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

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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I had. Been taking some form of bupropion sr for 5+years, I believe it was Teva after doing some research. It worked great, depression went away completely, I lost 70 lbs in 6 months! Only bad side effect was hair loss and migraine headaches/neckaches. But I was willing to deal for the depression being gone! Then Walgreens switched it to Mylan and I noticed it completely stopped working! Depression came back full force and I started craving sweets again and was hungry all the time! Evil Walgreens! Of course when I called, they said the manufacturer doesn't matter at all- that it wouldn't cause any problems! I started calling other pharmacies & found Rite Aide carried Teva. Got it for 2 months and Now they tell me Teva is no longer making it at all!! Iam so very scared to try other brands! I can't function if iam depressed & hungry all the time! What does anyone recommend as best generic? Does Watson help with weightloss & cravings???

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To RONDA and those who have successfully bought NAME BRAND Wellbutrin XL from Big Mountian or other Canadian online pharmacies...

Ronda, you said you were able to buy Name Brand Wellbutrin XL from Big Mountain Drugs, but that one must insist that it be the kind shipped from Canada and not Turkey.

I just called Big Mountain, and the rep told me that the Wellbutrin XL from Canada is not made by Glaxo, but a company called BioVail. She said the one from Turkey is the only one they carry made by Glaxo, ie "Brand Name" Wellbutrin.

I understood from your post that you were able to get Glaxo Wellbutrin XL shipped from Canada. Are you in fact taking the variety manufactured by BioVail?

Thanks

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Glaxo no longer makes Wellbutrin XL. You can find that information by going to the Glaxo-Smith Kline website. They sold the Wellbutrin XL to Valeant, which has Biovail. The brand Wellbutrin XL is now manufactured by Biovail, who is located in Canada.
Sorry for any confusion and hope this helps.

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Thanks for responding so quickly.

After writing that post I did find this press release on Glaxo's website:
gsk.com/media/pressreleases/2009/2009_pressrelease_10049.htm

It states that BioVail has taken over the rights to manufacature Wellbutrin XL in the US and Canada, while Glaxo has retained the rights for other countries.

That is odd because when I used to get Brand Name Wellbutrin XL from CVS, which was as late as 3 months ago, the bottle clearly said GlaxoSmithKline on the label. That is why I was under the impression that Glaxo was the only "true" Brand Name manufacturer.

But it appears the BioVail variety is the same stuff, so I will give Big Mountain a try...

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Thanks for responding so quickly.

After writing that post I did find the press release on Glaxo's website stating that BioVail had purchased the rights to manufacture Wellbutrin XL in the US and Canada, while Glaxo has retained the rights for other countries.

This is odd because when I used to get Brand Name Wellbutrin XL from CVS, which was as late as 3 months ago, the bottle clearly said GlaxoSmithKline on the label. That is why I was under the impression that Glaxo was the only "true" Brand Name manufacturer.

But it appears the BioVail variety is the same stuff, so I will give Big Mountain a try...

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Just be sure you tell them that you want the brand from Canada, not Turkey. They are going to try and tell you that the brand in Turkey is the same and actually made by a Glaxo subsidiary, but I got it from Turkey once and although I did not see the difference as quickly as I did with the generic, I was seeing a difference after about 2 months. I have taken Wellbutrin XL for years and can definitely tell the difference. I could not take the generic at all. And this really bothers me, because the people who are just now being prescribed the Wellbutrin XL and are made by insurance to get the generic, have no idea that there is a difference. I wish you the best and hope you have no problems with Biovail.

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Ronda,

You said you have been taking Wellbutrin XL for years. Is the Biovail from Canada the only brand Wellbutrin XL you've ever taken, or did you previously get the name brand from a U.S. pharmacy?

I ask because, like I said, the brand from my local CVS was made by Glaxo, not Valeant/Biovail.

I wanted to see if you've taken both and can thus say with certainty that they are both the same.

Thanks

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I originally took the Wellbutrin from Glaxo for about 5 years and was taking it when it got changed to Biovail. The insurance I had at the time made me go to the generic and that was a disaster. I actually had to start buying from Canada while I still had insurance. I can say from experience that the brand made by Glaxo and the brand taken over and produced by Biovail are indeed the same. As I said, I even tried what they say is the brand from Turkey and found that it is not the same as I have been taking.
Big Mountain has been very good with me. I searched and found the best price for the brand from Canada, then called Big Mountain and told them I wanted a price match. This was because I have been dealing with Big Mountain for so many years and trust what they are sending me. They will match the price if you find a pharmacy in Canada with a lower price. Just be sure you tell them you want the brand from Biovail in Canada.
Good luck. Would love to say I have not taken the meds long enough to give a real response, but unfortunately or it looks like fortunately for some out there, I have taken Wellbutrin XL for about 10 years. Should have been longer, but went around and around trying to find something that did not do weird things to me and my brain. This has been a life saver for me.

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Evan - I also have ordered Wellbutrin XL from Big Mountain (thank you Ronda!) and requested the brand made by Biovail from Canada. Please be aware that the pills will NOT have the same markings as what you receive in the U.S. According to Biovail, the 300 mg should be marked WXL 300 (or 150, according to your strength). If you receive pills marked GS 5YZ, you have received the pills from Turkey.

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Hope, Thanks for clearing that up. I am in the middle of getting ready for a mission trip, so I am obviously not remembering everything that I should.

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Hope and Ronda, thank you so much for your detailed responses. I am definitely going to give Big Mountain a try now. Ronda, regarding Big Mountain's price matching service, where were you able to find the cheapest prices that Big Mountain was willing to honor? You mentioned getcanadiandrugs, and I saw that they do indeed offer significantly cheaper prices. I was wondering if you've since found an even cheaper website or if that was the best you could find. NOTE: I take 150 mg.

Thanks

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The last time I bought them that was the best price I was able to find. I take 3 of the 150's, so I looked at quite a few different pharmacies. I get enough for 3 months when I buy them. Not any cheaper, but it is just easier with all the shipping and waiting. Although I do have to say, I usually have them within 4 or 5 days from Big Mountain.

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I have been taking generic form 150 xl and have problems when I get a refill at a different location - I travel a lot. This last time, I got a refill and experienced extreme light headedness and heart palpatations and this wasn't the first time. The Pharmacist in NYC said that although the pill looks the same, it could be coming from a different source (as it's generic) and perhaps it had a slightly different strain or was mixed with something (filler).
I had done homework when I began the prescription - a year ago - and specifically asked for the name brand. But, my Dr said it was a waste of money.
I noticed that the maker of Wellbrutrin has some kind of discount through their website. I would check it out - obviously your Dr knows better (not prescribing the generic crap).

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Hope,

It looks like you have been taking the BioVail Wellbutrin for about 3 months now. How has it been working for you?

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Evan -
I can tell no difference with the Biovail from Canada than with the U.S. version of brand Wellbutrin XL. I was very uncomfortable with the version from Turkey - just too many discrepancies, (including the bottle indicating that it was manufactured in Canada - why would they manufacture in Canada, then ship to Turkey to ship back here??) and the only place I could verify that the pills marked GS 5YZ (the pills from Turkey) were Wellbutrin XL was from a Korean pharmaceutical website. These pills are also called Wellbutrin XR in some European countries. The thing that concerned me the most was that the pharmacy I received them from, despite my insistence, could provide nothing in writing that identified these pills (GS 5YZ) as being Wellbutrin XL. After receiving the pills from Turkey, before taking them, I contacted Valeant (Biovail merged with them) and they could not/would not tell me what GS 5YZ was, and sent me the image of what WXL looks like manufactured in Canada. (WXL 300) I began having some health problems shortly after taking the meds from Turkey - related or not, I am not sure, but for so little more per month, I will continue to insist on the brand made by Biovail and shipped from Canada.

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That sounds very encouraging, thanks.

By the way, I was looking at the official Wellbutrin XL website, and they have a printout there called the Patient Savings Card. It says that if you present this card at a pharmacy, you can get as much as $50 off per month on name brand Wellbutrin XL. With my insurance, the name brand was only costing me $70/month, so it is possible that with this card I may be able to get it for $20, which would be cheaper even than the Canadian prices!

You can check it out for yourself if you go to the official Wellbutrin XL website. There's a link for it right there on the homepage.

Is anybody familiar with this Patient Savings Card? I just printed it out and I'm going to CVS first thing tomorrow to see if I qualify for the discount.

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Does anyone take WB XR by Watson 150mg 2xday? How long have you taken it? How well does it work for you? Any bad side effects? Any good side effects - like weight loss?? Do you get it from a US chain pharmacy? Which one?
I'm not sure which generic I had been getting all these years from Walgreens, but they now carry Maylan and it just doesn't seem to do anything for me! Rite Aide carries Sandoz, but I haven't seen much positive reviews here on it.

I don't mind generic because I've never had name brand of WB. In fact I think I was taking Teva before, which worked great for me, but I've seen tons of bad reviews on it! So confussing! And of all people - the pharmacists all swear it doesn't matter! Like hell if it doesn't!

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CVS carries Teva brand. If they don't have it in stock they will order it for you.

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I was fine on the generic Bupropion made by the manufacturer PAR (imprint #A102) and then Medco switched me to one manufactured by MYLAN (without any notice). Within 2 months I got back all of my depression symptoms as if I wasn't on a medication at all. It took me awhile before I suspected the generic switch.

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@Evan - I tried using the prescription card today at my local CVS. My doctor prescribed me Wellbutrin 300 and the cost WITH the discount was $245!!! The actual cost was $345 ($100 discount). I was so upset!!! I have been trying to find the lowest cost when it comes to Wellbutrin without ordering on the internet but paying over $200 a month is really hard. Let me know how it works for you. Oh, I was told by the pharmacy the discount really helps those who have insurance and need an additional discount.

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