What Is The Best Generic Version Of Wellbutrin Xl - Watson Or Anchen? (Page 53)
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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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Thanks for the advice! I have only been back on the Wellbutin (Brand name) for a month and maybe I should wait it out a little longer to see if the side effects subside. I spoke with the supervisor of the Canadian pharmacy and demanded that he send me the correct medication. I have never had a good reaction to the generics and I just want my life back. I wish that GSK had never sold the rights to Wellbutrin. This is really a life-saving medication. When I initially switched to the generic a few years ago, I thought I was going absolutely crazy because I felt so awful. I am so thankful for all the feedback I have received online from people who have had similar experiences. I have had chronic pain in my arms for months now and I just realized tonight that for the very first time that I am not in pain. My depression is so severe that it has effected my entire being: mentally and physically. I hope that the pain subsiding is the first indication that the Wellbutrin will work again :)

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My pharmacy gave me my last month's prescription in two bottles - one was Watson and the other was PAR which I have never even heard of. The Watson had been working OK for me (nothing is as good as the brand), but I'm worried about the PAR. Haven't started that bottle yet - I'm a little bit afraid to. Has anyone tried it? Thanks!

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I wouldn't trust any pharmaceuticals from Turkey! It's not worth trying to take that. It could have a terrible effect on you and you would have no recourse since it came from Turkey! You just can't play around with psychotropic drugs because it affects your mind and I'm sure your mind is a beautiful thing! Can you see if you state or county has any programs that might help you pay for your meds? I know it's a long shot but some states do have that kind of assistance. Good Luck! I know where you are coming from regarding the expense.

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Hi everyone. I have struggled with pretty severe depression on and off for 10 years. When I initially sought medication management, I was prescribed Wellbutrin XL (Brand name). My Doc had a bunch of samples so it was free for awhile. It was a miracle drug for me: no depression, lost 40 pounds...etc. When I switched to the generic, it was AWFUL and my doctor wrote the script for brand name only. With my insurance, it was $50 a month but well worth it. After 2 years, I decided that I was ready to stop taking it. I did pretty good un-medicated for a year or so but then my depression came back with a vengeance. I tried the generic again but again it was terrible. Unfortunately, even with my insurance the brand name now costs me like $300 a month!!!! I simply could not afford it so I went the Canadian route. I got my script through Total Care Mart. I did my research and insisted on the brand name from Valient.

This just doesn't feel like the Wellbutrin I used to take. Is it really the same? Perhaps the medication just doesn't work for me anymore :(. Also, I just reordered it and they sent me 3 months worth. From Turkey. I told them that this was unacceptable and that I wanted it replaced. I'm curious to try it though as the Wellbutrin made in Canada just isn't cutting it and the side effects are ridiculous. Has anyone had a positive experience with the medicine from Turkey? I'm pretty scared to take it as all the reviews have been so negative.

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I can certainly empathize with people who can't find a generic that works for them, but the reality is that the original Wellbutrin XL 300 formula is frequently the only option. When I had employee insurance, I was able to get my doctor to convince my employer that a generic substitute simply wouldn't work, and that I had to have the original formula (this was after I tried two different generics, neither which worked). Under my insurance plan, I paid $125 for a three month supply of Wellbutrin XL 300. When I retired and went on Medicare, the coverage changed; regardless of what my doctor insisted on, Medicare would only cover it at their rate. I tried yet another generic, which again didn't work, and then in desperation I went through Medicare and paid what they offered - 3 months for $438. I don't have the budget that would allow me to do that every three months, and so I reviewed all the entries on this forum. I would urge you to look at the entries made by Ronda (the last one was several days ago), where she referred to a series of entries beginning around #60. She and several others encouraged people to use a Canadian drug company, with specific instructions on what to ask for. I won't repeat what's been said, but urge you to look at her postings. Bottom line, I got a written prescription from my physician, spelling out what I needed, called Big Mountain Drugs in Canada, which you can find online, told them what I needed, and subsequently faxed them the prescription and put the charge on my credit card. It cost $189. Yes, that's more than what I was paying originally, but it's a whole lot less than what I am able to get through my current insurance, and I now have the drug that I need. Is it right or fair? No....but it's reality. And Ronda and others who posted the information about Canadian drug companies, thank you so very much.

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I'm in the same boat. Everytime the pharmacy switches me from the Watson Brand, I can almost immediately tell. They switch me to the Par product. Now, Watson has discontinued after being acquired by another company. Also, the FDA did not find the Watson to be equivalent. But it worked for me! I don't know what to do now.

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Yes. The activas is crap! Same as the watson!

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I am extremely frustrated. I take 300 xl and did great on the Watson brand which is no longer available anywhere. I am going to have to bite the bullet and pay for the name brand because nothing else works.

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Thanks for info!

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Go back in post to around 60. There is information about Wellbutrin XL brand being bought from pharmacy in Canada. The main thing is to tell them you want the meds sent from Valeant in Canada. Otherwise they will send you what they say is brand from Turkey. I had a problem with that change. Other than that, I have been using this same pharmacy for about 4 years. Even when I had insurance, I could not pay with they wanted me to pay for brand on the Wellbutrin XL.
Good luck.

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My doctor had me on brand name wellbutrin xl 150 and 300 xl. I was being helped by Biogen who when the license was up switched me over to Valeant who proceeded to drop me from their patient assistance program last november 2013 citing that I had prescription coverage. I do not. I have a "discount card". a discount card that can be used only If the pharmacy wants to and then only 10% to 25 percent off. oh yippee. what do I do now? I have been off meds since november....I cant pay for name brand.

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I had my Bupropion RX filled at Target for 5 months before switching to my insurers mail order pharmacy. At the same time I started taking Safyral. I have taken Yasmin in the past (Safyral is Yasmin plus vitamin B folate) and never had side effects. I was feeling nauseous for a week and then started taking the Safyral at night. The nauseous went away but now I'm having heartburn. I will be fine in the am but after I take the Bupropion from Mylan I have heartburn.

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It's just a testament to how we are all so different - the ONLY generic that works for Me is the Actavis one. It works as well for me as brand (if not maybe a little better even) ALL of the others leave me with the several times a day question of did I take my Meds?

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I too was doing well with Watson and was surprised when the FDA made them take theirs off the market; but have switched to Anchen -- which has since been bought by Par but they are using the old Anchen one -- and have found it to be good also. So, I suggest you try another generic until you find a good one. Again, just based upon my experience, altho I know we do not all have same reaction, I would suggest the Par. (BTW, it is getting hard to keep up with the company mergers. You might be interested to know that Watson actually bought Actavis but decided to use the Actavis name! I guess since Watson's wellbutrin generic was taken off the market, they simply began to sell the Acatavis one. When I got my last refill and saw that the vial said "Par" I became annoyed with pharmacist until he told me that Par had purchased Anchen and was using the old Anchen wellbutrin generic. Hard to keep up.)

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OMG I have had the same problem with Actavis! I used to get my Wellbutrin XL filled at Target pharmacy because it was the only one who carried the Watson generic to which I had no symptoms and it worked great. Well, now they switched to Actavis and within a week I had symptoms. I am having the exact same symptoms as when I one time filled my prescription at Rite-Aid and they have a generic by Teva! All of the symptoms you just described! I am so mad if they aren't making Watson generic anymore because then I will have to get on name brand Wellbutrin. So frustrating!!!

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Since I last checked in back in October, none of the generics were working for me. I called my insurance pharmacy customer service and was referred to a pharmacist. Although somewhat rude and critical that I was also taking some herbal and vitamin supplements he did help remind me that I had started taking turmeric a few weeks before I started having problems with Mylan's bupropion generic. I had also doubled the dosage because of joint pain. I stopped taking it completely and started taking Mylan again and it is working great.

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I am very sensitive to drugs. I have had problems with my Pharmacy filling the prescription with any generic instead of a specific one. They claimed that several of these companies were bought out by other companies. This was a problem for me because every switch came with at least a week of muscle twitches and irritability. Sun Pharma felt spikey in its dosage. Watson was working well for me but then...surprise....the generic was switched again. It seems Watson was purchased by Actavis. I went from taking a tiny pill to a horse pill. I went from no side effects to several weeks of shaking, mental fog, difficulty speaking and near constant anxiety. I was miserable. I finally gave up on trying to tough it out because I went far beyond the normal transition period and I felt like I was getting worse instead of better. My pharmacist switched me to Parr. Today was day one and it has been heavenly. No side effects aside from a slightly sedated feeling- not mentally groggy but just peaceful like I had a glass of wine. Lesson learned: No Actavis for me.

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I have been taking Buproprion XL, 300 mg. once a day for the last three years. I don't know the manufacturer. I lost my medical insurance and have been looking on the web for prescription assistance programs and came across this website. I have a call in to Valeant (had to leave a message today). As I understand from this message board I can bet the brand name, which is more effective, for $50. I have two weeks of meds left. How long does it take them to call back? Does anyone have the phone # for Blue Mtn. Pharmacy? Is it the one in Canada or Maryland?

I also received some info from a local PA program and left them a message asking who manufacturers their generic? A customer service person is unlikely to know. How do you find out? What is the best (and worst) manufacturer? Does the 150 XL generic work better than the 300 XL? Thanks so much for any feedback anyone can offer me. This whole situation is frustrating. Shouldn't my pharmacy or doctor told me about the FDA telling Watson to stop making the 330 XL. Did they just tell Watson and not others to stop? Who is supposed to notify pharmacies and doctors. A person who is depressed REALLY needs their meds to work. Has anyone found that the generic XL 300 sorta works or does it not work at all. I have been getting more depressed over time.

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I find it hard to believe there is such a difference in the quality of the various generic brands of Wellbutrin. I took Bupropion manufactured by Par for a couple of years and it was excellent. Independent pharmacy cost was @40/month. I am away from home on an extended work assignment and switched my pharmacy to one that only has Mylan. Not happy at all with this version. It doesn't do anything - like taking a placebo. In my opinion, the Par brand is the best and I have now found a pharmacy that carries it. Hope this helps someone out there - I'm so glad to have found this discussion board!

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Kathleen, I am sorry that I did not get back with you. My daughter has been really sick lately and I have just not been on the internet as much. I have been using Big Mountain for over 4 years and have had no problems at all. As Hope has already explained to you, just call and make sure you specify that you want the brand shipped from Canada. Otherwise it will automatically be shipped from Turkey because it is cheaper. I tried that and it is not the same no matter what they try to tell you. My doctor writes me the prescription, I then scan it into my computer and email it to the address given to me by the representative at Big Mountain. It can also be faxed to them. As long as I have taken it, I have never even asked about auto shipping. I guess I had so many problems, I want to talk to a person every time I place an order. I take a larger dose than many so I am paying a little more for 3 months. I have to take 3 of the 150 mg a day and that ends up being a little more than $400 for 3 months. But the last time I checked at my pharmacy (I thought I would try one month of brand here to be sure) I was told it would be over $800 for 1 month supply. Good luck!!!

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