What Is The Best Generic Version Of Wellbutrin Xl - Watson Or Anchen? (Page 10)

My doctor will not prescribe generic Wellbutrin XL but my insurance will no longer pay for brand name drugs. I will have to pay about $7000 per yer for what I am taking now (3 of the 150mg Wellbutrin XL brand name per day). I am reading that the problem with the generics is the time release mechanism and not the drug itself and that some are better than others. Anybody have experience with the generics made by Watson and /or Anchen?

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NikiB --
There is more than one manufacturer of generic Wellbutrin (Bupropion). Teva's version in the 300 mg. size was just taken off the market. Try one made by a different manufacturer; hopefully you will find a generic one that will work for you.

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Did nobody see my post re: buying your drugs across the border??
Wellbutrin is one tenth of the price over there. So I go there to fill my script. I know that there are on-line pharmacies for those people who don't live near a border.
I take 450 mg. daily and my script is less than $100. per month.

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Sammy - I think the concern is being able to get the brand name instead of generics for Wellbutrin. By 'over the border' do you either mean Mexico or Canada? Do you know if you are getting brand or generic?

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Start reading posts around #60 - good discussions regarding purchasing in Canada with suggestions for pharmacy to use

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Yes, they are brand name Wellbutrin. My doctor won't prescribe generics as none of his patients have done well on them.
Also, from what I understand, should you suffer any adverse health problems due to the generic drugs, you have no legal recourse.

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By "over the border" I of course mean Canada.
Drugs are much, much less expensive there because they have a completely different health system....
I would never take generics as the companies that produce them are not legally responsible for their product should you every experience any adverse health problems due to them.

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Sammy, can provide the name & contact information for the Canada pharmacy you use? What is the monthly cost ?

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I contacted Big Mountian Drugs in Canada - They carry two 'name-brand' Wellbutrin 150mg (XL) - one is made by a Cananda Maunfactuer by the name of Biovail (quanity of 90 = $139.), and another manufactured in Turkey by Glaxo (quanity of 90 = $105.)

Anyone have experience with either of these recently? Reading back through the posts - it seems Biovail is recommeneded.
Does anyone know if Glaxo in Turkey is actually 'Glaxo- Smith-Kline' who happened to be the orginal manufacturer of brand name Wellbutrin XL?

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The Wellbutrin XL 150 from Turkey is supposedly made by a Glaxo company. I have a problem believing that since, Biovail bought it from Glaxo. I have been buying from Big Mountain for over 2 years. It always came from Biovail in Canada. Then about 9 months ago, I did not know that it was coming from Turkey until I got it. I felt the same way I did with any of the generics. It was not right. When ordering from Big Mountain, you have to specify that you want the Wellbutrin XL from Biovail in Canada. I have had no problems since I started that. Just got a refill last week and as usual, it came in about 5 days after I placed the order. I always call Big Mountain rather than placing the order online. This way I know that the order is being placed to come from Canada. For anyone looking for info, go back to posts around #60, as Hope has already suggested.

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I just go to Pharma Plus, but it is no different than any other pharmacy in Canada.
The monthly cost for Wellbutrin XL, 450mg/daily:

If you take three 150 mg. tablets daily the cost is $74. per month.
If you take one 300 mg. tablet and one 150mg. tablet daily, the monthly cost is $87.
(These are Canadian dollars, which are basically par with the American)

I hope that this helps. The only difference between one pharmacy and another is the dispensing fee which usually doesn't differ by more than a couple of dollars.

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I am really grateful for the sharing of experiences on this site. I too tried several generics and even tried different type SSRI's with no success and horrid side effects. Brand Wellbutrin has been the only success. As a scientist who has also worked in the pharma industry, I can say with great assurance that not ALL drugs are created equal. Every person has a different reaction to a specific medication, it's about finding what works for the individual. Companies do try to do their best with testing and trials but it is by far NOT perfect. I do think there are generics out there that do function as they should and have strict processing standards but not all.
Nonetheless, a inferior quality product will never work well no matter who you are. I just wanted to share this for those who have tried repeated generics of WB for instance and have been unsuccessful. Depending on your insurance carrier there are insurance companies that will partially and in some cases fully cover the brand. Speak with your healthcare provider and/or your insurance company and explain that you have been on several generics with poor results ( this will need to be documented in their records, usually traceable by the Rx you filled at the pharm and have paid for). You can request what is called a formulary exception request. The insurance company will then have your doctor call them and if it has been the case where you have tried several medications ( these would need to be on record) with no success, then in many cases the insurance will then pay for the brand.
My copay went from ~ $200 to $50/month for my Rx ( I now get only the name brand).

I hope this helps for anyone who has or is struggling with the generics. Unfortunately, the FDA is backlogged and there just aren't enough resources to provide adequate monitoring of all the adverse effects certain drugs, at least not in a timely fashion that is. The best thing is to find out as much as you can about the " alternative options" in your insurance plan before deciding to go elsewhere to buy a drug. These are never advertised and you just have to be diligent, but they do exist.

Good luck.

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I am really grateful for the sharing of experiences on this site. I too tried several generics and even tried different type SSRI's with no success and horrid side effects. Brand Wellbutrin has been the only success. As a scientist who has also worked in the pharma industry, I can say with great assurance that not ALL drugs are created equal. Every person has a different reaction to a specific medication, it's about finding what works for the individual. Companies do try to do their best with testing and trials but it is by far NOT perfect. I do think there are generics out there that do function as they should and have strict processing standards but not all.
Nonetheless, a inferior quality product will never work well no matter who you are. I just wanted to share this for those who have tried repeated generics of WB for instance and have been unsuccessful. Depending on your insurance carrier there are insurance companies that will partially and in some cases fully cover the brand. Speak with your healthcare provider and/or your insurance company and explain that you have been on several generics with poor results ( this will need to be documented in their records, usually traceable by the Rx you filled at the pharm and have paid for). You can request what is called a formulary exception request. The insurance company will then have your doctor call them and if it has been the case where you have tried several medications ( these would need to be on record) with no success, then in many cases the insurance will then pay for the brand.
My copay went from ~ $200 to $50/month for my Rx ( I now get only the name brand).

I hope this helps for anyone who has or is struggling with the generics. Unfortunately, the FDA is backlogged and there just aren't enough resources to provide adequate monitoring of all the adverse effects certain drugs, at least not in a timely fashion that is. The best thing is to find out as much as you can about the " alternative options" in your insurance plan before deciding to go elsewhere to buy a drug. These are never advertised and you just have to be diligent, but they do exist.

Good luck.

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Amazing! Just got approved for name brand! I've tried all generics with horrible results/side effects. But knowing Welbutrin works well for me, I called my doctor and explained what I've been going through. They submitted my statement & doctor recommendation to insurance and it was approved! This is even more increadable considering I am on medi-cal (CA state insurance). I am beyond thankful and looking forward to picking up my meds tomorrow and getting back on track with my life!

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I have been on generic wellbutrin for 7-8 years.no noticeable side effects and am doing very well.i take 150 xl sr.getting it from a regional discount store,much like BUT NOT Wal Mart.costy is $8.00 for 1 month supply.VERY SATISFIED

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Just my 2 cents on experience with Bupropion... I've never taken brand name Wellbutrin. I have mild but tenacious depression, and I've found the best drug combo to be a very small dose (5mg) of Citalopram, and a once-a-day dose of Buproprion 150 XL.

I started on Bupropion 150XL from Mylan. Fine, no bad side effects, a little boost in energy & motivation, a little harder to stay asleep, marked improvement in mood. Then I tried BP 300XL, also from Mylan. I quickly developed neck pain and shoulder pain (yes folks, this is a very real side effect for many of us, even if it's not scientifically documented yet). I figured 300 is too much for me, so I switched back to BP 150XL (still from Mylan).

All was fine again for several months... Then Walgreens switched to Anchen as their supplier of BP 150XL. Within one day of taking the Anchen pills, I was experiencing the same neck & shoulder pain as I did with the BP 300XL from Mylan. I also noticed my mood was swinging up & down more. It felt as though the extended release mechanism wasn't extending it's release very well, just like the problem with Teva.

I pleaded with Walgreens to get me BP 150XL from Mylan. They said Ok, that will be $400 for 30 pills. What ?!?! So now I'm on a quest to find BP 150XL from Mylan, at a price that I can afford.

As an interesting side-note: The day Walgreens switched me from Mylan to Anchen was the exact same day the FDA announced it was pulling Teva's BP 300XL from the shelves.

This whole mess just wreaks of Big Pharma & Insurance Industry shenanigans to increase profits at the patient's expense.

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I use rxoutreach. 90 generic bupropion 300xl for $65. Income up to 3x Fed poverty level qualifies..

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target & CVS have Mylan

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Try Watson. It still isn't as good as the real thing, but I get it at Target, and I don't have any of the "fast release" side effects. The main thing I notice is that it doesn't have the kick (extra energy) that I get from the brand.
My doctor added 40 mg of Viibryd - you build up from 10 to 20 to 40 over a month. Unfortunately it is a brand, so I don't know what I'll do when the samples run out, but I think it helps. I am sleeping better - maybe too much better. It is hard to get up sometimes.
It is also hard to tell whether it is me, the drugs, the economy or everything else going on in my life that makes me feel the way I do....

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A little Googling CAN hurt, if the Googler doesn't understand what he or she is reading. If you have a basic understanding of statistics and you read the FDA methodology for testing bioequivalence, you will see that the FDA does NOT allow drugs with 80% bioequivalence to be sold as generics. That is as gross misunderstanding of the methodology, And giving people incorrect information only helps to spread misinformation.

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I was started on name brand Wellbutrin XL after a bad experience with Paxil. 60 dollars a month with insurance I could live with it. However Medco made me go to their mail order generic after a few months. I was actually taking the generic Teva (which incidentally was pulled from the market) with mixed but OK results. My last supply was from Mylan and it is completely ineffective. I have been suicidal for weeks, and flying into rage etc. I luckily picked up some name brand last night after calling my doc and Medco. Medco will only pay for 3 months, so I have to figure out what this is going to cost me. My life is worth a few hundred dollars though.

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