take it for six months at a time but it helps me get out of the hole that I have sunk into none of the generics help do that they make me feel worse. I have been going around in circles with my insurance company to cover this medication because my doctor writes medically necessary for the name brand on the prescription yet I still have to pay out-of-pocket the generic drugs are chemically altered I'm not a doctor or a pharmacist or a chemist but I know that they are because my body feels it even when I don't know I'm taking a generic I just don't feel right that happened to me with one of my medications I didn't look at the bottle to see if it was the brand name and when I get home I took it a little while later I didn't feel right and I looked at the bottle and it was generic I don't trust the generics anymore and I will never trust them not after what I went through. If you have insurance you have a legal right if you were condition is a previous existing condition to fight your insurance company there are all kinds of people who will help you legally to get The stubborn insurance to pay for the brand-name I'm currently working on it and it looks like it's going to turn out in my favor good luck I hope this helps.

I have to say that I am not a doctor I am not I am not any of the above I'm not a chemist i'm not a pharmacist I'm just a person Who has taken a generic medication and had a very bad experience several times with different ones and I saw your question and decided to share my opinion and experience

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I'm curious why you would ask such a question. By law both generic and brand must have the same chemical formulation to be called the same name to be prescribed. I think once we get into the game of "which is better" you are going down a slippery confusing slope. I know in the USA at leasts that you wouldn't be able to tell the difference when taking brand or generic when blindfolded.

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WillRNMS, I find it interesting that you say that considering Sun Pharmaceuticals recently had to recall this very generic. Plus the FDA has banned many of their generic brands due to problems at the manufacturing plant.
Generics can be a dicey game. Bio-equivalence isn't the same thing. Inactive ingredients are a misnomer... they do have an effect on people. Gluten and lactose are often used as fillers; what about the people who have an intolerance to those ingredients?!? The problem is the isolationist approach of Western medicine. The think they can find one magic isolated ingredient (or vitamin, or antioxidant, or element) and it will solve anything. Life doesn't exist in a vacuum...Medicine needs to regarded as a whole. There is the same problem with the approach to nutrition in this country. You can easily witness that with the latest dad in" healthy" foods. Now everything is gluten free, before that was antioxidants and carbs. Remember the Oat Bran fad? This isn't how our systems work, nor should it be how they are treated.
And yes, I could tell the difference on some generics blindfolded. Years ago it was with my birth control. On brand was great; I had no issues and it actually helped with my dysmenorrhea. The next brand made things worse and made me incredibly nauseous. So yes, they did probably perform the basic function the same, but in the broader picture it was nowhere near close.
The same with the Wellbutrin. We are talking people's brain chemistry here. Something that is delicate, has widespread consequences and we still understand little about. It is incredibly insulting and misguided to dismiss and belittle our struggles with these drugs. Not to mention that several bupropion generics haveve been pulled from the market for non-effectiveness since the generics became available. Big Pharma has proven that its primary concern is profits, not the consumer. We are merely attempting to hold them accountable and get the drug that we were promised.

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I had the exact same thought when I read that post - that my experiences with birth control were a perfect example of the fallacy of that assumption. I feel like that post by WillRNMS was extremely ignorant.

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This is T again. I tried several wellbutrin 300xl generics and then was able to find my sun pharma 150SRs again and got them. Now I know that the sun pharma generic 150SRs seem about half-strength -- but I'm not really seeing any side effects, still, whereas on the others I had many side effects. Forfivo (450xl) and Par 300xl made me sleepy and very sleepy/had to sleep at random times during the day -- delivery method has to be a little off then I'm thinking. Still haven't even been able to try brand Wellbutrin 300xl to know it the preAuth process is even worth it. What does it cost with insurance generally anyway? Thx

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I am currently using 300mg Wellbutrin XL Brand with savings card from my doc. I pay $5 a month. I have insurance with a decent drug plan. I don't think this works Medicaid/care. You may be able to print one out on line for 2017.

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