What Is The Best Generic Version Of Wellbutrin Xl - Watson Or Anchen? (Page 11)

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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Craig - you obviously have not taken brand name Wellbutrin XL for years and then been forced by your insurance to switch to generic, and had to deal with the consequences. There is a reason that the FDA woke up and forced TEVA to pull their generic version of Wellbutrin XL - it has release problems, and hopefully, after the studies in the Spring of 2013, the FDA will force the other generics to pull their version also...until they can figure out the release mechanism. You are the one with a "gross misunderstanding" of the problem, and you are the one that needs to do their research before coming on a forum and chastising those that are suffering and struggling to figure out from month to the month how they are going to afford the brand name because that is the only one that works for them.

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Thank you Hope for saying what many of us wanted to say!

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I talked to a pharmacist at CVS, and he said while CVS uses Watson for it's Buproprion 150 XL, they can easily order the Mylan version for me. He said any pharmacy can get any of the generic versions, as long as that version is available. He also said the maker of the generic should have no bearing on what my insurance will pay - and if Walgreens is telling me I have to pay more for Mylan than Anchen, then they are yanking me around.

On a slightly different note...

Reading more of these posts, it seems that different generics work better or worse for different people. What might be just right for me (Mylan) might be to "slow" a release for someone else, making them feel that the drug is not working at all. And what works for that person (Teva, Anchen?) might be too fast for me, making me feel over-medicated in the first 12 hours after I dose.

A sane resolution to this would seem to be better information & better labeling. Rather than the FDA pulling all of our generics due to release patterns being out-of-band, just let them all exist with clear information about the nature of their deviance from the brand name printed on the label. Of course, for this to work, pharmacies would have to put the needs of their customers above the needs of their executives/shareholders/bankers.

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I was taking the Actavis version of Wellbutrin XL 300mg and felt wonderful. Changed to the mail-order refills through express-scripts and BAM - received the Anchen version - BAD move - it's terrible. I "guess" its better than before I was taking anything, but not that much. I was doing fantastic and now I'm back to majorly depressed - and, of course, I've got to wait until it's time for a new prescription because I have no refills left (it's 90 days at a time for the mail order). This is horrible.

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I was taking the brand name Wellbutrin Xl 300 & 150 each day for several years and experienced very good results which made living with depression and anxiety bearable and I was functioning at a medium low rate.. I had to go off all my Meds for 2 months. When I resumed treatment about 1 1/2 years ago my new psychiatrist prescribed Watson's BupropionXL 300 & 150 instead of the brand name. I never really got any better. I did everything they asked but I was almost completely non-functional, not really able to get out of bed and the anxiety was very severe. I never returned to the level of health I had been experiencing before. I never thought to associate the negative change with tha generic until the article in Consumer's report. 30 days ago I decided to pay this one time for the name brand at the same dosage, Wellbutrin XL 300 & 150 per day.
The difference in my health is REMARKABLE. Thoughts of suicide went away and I felt like a human being again, even though my circumstances had become much more stressful. The anxiety was much better and I have been able to stop the Klonopin and now occasionally use .125 -.25 mg of XANAX. my problem is I haven't been able to find a Medicare prescription program that will pay anything towards the brand name but will almost entirely pay for the generic I mentioned. I recently became disabled so I have had to switch to Medicare and none of the supplemental plans will pay enough of the cost so that I can afford the brand-name. Previously I was insured with HIPIOWA/ MEDTRAK, who had decided to cover the brand name. Does any one know of a Medicare supplemental prescription plan that might pay a significant amount towads Wellbutrin XL 300 & 150.
I cannot afford to pay for the brand name @ $ 500 per month. For me this could be a life threatening situation. Previous to using the Wellbutrin I had tried all of the other anti-depressants and they all gave me a rash and badly itching skin with skin eruptions. I know there is no data yet available on the efficacy of any other generic brands of the 300. I hope the FDA hurries along with their testing and then quickly withdraws all of the bad ones, then I hope the insurance providers will have to pay for it. My current plan does not cover Xanax or Clonazepam either. I believe the insurance companies non-coverage of medication for mental health is extremely discriminatory to people with mental illness, because if I had almost any other non mental health
issue, the meds would be covered. Thank you for any help.

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I too was on the Watson and noticed a huge improvement in my depression this month when I decided to pay the $500 for 1 month just to ccompare. My MedicareBlue RX is terrible and won't help me to stay on brand-name. I cannot afford my supplemental insurance for Medicare and even $100 for Wellbutrin so Canada is not an option. Try really hard to get the brand-name Wellbutrin XL.

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In response to 'HELP''s posting - I am not sure how Medicare works - but I have Medi-cal (CA State Insurance for low income families). The had denied my request for name brand. But I finally asked my doctor to appeal their request with information I had found on the FDA's website in regards to the generic (Teva) being removed from the market, and with information on my negitive side effects (chest pains, constant thoughts of death, depression still lingering, etc). My doctor's office contact Medi-cal and submitted an appeal with this information Sept 2012 and I was approved for brand name only within 2 weeks!!

Ask your doctor to appeal Medicare and state that you NEED the name brand, that there is a drastic noticable decline in your mental and or physical health when you are on the generics. This process of appeal might have to be done several times.

We all feel your pain with this situation and hope you find a solution soon!! No one deserves to struggle with getting through daily life, especially when there is an known answer.

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I've taken Wellbutrin or a generic for about 12 years, going from the original to XL to SR on the Wellbutrin, then I was forced by insurance to the generic. As long as I got the Watson brand there was no difference in my results. Then my drug coverage "discontinued" the Watson generic. For a couple of years I could still get it through my insurance with the doctor specifiying it on the perscription. Then I had to check every time I picked up the perscription to make sure they were giving me the right drug. I become so frustrated that I have tried a different antidepressant (Vybriid) but I am having side effects and the results are not nearly as good as the Watson brand of the Wellbutrin generic. I am going to be trying again to get the Watson generic, maybe now that the wost of the generics has been forced off the market I'll be able to get it through my insurance again. I also had the problem of them mailing me the wrong generic when I ordered by mail. I hope this helps,

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I've never used brand name Wellbutrin, but after 2 months on Mylan XL 150mg generic, I have been feeling fantastic. My only quibble is that it's a little "speedy" if that makes any sense. I feel a REALLY elevated feeling of motivation and an elevated mood, although the mood change isn't on par with the increase in motivation.

Recently (11/2012), the Walgreens in my area (Northern California) stopped carrying Mylan and I was switched over to Anchen. There is definitely a difference. I won't go as far as to say the Anchen doesn't work, but it feels dramatically less effective to me. I can also drink coffee with it with no issue, whereas on the Mylan I stopped drinking coffee because it was making me wired out of my mind.

I called CVS, which carries Watson, and RiteAid which carries "PAR" Buproprion. I'd never heard of PAr, but the image of the pill on their web site looks suspiciously like the Anchen pill.

Does anyone know of a current carrier of the Mylan brand generic?

After reading Bill's note below, I'm inclined to call CVS back and see if they can order some Mylan for me.

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if CVS can't/won't, got into a "mom and pop pharmacy; they usually will order what you want.

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Anchen Bupropion 150 XL works as well as Wellbutrin 150 XL-- this is information given to me by one of my patients. The Global Pharmaceutical generic did not work well for my patient.

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Hmm... The recent posts seem to show that my theory of Anchen BP XL 150 being "speedier" than Mylan - is wrong. Perhaps there are differences between the generics that are more complex than release pattern. Or maybe it's just individual differences in our brain chemistry amplifying and distorting otherwise tiny differences in the various versions of the drug.

I exhausted my refills going to several Walgreens trying to get anything other than Anchen. The pharmacists were friendly but clueless as to the nature of my predicament. Each pharmacist (sometimes even at the same Walgreens) told me a different story as to why I couldn't get Mylan thru Walgreens.

One pharmacist told me Bupropion was just another generic SSRI. Another pharmacist told me to try PAR. So I bought a month's supply only to find out that PAR/Anchen are the same. Walgreens would not refund me and added: By-the-way, your insurance won't pay for any more refills for awhile now, since you've "refilled" several times in the last month.

Re mom-and-pop pharmacies: I want to support local business, but... I went to my local independent pharmacy with the intention of making them my go-to for meds. And I was treated even WORSE than I was at Walgreens. They said no they can't get Mylan, they only carry a generic version. I asked which manufacturer they source from and was told dismissively, "I dunno, some generic."

When my insurance kicks in again, I'll be trying Watson from CVS.

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Hi Bill,

Walgreens in my area (SF Bay Area) was able to order the Mylan XL 150mg for me. They initially said that they are carrying Anchen buprioprion now, and filled me with that.

So I complained to the pharmacist that the Anchen doesn't work as well for me, and he called Walgreens supplier Cardinal Health and they ordered the Mylan. It took 2-3 days. They said they can always get it, just to call ahead a few days ahead of time.

You should try that approach.

Regarding which is more "speedy" I definitely felt the Mylan is, with my biochemistry anyway. I can feel the Mylan release within 1-2 hours, whereas the Anchen I don't really realize if anything's happening. If anything, I feel it closer to around 5 hours.

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northwest pharmacy canada $50.00 per month for brand name wellbutrin 300mg. take about a month to get but you can buy 3 months at a time or more. Until our wonderful government stops it. It is the exact things as what we can get here. Been taking it for years and my Dr. had told me about them.

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I have been on the name brand and the generics. the first couple of years I was on name brand then prescription coverage changed. I was required to go with generics. I must say I have never noticed any difference. I have been on the 300XI and 150XI For the last 2 years. I take it at night because it makes me sleepy. My 300 XI is Anchen and the 150XI is Global. Never checked manufacturer before this so I'm not sure if it changed during the time I have been on the med.Have changed Pharmacies about 6 times or more, due to coverage change.

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I felt the same about the effectiveness of the Mylan generic, but now the FDA has put a stop to Mylan's production. Now I have no idea what to do, anchen makes my anxiety go through the roof. He can prescribe brand name but I can't afford that.

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Where did you hear there will be no more Mylan Bupropion? This article from only 3 weeks ago suggests that Teva will be removed, but that the other generics are fine.

clinicaladvisor.com/fda-withdraws-generic-budeprion/article/271351/#

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I have taken Wellbutrin since the early 90s for depression beginning with 100 mg tabs, then 150 mg tabs, then SR when it came out, then XL when it was released; brand-name & generic. This drug & I have a long, successful relationship. I switched back to brand name Wellbutrin at the beginning of 2012 choosing to pay a higher copay. It was the best year yet UNTIL my insurance carrier changed Sept. 1. The new carrier refuses to pay for brand name DESPITE appeals from my psych & myself. I had an out-of-town class reunion in October so, after hitting & sliding miserably down a generic (Mylan) wall, I quickly scrambled to get brand samples to get enough in me to get it to start working. After that I have chosen to pay out-of-pocket to continue on. Had I not gotten back "up" the likelihood of me even going to my reunion was, oh, 0%. The likelihood of me doing anything besides withdrawing really bad would be slightly higher.
Unfortunately, due to lack of money, I have gone ahead & given the generic another go, you know, just in case it was "just me". IT'S NOT! Looking for some sort of coupon this past Monday, the FDA info popped up when I chose XL on Wellbutrin.com. Reading the failure of therapueutic equivalency was vindication for me! Even though the generic I take is manufactured by Mylan, I KNOW my generic is also not therapeutically equivalent! I know immediately when I have expended the last of the good stuff in my system. I can hardly wait for the remaining generic results to be published in March though my faith in honest disclosure from pharmaceutical companies is not high. I must also add (and this could be a rather lengthy rant but I will contain my anger) that the fact, as shown by this failure's example, that pharmaceutical companies can just "extrapolate" data instead of actually performing the necessary tests/trials on a drug is criminal! How they can toy with our lives, and yes, in many of our cases, OUR LIVES, to do what? Save themselves a few bucks? We are talking persons LIVES!!! Even if it is quality of life, it is LIFE! Extrapolated data - same thing, right? WRONG!!! When the brand wears off I become terribly desperate. Perhaps, because I have now had a taste of normal, I cannot bear to go back.

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Following up on my experimentation with various generic BP 150XL:

I exhausted the last of my 2-month supply of Anchen, and I have to say that... it wasn't that bad. I initially had increased anxiety and neck/shoulder pain, but after a few weeks I didn't really notice it that much.

I'm still annoyed at Walgreens for their systemic incompetence in giving me appropriate and accurate information, so I switched to CVS to refill my latest BP 150XL supply. CVS may be no better than Walgreens, but they can get Mylan for me without hassle.

CVS normally carries Watson though, so I decided to try it just for yuks. Been about a week now, and the only thing I notice is a slight lull in the afternoon, sometimes accompanied by a mild headache. This may have nothing to do with the Bupropion, but it's the same thing that happens when I go cold turkey for more than a few days.

T comment on the poster who said Mylan has been discontinued by the FDA, I believe that must be a mistake. They are probably referring to Teva. If anyone can confirm that Mylan is in trouble, would be great to know.

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Mylan is the best generic. I started getting it at walgreens, then discovered I could get generic much cheaper at costco so I switched. I had no idea there was a difference between generics. Horrilbe experience. I think they were from watson (yellow pills). I went back to walgreens for Mylan. does anyone know how to search for this manufacturer cheaper than walgreens? Walgreens is completely incompetent btw. I have to call every month to confirm they have Mylan in stock. they have said yes, only to go there and find they have packaged Anchen for me. argh! I want to scream "they ARE NOT the same!" and dangerous to say they are.

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