What Is The Best Generic Version Of Wellbutrin Xl - Watson Or Anchen? (Page 33)

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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Hello, I have been on Wellbutrin XL 300 for years. I recently switch to Brand after a long time on Anchen which was good so I thought but the pharmacy switched that brand to another generic "Activist" which didn't agree with me so I just said I'll use Direct Pharmacy and get real brand. Everything is as good as it can be and I have to say that my libido has never been quite so ravenous as it has been since I switched. One thing that I notice is that although I'm having a lot more intercourse I notice that I am finishing sooner than ever before. This is of concern to me because for 36 years this has not been an issue. I find if I can go about 5-7 minutes I am lucky where it used to be all up to me when the main event would happen. My doctor says that 5-7 minutes is normal and I should think about baseball or something but I get so mentally involved in whats going on I just lose control. I don't want to go back to generics but I also don't want to not be able to control a situation when it arises. On occasion it's like it used to be but if I go more than a day with nothing I can't go as long as what I feel is required and what I feel I want the experience to be. I know this is a crazy thing but does anyone else feel their senses heightened and their needs to be more frequent? I'm 50 and I have a lot of time left I hope and don't want issues like this on my mind and never before has it been an issue but I feel so good otherwise since I went on brand I don't want to give that up. Of course it's all in my mind, this isn't really happening so they say but it is, who could make this crap up?….

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I notice that when you are replying to someone's message, it just appears in the stack in the order submitted and not near the person's post to which you are replying.

So if we are posting in reply to someone, we should note his or her name in our post.

I have been taking 300XL for two days and no side effects at all! I still have dry mouth but I had that on 150XL anyway. I actually even felt a little better. Yay! Thanks to everyone who has posted their experiences, it helps everyone to gauge their own experiences as normal or not.

BTW, these are the hardest "spam prevention" words I have ever seen! I always get it wrong at least twice, lol.

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Nino,

Anything and everything is possible with or without medication. I'm bipolar and could write a book on how many times I've been in and out of ED, loss of libido, and too much libido as a result of medication changes, bipolar disorder itself, the interaction between bipolar disorder and medication, and who knows what else. But to directly answer your question, I've experienced similar things as you describe.

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The heightened senses/libido eventually went away for me... gone within 6 weeks.

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Teva budeprion 100 mg worked like magic for me for 4 years. They just stopped making it. I am trying Activist (pharmacist suggested it) past 3 days and can't tell yet although I feel a bit less energized.
My friend takes Global (Imex corp.) and loves it. Does anyone know about the Global brand buproprion and has it worked for you?
Thanks!

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Same here for me with the Teva brand. I was put on Sandoz (I got it filled at Rite Aid) and it made me feel terrible. I just paid $115 for the brand 100 mg Wellbutrin SR to see how I feel on it. I called CVS and they can order one from Sun Pharma. This is really ridiculous to have to go searching for a generic medication that works for you just because the brand name is so ridiculously expensive.

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Noelle, the Sandoz brand made me really sick too. I am trying Activist (like you I was doing great on Teva brand) but it is not working as well as the Teva. A friend suggested Global, which I will try nest.
I agree that being a human guinea pig is ridiculous. My hope is that science will develop a pre-test so that people can tell which mediciine will work best for them in advance!

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Thanks for the info on Global. I will have to call some pharmacies to see if they are able to order that brand and I will give it a try. Yes, hopefully one day the science will figure it out--let's not hold our breath through!

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Has anyone had difficulty finding Mylan brand 300XL buproprion? (generic for wellbrutrin). I had been on it with great success for a couple of years until I was recently switched to Activis brand. Activis is giving me a horrible reaction and I feel as though I am not taking anything at all - Its not fun and Im spiraling downward. My pharmacy is trying to find the Mylan 300XL or even the 150XL that I was originally taking. But without any success. They called the company and were told that they are "having problems with production". Whatever that means. Any advise is appreciated... I wonder if the FDA is aware of all this or if this kind of problem is across the board and we are indeed guinea pigs?

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Henry, I read on this chat that Activis bought out Mylan. I am trying Activis and find it is not doing much of anything for me. I was taking TEVA brand for 4 years which worked perfectly- no more depression! Now I need to find another brand instead.
Any ideas?

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@Henry. When did this acquisition take place? I've been using the Mylan with some noticeable improvement for about 2 years. I'm wondering what that means. Will the formula change to reflect Activis or will Activis adapt to the Mylan? I often wonder how that works. I'm thinking that the company being acquired, their formula would change to reflect the new parent company.

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Henry, I got my Mylan bupropion 300 xl filled at walgreens last week.

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Doctor prescribed me generic brand Wellbutrin by Watson and immediately I felt no depression symptoms throughout my days. Went to see the doctor again after 2 weeks and was given another prescription for generic Wellbutrin 100 mg for 30 day's from Walgreens. This time the pills were light blue and were from a company called Mylan. I told the pharmacist but she kept telling me there wasn't a difference. I kept telling her there had to be a difference bcuz they were blue and from a different company. She basically let me know I couldn't return them so I decided to try them to see if there was a difference. I have been on them for a week and feel depressed, cloudy, tired, nervous, irritable, anxiously, just not good.

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@ Nino. I am just checking in with you to see if the 5-7 minute challenge stabilize at all? Jan mentioned that the heightened libido/senses went away within 6 weeks. May I ask how long it has been since you made the switch? I guess everyone's experience is unique but sometimes finding common ground is useful. My first shipment from Valeant comes in tomorrow. I'm optimistic and for me 1/2 of the battle is having an idea of what to expect and how long. I'm in the perfect place for a medication adjustment because things are calm in my life and my work schedule will be lightened over the next 7 weeks or so. Going on generic the forum was helpful when I started 2 years ago and all of my side effects were tolerable and temporary. I appreciate everyone's feedback and support.

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I was takin activis brand for a year felt great love going to the gym.. Just this week I got the mylan and feel horrible major headaches and nausea I haven't made it to the gym either which is depressing me more.. I want to switch back wonder if that's possible

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@ Renee, I am at the end of my second month. My libido has always been high and these just made it even higher. The good news is that I am seeing improvement in just the last few days with my timing so I guess in a sense it did go down a bit at around 6-7 weeks. I kind of have been trying different things but most of all I just don't allow myself to think about what I'm doing in such great detail that I lose control. I'm not over analyzing whats happening while it is and I have added much time this way. I'm not back to the way I was but I'm better and it has to be because I'm getting use to the medicine and it's allowing my mind to not be so concentrated on everything I do. It used to be like I was dissecting every aspect of my life and my actions, now it's been better and I'm not doing that as much. So you do settle in with them and certain things appear to be getting better but in no way am I losing it at all, It's just not as strong a sensation as when I had just started them. I hope that never happens "that I lose it" and I don't think it will. I sometimes get some anxiety which goes along with what I described originally but that fades too if you get it at all, it depends on what makes it happen, triggers it to begin with so the fact that your job will be calm for two months is a great thing. I hope you have great success with brand and they agree with you like they have me in so many ways. keep us posted.

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Glad to hear that Nino. Up until a couple of years ago, I have never taken an anti-depressant although I probably should have years ago. In hindsight, the signs were always there. Growing up I had been called a “serious child”. My early 20’s, going out guys would tell me that I “looked mean”, a nice way to say “unapproachable”. Because I managed to remain productive, going to a college, holding down steady employment, and living on my own I just didn’t think I was depressed. As I got older I learned to control my settings to help me function. This helped as long as I felt in control. But as you know, you can’t control it all.

I married a great guy in my 30’s who died 3 years later. Other than him, I didn’t have many mates because I just didn’t seem to have the energy to sustain a relationship, want to be bothered, or exhibit the Interest. Life was overwhelming enough being a single Mom. My absent libido hadn’t been a problem because it helped me remain single. I put my energy into my 2 children but as they approached teens…whoa, you already know! (smile) I would go through bouts of mild depression maybe once every year or two depending on what went on around me. It was at those times where I knew that I needed help. I asked my general health practitioner for medication once because I was clearly depressed, just to fill it and stare at the bottle for a couple of days, throw it away, and wait it out.

I have tried everything I could think to explain why I was feeling poorly and tried even more solutions to try to correct it from herbal remedies to EFT, Therapists, detoxification of many kinds, progesterone cream to balance out my hormones, parasite cleanses, chiropractic adjustment for improved nerve flow, self hypnosis tapes, and more. Something was OFF and dog dag it, I was going to find out what it was. I did not want medication so I searched everywhere before I acquiesced. (I’m glad I did) I called the Dr. that I was seeing to balance my hormones for the past two years, and explained that I was having a hard time. She recommended Zoloft which didn’t respond well and then Wellbutrin which did.


The symptoms of depression became obvious due to noticeable improvement that I had and the contrast that it had created. I could remain more present in the moment and enjoy it. The mental fog, rigidness, and irritability improved. I just felt better. It has taken all that I have not to feel a sense of loss about the many years that I wasted. But I focus on the blessings that I have today and feel hopeful about tomorrow. This afternoon I switched to the Valeant XL brand and call it placebo, but even still I’m feeling subtle but noticeable improvements. I’m just allowing it to work on me taking things day by day.

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That's all you can do, take it a day at a time. you're still a young woman, I'm guessing about the same age as me. Why shouldn't we be happy? I want to be and this seams to be working. I'll never be without meds but if I find the right ones which I think and hope I have I can lead a normal life considering everyone is messed up one way or another. I'm sorry you had such a quick marriage, it's crazy the way things happen sometimes. It's all meant to be but I don't know if I believe in that! Maybe if that didn't happen you would feel differently today but that's not the way it did so here we are.. Your first day and you're feeling a little better already, thats great and how I felt and it kept getting better and you know the rest. Look for an increased libido, it will happen if all goes well. look for energy and just a sense of well being that you haven't had for I'm assuming quite some time. I at least hope this is what you feel and you can go on having a good quality of life and not get consumed by what bothers you. Try to stay focused on the good things and don't worry about every little thing. Life is a messed up thing for everyone and theres a lot of people going around untreated and at least you're on the right path. If you feel you need more meds see someone other than your GP and maybe get what he recommends as much as it sucks being a human Guinea pig. that's a good year of your life gone unless you're lucky right away and hit it right with the first med he prescribes. I hope all works out for you, I wish that we could chat but this is all we can do here I guess. Feel better every day and keep your chin up. good things will come, I'm positive. keep in touch.

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@ Nino and all. I'd like to check in every week or so unless something notable occurs or I have a specific question regarding the change or side effects since switching to Valeant's formula of Wellbutrin XL 300. I try to be honest and detailed so that someone who is considering Wellbutrin and has a lot of questions and even fear, like I did in 2012, when I started Mylan's Buproprion from Walgreens can get a review. I can be reached at {edited for privacy} and I get notifications every time someone posts to the thread because it was specific to what I needed to know.

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I am checking back in after 2 months on the brand name through the Direct Success program. I am using the 150XL size.

First of all, my experience has lead me to believe that the core premise of the question that started this thread is false. The problem is not that one manufacturer is good and another bad, it is that the SAME manufacturer is producing different lots which work well and other lots that are "meh".

For me, my adventures in generic non-equivalency went this way: for the first year, I took Teva, and then was filled with a 90-day prescription that had Teva and Activis mixed together. I took all the Teva first (on top in the pill container), then took the Activis. I then had a really rough couple of months, but I did not start connecting dots until I had gotten a new 90-day refill, all Activis, and while swapping pills around remembered the change and realized that I had started feeling mega-crappy about the time I started taking the Activis. But the other thing was that I was already a couple of days into this new Activis batch, and feeling great! Which continued for the whole 90 days. I did some research and decided to try Watson, and made arrangements with my pharmacist (very small store in a small town.) That went great for a year and a half, until Watson stopped making the 150XL and in December I ended up with 30 days of Par. And it was like the bad batch of Activis. I went back to my wonderful pharmacist, and he did research, and discovered that Teva and Watson were both completely gone and unavailable. I was willing to give Par a chance -- or unwilling to pay $450/month on the brand name! -- so I filled 90 days, and then 30 days. They were "meh" too, but I was still trying to figure out if I had any options because yikes I can lease a luxury car for $450/mo! About this time I remembered this thread and read it and came upon the info about Direct Success. I printed it out and took it to my PA, and got wellbutrin 150XL from Direct Success.

The interesting thing here is that I was already 15 days into yet ANOTHER batch of Par -- and it worked like the Watson! Again -- it's not the manufacturer, it's the batch!

So I started the real Wellbutrin, and it's been rock solid for two months. This was two different shipments, so different lots. I did have some nausea the first couple of days, which may be a coincidence.

Secondly, my research (a lot of it from pointers I got on this thread) has convinced me that as far as our concerns about manufacturers and quality control, the 150XL and the 300XL are completely different. At the time that wellbutrin first went generic, each manufacturer compared its 150XL against the wellbutrin 150XL, and they passed the qualifications. The FDA then ASSUMED that this was good enough to approve the 300XL. Then when it came into wide use people started complaining. It took awhile for people to decide that the differences are real, and so the FDA organized an analysis of the 300XL where they discovered that the Teva and Watson 300XL are not the same as wellbutrin. But the original diagnostics -- and my personal experience and the experiences of lots of people here -- concluded that the 150XL WAS the same (or close, anyway) in a way that the 300XL was shown later was not the same or close enough. If you read the 30-some pages of this thread, a lot of the "contradictions" are not really contradictions at all if you keep track that sometimes people are talking about 150XL, sometimes 300XL, sometimes the SR, etc. With that note, I will emphasize again that this is my experience with brand Wellbutrin and 4 different generic manufacturers with multiple lots at the 150XL size.

Anyway, the Direct Success has been great, just like everybody here says! There is something a little funny about the price -- they charge you a $50 co-pay unless you have an insurance which will pay them at least $100, and then they don't charge you at all. I'm not sure how that can work -- starting this year, my insurance went to a straight 30% copay, so I don't know how Direct Success is getting away with not charging me for it. I will not be surprised if at some point my insurance connects the dots and comes to me for money. So I may yet have to come up with a $50 copay, but hey, that would be doable too!

The generics cost about $80-$90 for a 90-day supply, so my copay for them is a shade under $30. Which means that under the current arrangement the generic actually costs more. I'm just speculating, but it looks to me like Valeant bought the drug, looked at the price, and realized that if the price is so high that almost no one will buy it, then that's no way to make money. I'm a little worried that over the next few months/years they will decide that they dropped the price too much, but we'll see. If we go back to lease-on-a-luxury-car territory price wise, then I'm afraid I will be back to playing Generic Drug Lot Roulette...

...but at least I'll have a lot more information, and a lot of that is thanks to you folks!

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