What Is The Best Generic Version Of Wellbutrin Xl - Watson Or Anchen? (Page 30)

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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Geminiguy, it's not that there is any sort of "payoff" with the Canadian government, it's that the Canadian government says "we won't pay any more and if you don't take our price then screw our citizens, they won't get the drug." It's very similar to how airplane tickets work -- if you are a business traveler and just flying out and then back the next day, you pay $1000, but if you are on vacation and have that 3-week advance purchase and Saturday-night stay, you get the same trip for $159. If there were no full-fare-paying business travelers on the plane, then it couldn't fly because it would cost more than the vacationers were paying. If the airline tried to charge the vacationers $1000 for their tickets, then they would stay home, or drive, or choose another destination where they didn't have to fly -- and the airline would get $0.

The Americans with insurance are like the business travelers, while the Canadians (and the American medicaid patients, and the uninsured Americans on patient assistance) are like the vacationers. Just like it's the business travelers who keep the airlines in business and the planes in the air, it's the Americans with insurance whose drug payments pay the one or two BILLION that it costs for EACH new drug. Americans with insurance are the only group in the entire world that contributes in any significant way to paying for the costs of new drugs. If we stop paying for them, then there won't be any more.

Of course no one knows what drugs are going to be discovered in the future. And, while you may have some clues, no one knows for sure what diseases they will get in the future. You have no way of knowing whether your insurance premiums go to pay for other people's treatments and not yours, either because you don't get sick, or because whatever you get nobody discovers any treatments for. But we do know the odds: if we all stop paying for drug development, there won't be any, and so NO ONE will get any benefit from any new drugs.

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I've been on Wellbutrin SR generic Actavis (manilla-colored pill) for years and it was the best anti-dep med I've tried. Never had a problem--its one of the few meds that didn't make me gain weight! I mean I wasn't "on top of the world" but it got me through my days. But now my ins co and pharmacy (I called several) tell me Actavis no longer makes it. So they gave me Watson (white pill) generic. Didn't work. So I tried ANOTHER generic Sandoz (purple pill) and I've sunk even deeper.I was satisfied w Actavis. Watson and Sandoz feel like placebo! Not to mention the latter 2 made me eat like a pig! I talked w my Dr tonight and he debated trying a whole diff drug for me. I HATE trying new anti-dep mleds! So now I'm considering trying brand name Wellbutrin. Its expensive but the other generics suck. SO--has anyone seen an improvement taking Wellbutrin SR brand rather than generic???

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I put in for my Wellbutrin prescription over a month ago. The 150mg was filled but not the 300mg (I take 450mg a day. They don't make that dosage so I have to combine them) I can't get the generic or brand name of 300mgs as they are "on backorder" so I have been taking 3 of the 150 mg from when they were available (90 day script) luckily. Now I am told the 150 mg isn't available either of the brand name or generic.

What, is this a conspiracy to rid the world of bipolar/ADD/depressed people? I have never seen or heard of a drug company do this before. They keep telling Walgreens that it will be available in a couple of weeks and keep extending the availability date. If there were some warning that it won't be available any more we could see our doctors and switch meds. There is a 3 month waiting list to even see my doctor! I have been on this medication for more than 20 years. In that time I would forget to take it from time to time until the drastic consequences kicked in and it isn't pretty (duh) by missing by just a day or two. I cannot imagine what I will go through if I just cannot get the prescription at all in any form. It also helps me avoid migraines. I would love to get to the bottom of this. My other conspiracy theory is if all of us who take Wellbutrin switch to anything else available for these various needs, there will be a whole population of folks with low libito. (Hmmmm, just keep them from reproducing!) Of course I am kidding around but I am concerned. Will it ever be available again or do I have to start back on the horribly elusive search for something that helps the ADD, anxiety, depression and migraines?

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Stay away from generic Wellbutrin. My pharmacy unilaterally swapped in the generic version without my consent nor knowledge. It had nothing to do with insurance or third-party coverage as I didn't have either of those at the time. Over the course of several months I became desperately suicidal and started cutting my wrists!! It was only by chance that I happened to notice the missing Wellbutrin imprint on the ?? I tore a strip off the Pharmacist and started taking the brand-name again. For the sake of their generic drug rebates they receive from generic drug manufacturers my life was in danger. The real kicker is that I don't take the drug for depression but rather to help with my Address as it helps contain impulsive actions.

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I just got my second script for buproprion filled (300 xl). And it is actavis brand, has a 142 on it. So you might call around CVS in your area and see if they have it. HTH

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Check Walgreens. It is finally coming back on the shelves. I called Mylan and got a call back in the first week of April where they mentioned some manufacturing problems. Supposedly fixed and now available. Just picked some up from Walgreens today. Has been missing for 3 months.

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This particular generic did NOT work for me after CVS changed to this one. I feel worse now than I've ever felt. My anxiety is so bad I can't function many days. I cry or stay teary most of the time & just want to stay in bed all day. Lots of heart palpitations also. My insurance won't cover the name brand which has always worked very well for me! I don't know if I'll survive another day much of the time! Also having sleep problems -waking up after only a few hours & very bad dreams so I wake up overwhelmed. I just feel afraid & panicked all of the time lately!

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Typpi - I had been on the Mylan xl brand for several years with no problems when I was suddenly switched to the Activis brand as well. I had the exact same reaction with the exact same symptoms. In fact, I registered a complaint with the FDA because it was so severe. Since Mylan had disappeared from the market I was then forced to use brand name wellbrutrin - costing over $500 for 30 pills...And I have really good insurance! Fortunately though, I find no difference between my previous Mylan experience and the brand name. Both work perfectly for me but the price difference is absurd. In addition, I also called Mylan Pharmacutials and was told the same thing as A ... That it's generic brand of Wellbrutrin was so much in demand they had to restructure their manufacturing process. They told me that it would be available mid-June and in the pharmacy 2 weeks after that. "A" - just a quick question: you said you recently were able to acquire the Mylan generic at Wallgreens? Do you mind if I ask where u r located? I'm in Florida and I'm hoping it becomes available again here soon! Also, is it the SR or the XL that is now available? This entire experience has been a conumdrum as well as very disconcerting ... When I went to my physician for a consultation regarding my reaction to Activis, she was quite concered with what I described and how I appeared to her: I had tremors and most disturbing, my blood pressure had skyrocketed. I am a very fit, active and healthy female with no history of abnormal blood pressure. I see a litigation notice popping up in my mailbox very soon. Good luck everyone and be well...

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Typpi... if the brand works for you (it does me, too) go to wellbutrinxl.com and then click on "Click here for your savings options". Valeant is the company who makes the brand. They have a marketing campaign with the Direct Success Pharmacy located in New Jersey. You can buy 3 months of the brand, be it 150mg or 300mg, for $150 out of pocket. I have been using them for a couple of months now as have others who have posted here. It is legit. I think only one person who's posted here so far feels that it is not legit. Again, if brand works for you, there is no need to suffer. Good luck.

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I've been on this medication for over 10 years. Last March 2013 I switched from 2 150's to the 300's by Watson. Everything was great until two months ago, when Walmart started dispensing the Actavis (who merged with Watson). This pill is definitely not the same. Every single depression symptom has resurfaced. I no longer trust the generic brand and I am trying to get signed up for the guarantee program. I can not afford the $646 a month through Walgreens or even the $495 through Rite Aid. Don't listen to your doctor when they tell you that it is the same from all manufactures. If it was, the FDA wouldn't have had to recall them.

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Direct Success has a program to get the name brand Wellbutrin XL for$50 for 30 pills. This is the same for 150 mg or 300 mg. and where my ins would not pay for brand at my pharmacy, they will work with this program and pay the $50 copay. Therefore, I am not having to pay anything for the brand. After buying from Canada for years, I was so glad to find this program.

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For those who have been taking Wellbutrin for a while...I am in my second month of 150 XL, I don't have any negative effects much anymore (very dry eyes and mouth at first), but I can't say that I feel great. How long did you take 150 before upping to 300? I tried taking 2 of the 150s and it made me very sleepy. Did you see a real improvement going from 150 to 300? Thinking about asking my doctor to up the prescription.

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I cannot take Watson XL, it hits me all at once. Currently use Mylan with excellent results.

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If I were not on medicaid my $8 an hour job couldn't possibly pay for my medication that prevents me from suicide....good luck ordering a pizza then. Must be nice to afford to take care of yourself. Maybe you should not be judgmental. Not all of us are lazy and stupid. And medicaid does not cover wellbutrin anyway so your underlying stab is moot.

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I just wanted to put in my latest purchase which was my first purchase from Direct Success Pharmacy. I have been on 300 mg XL for years and always took the generics which they would randomly change on me and I would never really notice because basically they never did anything for me that I could really feel anyway. It wasn't until the last change from the drug store happened that I did notice a big difference and felt like something was really wrong. I blamed my ADD meds, Adderall because I felt like I had no energy. After playing with different generics of that I read this column and sure enough this all started when my drugstore put me on Activas after being on Anchen Bupropion for a long time. It got me thinking that if I am always at the mercy of what the drugstore had in stock at any given time I should try brand so at least I could see what it was supposed to feel like and if it was good I would stay on it. I am on Medicare with a drug supplement card and needless to say my copay for brand was $331 per month. after trying it one month and seeing the dramatic difference it had on my overall wellbeing I decided I had to stay on brand but couldn't afford to at that price. I read about Direct Success and decided to give them a try. My Doctor called it in and in five minutes on the phone it was done, a three months supply with three refills. the cost was $50 per month so $150 total, no other costs. I called them once to make sure they had my information correct and bottom line was in three days I had three bottles of Brand name Wellbutrin 300mg XL. There was no difference in the bottles anywhere or on the pill itself. If anyone is wondering if this works don't give it another thought. The brand is in my eyes superior to anything I ever took and now there is no doubt in my mind that this is 100% legitimate. I had read posts where people said things were different on the bottles and so on but there is no difference from what I purchased as brand in NY to what they sent me in the mail. $50 isn't exactly cheap but you can't put a price on feeling good and it beats in my case $331 a month on my plan so I feel like its a great find. Thank goodness for sites like these where you can hear about things like this program and actually have it work out for you. Its not too good to be true its true, it works and its 100% Brand no doubt about it! don't be fools and pay a dime more than this for your Brand medication like I did, trust this source and you will be happy you did. Just put in any search engine Direct Success Pharmacy and their page will be right there with an 800 number to call them.

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Good input. The United States is the world's pharmacist as well as the world's policeman. It is what it is.

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Hey Darla,
Have you moved up to 300mg? It had sounded like pre-Direct Success Pharmacy batch that you'd had some success on namebrand Wellbutrin, no? My experience has been this: generic WB (Anchen/PAR Pharmacy) for a month - first 4 days were the epitome of the honeymoon experience, then it totally crashed and I felt spacey, absentminded, and worse than before. I then took advantage of Direct Success - I've now been on namebrand WB for a month, and I feel nothing. The first two weeks were a little better than usual, and now I just feel the same. I know it can take a while to work for some people - and almost immediately for others. BTW, I've been on 300mg from the start, generic and namebrand. I wonder why I felt it so strong for a few days on the Anchen/PAR and why I'm not feeling much of anything on the namebrand. I'm going to give it a long shot - maybe I need a different generic, maybe I need an SSRI on top of this.... I don't know. Tell me your experience and maybe we can help each other. happy to private msg too. Josh

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Has anyone been able to acquire the generic brand Mylan 300 xl? It's been back ordered at my pharmacy for a while but I believe I read on this thread that it was now back in distribution.

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I just picked up some Mylan last week at Walgreens

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Thanks, K. Are you in the Northeast? I am. I just called my pharmacy but they still don't have it. I also use a Walgreens.

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