What Is The Best Generic Version Of Wellbutrin Xl - Watson Or Anchen? (Page 6) (Top voted first)

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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REPORT

For anyone still chasing Mylan, I requested it at my local Walgreen's (MA) and got it easily as a special order today. Their regular supply is Par, which also seems to be the in-stock generic at CVS, Rite Aid, Target etc.

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Vin,
I'm have the same issues with the Par. It's not working for me at all after a few hours. I'm gonna have to get back on the Brand. I'll let everyone know if I locate another $4 manufacture coupon for 2015. For those who addressed Nino's rudeness, Thank You.

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For many people (myself included), the FDA time release tests are totally meaningless. The FDA pulled TEVA Budeprion XL from the market because it's tests showed that Budeprion XL released a high percentage of it's active ingredient in the first few hours instead of spreading it out linearly throughout the day. And I have no reason to believe that the FDA tests didn't show this. Yet I and many others noticed no difference whatsoever in mood difference at any time of the day even though the FDA testing showed that the release rate of TEVA Budeprion didn't track that of brand Wellbutrin. So what gives? Here's what gives. The FDA time release rate of the active ingredient cannot possibly assess what the end effect of time release is on individual brain chemistry. The FDA cannot possibly know what the effects of the different dyes and fillers used in brand Wellbutrin and different generics have on individual brain chemistry. Anchen and Actavis were mental disasters for me and many others which the FDA did leave on the market for no other reason than they made it through the FDA time release test. Many for which TEVA Budeprion worked well were now forced to make a decision. Pay the exorbitant cost of brand Wellbutrin or live in mental hell by being forced into Anchen, Actavis and other generics which did not work for them. That fraud pulled on these people by the FDA has now gone away with the Wellbutrin Guarantee Program. Anyone who believes that FDA testing means anything in the real world of individual brain chemistry is living in a world of folly. There is absolutely no way to know whether or not a specific generic works for you until you try it. The FDA doesn't know it and you don't know it.

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I don't think anyone was being particularly rude. Their is a great body of knowledge both here and elsewhere concerning the different generics versus the name brand and it just takes a teeny bit of effort to read for yourself. I've gone so far as to start to evaluate the different dissolution rates of the manufacturers, first in water (already done) and then in a solution approximating stomach acid. There are 700+ posts in this topic and I'm willing to bet a 100 of them talk about the discount program. For the record, I'm on the name brand program after having bad experiences with the generics.

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Also here are some interesting notables. Wide disparity in inactive ingredients.

Valeant - Name Brand - Inactive Ingredients

ethylcellulose aqueous dispersion (NF),
glyceryl behenate,
methacrylic acid copolymer dispersion (NF),
polyvinyl alcohol,
polyethylene glycol,
povidone,
silicon dioxide,
and triethyl citrate.
The tablets are printed with edible black ink.


Mylan - 300XL - Inactive Ingredients

ferrosoferric oxide
silicon dioxide
hydrochloric acid
hypromelloses
magnesium stearate
mannitol
methacrylic acid - ethyl acrylate copolymer (1:1) type a
microcrystalline cellulose
polyethylene glycol
polysorbate 80
polyvinyl alcohol
povidone
propylene glycol
stearic acid
magnesium silicate
triethyl citrate

Anchen/Par - 300XL - Inactive Ingredients

alcohol
ethylcelluloses
hydroxypropyl cellulose
methacrylic acid - ethyl acrylate copolymer (1:1) type a
povidone
silicon dioxide
hydrochloric acid
isopropyl alcohol
hydrogenated cottonseed oil

Actavis 300XL - Inactive Ingredients

copovidone
hydroxypropyl cellulose
silicon dioxide
magnesium stearate
polyvinyl alcohol
titanium dioxide
polyethylene glycol
magnesium silicate
methacrylic acid
triethyl citrate
sodium bicarbonate
sodium lauryl sulfate
povidone
water
hydrochloric acid

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Well, I've been taking the Par generic for a very long time. Since being on Wellbutrin, my appetite had declinedand I had just about quit smoking. For about 2 months now, I've gone back up on smoking and I eat all the time. I'm not sure if maybe Wellbutrin is just not as effective for me anymore in general, or if it's Par. I also take Paxil now too so it's hard to distinguish which med I'm benefiting from at the moment. My mom was just prescribed Wellbutrin and she's also taking the Par generic. She has been on it for 2 weeks now and has felt no effect whatsoever, not even any side effects, which is unusual for Wellbutrin because most of the time you feel SOME sort of side effect at first, like some jitteriness or more anxious than usual, etc...so it's making me sort of suspicious of the efficacy of Par. It worked great for a long time, up until about 2 months ago. You can give it a shot, maybe it's just me, and maybe my mom is tolerating it well side effect-wise...but I'm going to ask for Mylan when I pick up my next refill and see if my smoking and appetite declines again.

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Hi everyone who are possibly trying to again find where they are able to get brand name Welbuterin for no more than $50 a month. I just finished my last 300xl yesterday and didn't realize that I didn't have any left until this morning. You have to get your MD to phone in this prescription which in reality could be a huge thing to conquest. Anyway if you are lucky enough to have your prescribing doctor with five minutes of down time to do this and he is up for it let him help you and do what I feel is their job to do but hey it's only my mental health at stake if he doesn't.

Call Valient 1-800-520-3185 and a Jessica helped me,, call them and have them get you your medicine after receiving the phoned in prescription from your doctor..... You'll be able to have your much needed meds within two days. Any longer is just your MD not giving a S***. Make sure your cc is working and pay the $50 for the month (Direct will take payment or call you for your CC #)... If you don't have the money, then with much work you'll be able to figure out a multitude of ways to get it paid for with DIRECT....they will work with you....Forget generics unless they are working this month for you. Get the brand name and stick with that, it will all work out with brand in the end I'm sure.

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Well got my prescription shipped from Canada today and ordered it 8 days ago so that was fast. Was in a valeant Wellbutrin bottle and sealed. Looks legit. The pill is round and white with 'wxl 300' on it. If I remember I will try to update on here to let everyone know how it went by taking these. I also have my script from the Valeant program on the way. I suppose I won't run out anytime soon.

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Noelle, thanks for the info on Zyban. I also did fine on the 150mg Teva, as well as the 150mg Watson. It's good to know that there is still a possibility of getting a works-for-me generic if I lose access to the brand.

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I think after 816 posts on this subject the bottom line is unequivocally that brand is superior to generic. Maybe to a small percentage of us that are not sensitive to this particular drug does generic work but overall I think if you could just find a way to find the money to buy brand through direct success pharmacy, you will be much better off in the end. Imagine you start with brand you feel good and every day for as long as you take it it doesn't change, your mood will always be stable. With generic even if it works one month or two months the third month it could be completely different who needs to play with the chemistry in the brain like this. based on this subject alone and the 816 post to date the generics are unstable and at any given time they are not like they were the time before when you use them. Stick with the brand you'll never change the way you feel you'll always be stable. Isn't that worth everything in the end, doesn't it make sense? How many more times can we say should I try brand, should I try brand.... try brand!!!

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I can't figure out why all these people on this blog just keep going round and round on the Welbutrin generic merry go round when it is so simple to pull your life together by buying name brand Wellbutrin at Direct Success Pharmacy for $50. I personally was so screwed up when I was switching to different generic manufacturers on a monthly basis I was pretty close to either having to go to a mental hospital, lose my job or kill myself. As soon as I discovered this blog and found out about the Direct Success name brand program I was immediately getting registered on their site and went to the Psych and told him to give me name brand and he wrote out the prescription and I sent it in or faxed it I don't remember which. Now after 8 months I am completely level and no more mental or physical illness! They don't need to be going through all this. This program is mentioned over and over again on here! Even though I have insurance I didn't give Direct Success my insurance info. They don't care. They just draft you debit card every month for $50! People spend $50 buying cokes and other junk each month without even realizing it but they want to keep on saving money searching for some generic which will never work. I just do not understand it!

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Eric -- I'm not paranoid. I'm PISSED OFF that my spouse and I were forced into taking Mylan wellbutrin xl by our insurance co. and we both have suffered due to its ineffectiveness along with side effects that include body pain and thoughts of suicide. I highly resent that half of what I buy as a consumer, let alone my medication, comes from places that are known for practices that are not only substandard, but often subhuman-- yet CHEAP, which is why USA businesses use them. So, if I want to be angry about that, well, then, tough "poop" as you say. As far as being "defamatory" -- here in the united states, we have freedom of speech, and nothing I said is far from the truth. I'm just really passionate about the safety of the MEDICATION that I put in my body, especially when the People's Pharmacy reported in an article regarding Ranbaxy that -- "FDA inspectors noted the laboratory was in “significant disrepair.” Windows could not be closed and flies were “too numerous to count.” A refrigerator used to store samples was full of water from melting ice that was dripping on the floor." --- You clearly seem to trust Mylan, good for you, but at the end of the day, we really don't know what we're getting 100%, not when it's coming from another country, another culture, from thousands of miles away. Not to mention that when it comes to generic drugs, there is NO recourse for the consumer. You can't win trying to sue generics, only the brand names holding the patent.

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Actually, you write the script in this manner:

Rx: Welbutrin XL 150mg - Parr (or a second choice, two, say, Sandoz) tabs #90
Sig: 1 qAM

I think this is a one-size-fits all Rx border becauseI'm specifying which generics I want.Sometimes states permit patients to make the final decision, which is absurd if the prescriber has an ounce of training in pharmacology, etc. I CAN'T write the standard "DAW" or "Medically Necessary" on the script because that leads us back to the original $$$$ brand -name. Hope this helps. TIP: Ask your pharmacist or mail-order pharmacy what your doc needs to do to ensure you get the generic you and I have decided upon.

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Forget your insurance company entirely. Go with the Direct Success Pharmacy and pay $600 total for a year's supply of brand Wellbutrin XL.

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Has anyone had luck with paying the $50/month on their credit card, and then submitting the receipts to their insurance company? I mailed in my January prescription yesterday, and I'm hoping that they will send me a check for $35 (normally my insurance pays 70%.) You would think that they would rather pay $35 than $500+, which is what Direct Success charges them if they bill them directly.

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I was also told I can't get mine through direct success anymore. I even asked her to just change my info to "no insurance" and she said she couldn't because we were on a recorded phone call. HOWEVER, I just found Canadadrugstop and a 90 day supply of brand name Wellbutrin XL 300mg is $117 plus $10 shipping! So suck it Direct Success, I found a better deal!

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It's a big problem, not knowing what your going to be taking each month. They should at least keep the same formula noted because of all the acquisitions being done. Its not right. No wonder there's a mental problem. Some times I think that the streets could do a better job, their not as greedy

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Why are you complaining about the government? These decisions are made by private Health Care companies. I happen to be on Medicare which is far superior to and less expensive than the private Health Care coverage I had up until 4 years ago. From 2006 to 2011 (when I went on Medicare) my private health policy premium went up about 30% per year. Also, my wife and I had innumerable problems with approval of medications and procedures through the private companies (e.g. United Health Care.) Our current issue with Wellbutrin is with the PRIVATE supplemental drug provider allowed by Medicare. It's that company (anthem Blue Cross) that won't cover the Wellbutrin branded. Hopefully this factual information (though anecdotal) can be helpful in truly understanding the issues.

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Cookie, read the postings on this page. A few people are reporting that they are getting the real Wellbutrin from canadadrugstop.

I took the Par generic for the first time this morning, and I am determined to have a good attitude about it. (That's the problem when your health problem really IS "all in your head" -- you've got to give yourself pep talks and be determined not to sabatoge yourself!)

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Just a heads-up, folks. I'm in the same position as many of you with Direct Success, and so I placed a new order for brand name Wellbutrin XL 300 with canadadrugstop on 3/16/16. On 3/29/16 they cashed my check. Today, 4/4/16, I called and asked them when it was shipped. Turns out it hasn't been shipped, that their shipping center had some sort of "emergency remodel" (really?), and that the soonest that the drug would be sent was in one week.....that's the soonest. If any of you are about to place an order with them, you might inquire about the ship date.....

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