What Is The Best Generic Version Of Wellbutrin Xl - Watson Or Anchen? (Page 44)

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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That's not true. I have insurance through my employer and I've been told I have to pay a 1100 deductible and $40 a month

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There is nothing affordable or care-like in that act. I say we throw out the entire "Insurance" model and go to free market. Doubt me? What do you think food shopping would be like if you applied "Insurance Logic" to it? One, $500 per month loaf of bread? But ONLY after a Food Specialist "approves" it? 98% of all of it should be "free market" as in, American. This is the biggest socialist failure yet. Remember, Big Banks & the AIGs of the world got rich (not poorer) on your premiums. Toss the "Insurance" and buy it cheaper at retail (Walmarts, et al). It's cheaper with NO "Insurance". Try it. The ACA is the largest single tax EVER foisted on the American public.

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It doesn't serve your argument to start with a complete falsehood. The Affordable Care Act lowered the rate of uninsured from 18% to 11%, so the legislation clearly lives up to its name for at least 7% of the population. Also, your idea of throwing out health insurance altogether is completely insane. The whole idea of group insurance is to spread catastrophic risk across a wide base. For instance, a member of my family developed a rare blood disorder which required medications worth $200K over 2 years. The government in my home country covered that cost as part of her tax levy. In America, she would probably have been bankrupted.

I also think it's idiotic for economic libertarians to keep worshipping the "free market" as if it is a kind of magic solution to everything. As has been proven about a billion times in the real world, unregulated markets rarely reach a nice equilibrium that satisfies public interest. You only get satisfactory and just outcomes when power is roughly matched between the agents of supply and demand. That rarely happens, and even less so in the winner-takes-all economy of America.

That gets into what is wrong with US healthcare compared to almost every other country: the power is largely skewed away from the consumer, and the real costs of care are disguised to them. That's why every pharma company has skyrocketed the cost of many of their drugs. When you are the only drug in your category, you have an effective monopoly, which allows you to fleece the insurers.

Fixing this is really hard. Having hospital systems take over insurance networks could work, but again, only as long as regional monopolies did not form. The rest of the world has wisely avoided this dilemma by making the government the major player in the health market.

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Clearly, your reply has all the sting of someone who cannot resist ad hominem attacks. I know full well what I am talking about. I am a retired executive with a Fortune 100 Company. I've handled more business than you will ever see in a life-time. the American model is unstable and unsustainable. Catastrophic Risk pools aside, there is NOTHING affordable about using the IRS to literally force Americans to pat $3,000+/yr of take home money, to "save money" as a "low cost plan" to pay for the breeding public - it's Socialism and Alinsky on steroids. Your brightr ideas are killing State budgets and have ONLY driven costs up. No citizen (except the usual group) is getting anything more than more of the same ole same ole. You avoided the Food Shopping analogy because you know I'm right . Your ilk can't come up with a legitimate argument to counter it. Go home.

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I actually gave you a quality reply that stood outside the usual left-right talking points that Americans tend to trade in. You on the other hand have outed yourself as a Fox News viewer as soon as you mentioned "socialism".

Public health is always a matter of socialising risk, no matter how you achieve that. If any mention of "social" or "socialised" gets you worked up, then you aren't up to the task of thinking clearly about the topic.

I am DEEPLY unimpressed to know that you worked as an executive for a company. So what? You worked as a functionary, a technician, a corporate rat in a maze. You played within the rules, and even now, you still can't step back from the game.

I continue to ignore your food analogy because it's silly and hyperbolic. Look, I know that the ACA is a highly imperfect attempt at healthcare reform. I'm also a strong critic of the way US health insurance insulates consumers from cost consequences. That's the first place I'd be looking to reform. Right now, the US spends 2.7X the OECD average on healthcare, yet it generates below-average outcomes. Even a free marketeer like yourself has got to want a mechanism that competes down health costs.

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Eric and Insurance is Not- People come here to seek and exchange information amongst ourselves to hopefully find answers which can make us feel better and have a better quality of life. I am tired of getting email alerts that bring me back here hoping to find topic related discussion only to find to pompous professor wannabes trying to one up each other. Contribute something meaningful.

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Thank You Paul. Tired of the same thing. Can you debate each other privately please?

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Paul and VJD:

Bupropion happens to be the one drug at the center of a lot of problems, problems that actually inspired this thread in the first place. First it was that generics weren't all the same, then it was about the XL technology, and now it's Valeant's fraudulent $50 program. People need to know this stuff in order to make a good decision.

I'm going to drop the insurance discussion, but you should expect people to keep talking about Valeant here and there.

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That's fine, it's just the arguing back and forth is unhelpful and stressful

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Peacelilly -- I feel your pain. My husband and I were both taking Par Pharm 150 XL generic Wellbutrin with very good results for months -- we'd pick it up from CVS once a month for $7 each, a total of $14 a month for both of us. One day, we go pick up our prescription and the cost is suddenly $24 a month each, or about $50 a month for both of us now. How it went form $14 to $50 overnight I'll never know, but of course, our insurance was forcing us switch to MYLAN through their "new" mail order system. I realize that $50 a month for both of us is hardly a lot to pay considering what some people have to pay, but it is just very disconcerting that your insurance company gives you a generic medication for $7 one day, and then charges you $24 the next. My husband, a penny pincher, went for the Mylan, and all I can say, is our former pleasant existence became MUCH more stressful, with my husband's ADHD symptoms back in full swing. I took it to manage stress, anxiety and to keep my eating habits in check, but on Mylan, I became very anxious, and had thoughts of suicide and craved carbs & sugar much more -- I NEVER once had this happen on the Par Pharm. In fact, on Par Pharm, I ate much healthier and lost 30 lbs. So, I went off Mylan in the summer and recently started back with Par, to good results. My husband is still on the Mylan and now he's having suicidal thoughts, so we're switching him, too. In conclusion, I feel Myland is definitely an inferior brand. Clearly, there must be a hierarchy amongst even in generics if they are putting out a price difference like that between Par and Mylan. I mean, isn't it enough that we're taking generics? Now, you're going to downgrade the generic we take? Seriously ridiculous and unethical. And shouldn't all generics be the within the same cost? Obviously, they are not all created equally-- where the drugs are manufactured, and the binders and fillers that are used in making them could be the difference. I would never recommend Mylan generic wellbutrin ever.

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I've had excellent results with Sandoz and Watson - terrible with Sun. It was as if I weren't taking anything at all. Depression and anxiety was terrible.

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Is the Valeant Wellbutrin XL the real deal?

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Discussion of different generic manufacturers is important. You should not belittle people for having an exchange about which generic manufacturer of Wellbutrin works best for them. This is an important point of discussion. Do not characterize such discussions as petty bickering, which is what you are doing. If you don't want free and open discussion, in a civilized forum, then don't moderate a forum.

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NotWellbutrin, you're about a month late on the petty bickering comment. People have moved past it and carried on with discussion as normal. Stop trying to start small arguments.

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Sandoz in a century-plus highly respectable drug company that in recent years,turned to making and marketing generics. Sands held those of us with migraines to survive the '70s with Fiorinal #3, Cafergot, Cafergot-PB, DHE-45, Bellergal-S and even Sansert. Its standards are sky-high. I always try to specific and obtain Sandoz generics fro my patients, it they don;t make EVERY generic. Sun's reputation is a lousy and Sandoz/s is excellent. I used many Sandoz generics personally and never been disappointed.

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I have recently switched to the Anchen generic 300XL version of Wellbutrin, but I have noticed a very strong change in mood and general disposition. Has anyone else had this effect? I had been on the Anchen version 2 years in the past without issue, but the pharmacy had moved to another brand of generic. No issues on that version (I dont know the manufacturer), but now that I am on the Anchen version again I am having issues.

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Yes it is really Wellbutrin. I've been taking it for about 18 months no problems.

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It's $ 50 per a 30 day supply through wellbutrinxl.com. Valeant pharma. Or they have a patient assistantance program. Google should be your best friend. Google it.

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I hope this post helps someone else. I have been taking 300 mg daily of generic Wellbutrin XL for years and years. I have mild depression and associated memory issues. I'm not super sad, but I seldom experience any kind of sustained joy for some reason. My pharmacy seems to change generic brands all the time. I was recently given the generic made by Actavis, which is a larger, oval white pill with a 142 stamp. This has been wonderful! I noticed I have felt MUCH happier and optimistic starting shortly after I was switched to the Actavis generic. I've almost never experienced such sustained optimism - I barely recognize that feeling. I'm going to try to continue taking this type from now on, even if I have to change pharmacies. What a tremendous mood lifter it had been. I have found myself being extra thankful for all my blessings every day and just happier overall. Why? Maybe it's the closest to the original Wellbutrin. Or...maybe it's not that close and actually has more of the active ingredient. I've heard generics are allowed to vary by as much as 20%. Either way, it had really been working for me and is much better than Anchen or Watson (for me). I just hope Actavis' quality control is good and that future batches continue to work for me. God bless!

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Suzy, depending on which pharmacy you use, you can ask them to fill your prescriptions with specific generics. Just call a day or two in advance and tell them you'd like the Actavis generic and they should have no problem doing it for you. That's what I do with my Lamictal. I always ask for the Teva generic and they have no problem ordering it for me if I give them advanced notice. It usually comes in the very next day. I use CVS, but I've heard that Walgreens will do it as well. I'm pretty sure most pharmacies will have no problem doing that for you. Best of luck and so glad you are feeling better with the Actavis generic!

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