What Is The Best Generic Version Of Wellbutrin Xl - Watson Or Anchen? (Page 67)

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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My Wellbutrin XL 300 is from Valeant Pharacuetical, it says made in Canada. I got it from my pharmacy in the US using the new discount card that I got from from Valeant. The pills say Wellbutrin XL 300.

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My wellbutrin xl 150 has A-101 is stamped on it...it's white & round

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Thank you. I really appreciate it. Already called them & hopefully it will work out.

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Hi Anne,

You can still get the 300 mg xl brand name at direct success for $100. I am on 150mg, so it didn't work out for me. I am iffy about the Canadian web-based pharmacies. I am sure there are good ones out there.

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Can you get it for $100 Even if you have no insurance?

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Km. What number /letter is stamped on your pills ? I want whatever it is your taking lol

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After taking a 2 year break (no insurance) from meds, I restarted generic Wellbutrin 300 XL in late April. Walgreens dispensed Actavis. During the 5 weeks before my first follow-up I experienced extreme exhaustion, at least once a day I would get this overwhelming feeling of being starving and make myself a huge meal while no appetite the rest of the day, I was all over the place emotionally, and quick to lose patience. I also was having 2-3 migraines a week. My refill was 4 days before my appt. so I requested a different manufacturer because I knew from past experience that what I was going through was not right. The lack of energy was the dead giveaway for me. I could sleep for 4-5 hours in the middle of the day and still sleep 12 hours at night. Luckily Walgreens had one other manufacturer, which was Par. Within 2 days I could feel the difference. When I went to my follow-up (6/6/17) I had gained close to 4 lbs in the 5 weeks on Actavis. I have had bad side effects to the generic versions before including hallucinations (thought I could see mites with my eyes in a mattress and convinced my kids were getting bit by bedbugs....both of which people thought I was nuts for). What's weird is that in the past Watson was actually the only one I could handle and we all know how that went over. Anyhow, my doctor has now done the DAW for namebrand but insurance is denying until 6/24/17 since I had just refilled. I have continued the Par and have had no side effects except the typical lack of appetite and difficulty getting any sleep. I have lost 7 lbs since my appt on 6/6....so 8 days, which is a welcome side effect for me. Now I'm actually worried to switch to namebrand since Par is working great!!! In case it matters, I am a 37yo female.

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PAR is what I started taking and found relief after a few months of getting adjusted. Was taking that successfully for about 5 months. Last month the manufacturer changed to Activis. I was so nervous but took them anyway. I definitely started to not feel right. I wasn't able to concentrate and felt all out of sorts. I called my dr and she said let's do a script for name brand only. Now I am waiting for the pre authorization to see if insurance will cover it. If not I suppose I will try different pharmacies to find PAR again. That worked! This isn't working and I am struggling.

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Sorry I didn't reply sooner! I've got the PAR brand the pill # is A102. I had to request it because they quit carrying that brand and began carrying Actavis (which I had an allergic reaction to), they put in my file to special order PAR and fill only that brand. I use CVS inside Target because the pharmacists there are very helpful!

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Cipla is from an Indian manufacturer and was approved in US last August. I was changed to this by the pharmacy and not notified and had awful symptoms. Was like not being on anything at all. Par works pretty well for me.

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Eric, EVoor and RM,
I feel I'm cheating by reading your research rather than explore on my own, so thank for all your helpful information! Over the years, I think I've tried every generic Wellbutrin known to mankind. The last few years, my kind psych gave me samples of the real deal Wellbutrin (lucky for me I was his only patient taking 300mg of XL). Sadly, he joined a large group practice so no more samples. I'm back to square one with useless generics (Activis & now Par). Long story short, can you tell me which "filler" is causing gastrointestinal difficulties namely uncontrollable gas and distended abdomen. This isn't a joke. I read all the posts here and no one else has mentioned this problem. Thank you.

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On name brand Wellbutrin 300 mg XL for years, only thing that works for me. Generics don't work for me. Ordered name brand Wellbutrin from Canada drugs. Bottle = name brand Wellbutrin manufactured by Valeant Canada. I have been sick for months and now realize what has happened. The tab has the wxl 300 on it in light gray print. This is not name brand. Is Valeant US selling that impostor as well? I'm going to call them on Monday. Meanwhile I'll switch to the Par generic - at least it's a known entity. I have no idea what I'm taking.

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Lucy - I also tried the WB 300 XL from Valeant Canada and did not do well on it. I couldn't understand why since the manufacturer is the exact same as the U.S. brand. I called both U.S. and Canada Valeant Pharmaceuticals (neither of which can speak for the other even though they are the same company, supposedly because Health Canada and the U.S. FDA have different regulations). I got an ingredient list from both entities and there are twice as many inactive ingredients (fillers) in the Canadian version vs. the U.S. brand so my guess is that some of us are not tolerating the inactive ingredients in the Canadian version well. I am back on the U.S. brand and doing MUCH better! So yes, there is a difference. And yes, the U.S. brand is still the same as always.

NorCalWarrior - Unfortunately, I am not familiar with the chemical makeup of the fillers to know which will cause/lead to specific side effects. You may just have to try different ones to figure out which one works best. Every single generic brand has different ingredients, some with the same fillers, but all with a totally different mix of them so no two manufacturers produce exactly the same med.

It is also important to note that the active ingredient in the XL version of the brand name has a time release mechanism that is still under patent for another year so NO generic brand has access to the information on how this works until after that part of it goes off patent. Valeant owns the patent now.

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I take generic Wellbutrin SR for my PTSD. Be careful, it will make you test+ on a U/A, for amphetamines.

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I did not know my pharmacy changed to generic but I did notice my wellbutrin just plain quit working. I started feeling low and did some research, found out my pharmacy switched. I can't believe the difference. No matter what people say their is quite a difference. It's scary and I also knew of a drug representative who had a nervous meltdown after making the switch because insurance would not pay for the original wellbutrin. This for PROFIT medical industry is sad putting profit BEFORE people.

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I started taking 150 mg bupropion SR 1 and 1/2 months ago ( Mylan). The first 10 days I had quite a few adverse events (AE), including crying spells, palpitations, and anxiety. A week ago I started 300 mg, and I'm having the same AEs-including an event of a panic attack the night before my period. But today most of the AEs are gone. Now my refill now is from Par Pharma (star tomorrow), let's see how it goes. I was wondering if anyone lives here in San Diego and tried the brand name GSK from Tijuana. There, it's called anfebutamone (old name given to bupropion). I know it cost around $ 60 and I believe a prescription is not required. Have anyone tried the brand name Mexican GSK?

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If you feel you need the name brand Wellbutrin and you have tried generics to no aval call Valeant US, not Canada or go to their website. There is a programed offered to get name brand Wellbutrin from the US manufacturer for $100/month. It's worth every penny for my sanity and well being.

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Does this apply to people without insurance? Do you have the contact info by chance? Thanks

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RM: A small correction to what you said about patents. It's not that the generic manufacturers don't have the info about the invention -- that much is disclosed in the patent application, and it is also generally known to experts in controlled release drug delivery. It's more that the specific composition and application of the polymer membrane is protected. The generic makers were able to create their own polymer-based diffusion systems, each of which will have somewhat different diffusion characteristics to BioVail's SmartCoat.

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I am having the same problem--have made the adjustment to Par from Wellbutrin XL. I take one 300 mg and one 150 mg, or 450 mg total. After about 8 months on Par, my pharmacy switched the 300 mg to Activis! It's like going from 450 to 150. I don't know how people cope with this constant yanking around by the insurance companies. I can't believe it is even LEGAL to fill an Rx with two brands of generics for one prescription!

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