What Is The Best Generic Version Of Wellbutrin Xl - Watson Or Anchen? (Page 12)

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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I am taking the generic since April 2012 AND LOVE IT!!! I take 300 mg of Burpropion XL, 1x day. It works WONDERFULLY for me; I have lost over 40# or so, and it is GREAT for my depression!

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Which manufacturer?

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I just received Wellbutrin from Turkey and it is manufactured by Biovail and packaged in Germany. So I'm confused to why the threads on here say only to buy wellbutrin mfd in Canada when the one from shipped from Turkey is also manufactured in Canada...huh? I cannot be on the generics either and mine here in Chicago are $400 per month for the 300 and another $400 for the 150!!!! What the heck has happened in this country!! Who can pay $800 per month for pills, NUTS! I hope someone still comes on this board..lol

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so, just went to pharmacy to refill - they no longer have Actavis, just Par - which from researching the internet looks like it's Par/Anchen - and the Anchen is the one that I tried that did NOTHING for me - any ideas???

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This is still an active board, and you can sign up to receive an email when a post is made. If you will go back to around post #60, there are quite a few posts about why some of us prefer the brand mfg in Canada - we just didn't do as well as the one that was shipped from Turkey, and the markings on the pills are different.
Glad to hear that some are doing well on generic, but realize that these are "typically" folks that have never taken brand name Wellbutrin XL. It is having to switch from brand to generic that causes problems for a lot.

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I too was on Wellbutrin XL 300 mg..medicare stopped paying so changed to generic..all my symptions came back. My regular GP gave me the non generic samples two weeks ago. Immediate chg back to feeling good and able to handle daily stress. Good example my daughter was in hospital for blood clot, 2 procedures and stayed ICU. I did not have my anxiety/panic feeling but once..and that was when I first saw her. After that I handled everything without any panic attacks. THERE is a hugh difference in generic..how can this go unnoticed. I know about the March 1 deadline for Watson, company who makes my generic.. I pray it does change the price of the medication.

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To tygger281: Which generic (manufacturer) do you take

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Actavis - I've never taken brand, so I didn't think anything of it ... The anchen/par was so bandit was like nothing ...

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Thank you all so much for the info, all the way back to two years ago. I'm new to bupropion, and this info has been really helpful in measuring the effectiveness of this drug for my recently diagnosed depression.

I started with Anchen XL 150mg, and my body hasn't really responded in any way. No side effect, no positive help, just... nothing. He is increasing my dose to 300mg, but I discussed with him the possibility that it is the generic manufacturer, so I'm both taking the new higher dose and trying Mylan XL out. If I don't notice a difference -- and I hope I do, from what I've read -- I'll have to bite the bullet and demand the brand wellbutrin. My insurance will cover it, but it's an addition $50 copay for just 15 pills, so I'm wary of that option (I'm a recent college grad supporting myself in NYC, so that money is like groceries for 2 weeks. Pennies for some, tons for me).

I'll report my experience once I've taken the Mylan for a couple weeks, for others to benefit like I have. I'm really looking forward to the results of the FDA mandated studies on this drug -- I think it's so important for the mental health of millions, and I'm grateful they're taking action. Thanks again for all your help!

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I have had no problem switching from brand to watson of the wellbutrin xl 150mg

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I do notice difference between different brands of Welbutrin . I remember when I was taking 50 mg brand name and they had me up.No sleep. I can't give an answer about how different brands worked. My body adapted quite well. I am prescribed xanax to counter the speedy anxiety feeling it also makes me sweat. Good luck for you all, but there is truly a difference between the brands, and its good to know I am not the only one who experienced. These changes

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I'm an Analytical Chemist in the pharmaceutical industry. I have to be careful what I say as I'm bound by confidentiality agreements. I worked on brand name Wellbutrin SR and Wellbutrin XL. I was laid off in 2009. I used to take Wellbutrin SR but now have insurance that will not pay for brand name so I'm now taking generic. Since I was laid off I've learned a lot about generic companies.while working contract positions for them. I'll be quite honest, they scare the heck out of me. I think about that every time I open the bottle to get a tablet.

I spotted two things while looking through posts, not sure if they were in this thread or not.

1) - If your tablets are yellow, make sure with your pharmacist that they are SUPPOSED to be yellow.

2) - Someone mentioned their bupropion having a strong smell. This will sound odd but if that smell reminds you of rotten eggs then it is probably okay. If it smells like something else, try to follow up with your pharmacist.

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Mimi, the reason the doctor is not letting you try the generics may well be that the drug rep is buying him a luxury car based on victims like you. Get another doctor, period. You are being used.

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I have just been substituted with generic Watson for what I have been taking for years which is by Actavis. Watson is HORRIBLE. I've already called my pharmacy and I'm going to get my doctor to prescribe name brand for a higher copay and see what happens.

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What do the Watson nutrition 300 XL look like?Could anyone give me a brief reminder of the description of XL it stands for Extended release? Is that correct? Also I know SR IS SUSTAINED RELEASE BUT what does Sustained Release mean? I am asking in terms of medication bupropion and wellbutrin and how the SR compares...Not my best choice of words but hey I'm human!###

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I have a VERY IMPORTANT CLAIM HERE!! I 'VE had the generic for a year or do, I wonder if I got back on the namebrand....I also have a bunch name brand Sr s, but I take XL. This drug has helped, but I still struggle and I wonder if there would b a difference in how I feel. I will post my experience....The all!!Best wishes..

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Hi ... I take generic Wellbutrin, which is labeled bupropion. The manufacturer is Watson Labs and I think their imprint is "WPI,"

I take Buproprion 100 mg SR which is a round, lavender pill that doesn't have any markings on it.

I also take Buproprion 300mg XL which is a small white pill with the markings "WPI 3332" on one side. I don't know what the 3332 means but maybe it's the lot identification number or something.

XL - My doctor describes it as extended release which continually releases the medication in your body over the course of the day.

SR - My doctor describes is "standard release" (not sustained release), which does not release the medication over a long period of time.

I really hope this helps.

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HELP! I was taking Watson buproprion 150 mg twice daily with excellent results in my major depression( couldn't get out of bed for weeks, my mom taking care of my twins!) I'm no stranger to SSRIs but it's been 7-8 years since I took one, so I was surprised at the near immediate improvement in my depression! I felt normal, happy even and productive. All within 3 -4 days. But it also had many side effects: an increase in my already bad anxiety, slight agitation, tremor, slightly blurred vision, insomnia worsened, so I switched to generic buproprion XL 300 mg manufactured by PAR Pharm. within days I felt mysrlf getting depressed within 11 days I couldn't get out of bed again! Although all the bad sude effects also dissipated. My insurance will cover Watson which I am willing to try it but unsure if it's the change from SR version twice daily to XL 300 once daily? I'm desperate, if Watson doesn't work, I'm going to try brand name from Canada from GSK- who owns Valeant, the only manufacturer of brand name Wellbutrin from what I've researched. Any suggestions? Once the Watson SR helped my depression so significantly I'm willing to give their XL version a go.

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What was the brand of your generic 300?

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Patricia, apparently everything works different on everyone. I took brand name WB before and never had any bad side affects. My insurance changed and only will pay for generic. I received 150 xl by PAR which is the same as anchen. Wow, talk about going backwards instead of forward. I stayed on it for almost 2 weeks as i didnt want to say i didnt try...and continued to get worse. I found out that you can get any generic issued and get it paid for if you ask to try another company. I called all our pharmacys and asked what brand they carry. My CVS carried the Watson brand so going to give that a try. Day one today so hoping things get better. I would say brand would be the best way to go. They say they equally the same from brand to generic...wrong! On brand I was great, even lost a couple of lbs. On generic PAR I couldn't stop thinking about food and craved carbs, gained 7lbs off that generic. Which of course makes everyone feel worse. Hoping for better results from the Watson 150xl, if not I might try the Sr as it seems that even though you have to take twice a day, more people are having problems with the generic version of the xl. So twice a day might be worth it.

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