Wellbutrin Program Discontinued At Direct Success Pharmacy (Top voted first)

I've been getting name brand Wellbutrin XL 300 from Direct Success Pharmacy for several years, but I just found out yesterday that the cash program is no longer available as of October 31, 2016. So, I will be forced to switch to the generics again. I have had side effects from three of the generics on the market. I've tried Actavis, Mylan and Par. The best of the worst was probably Actavis so I guess I will try it again. Any advice? I am not eligible for any of the other patient assistance programs for the name brand drug.

REPLY

REPORT

New coupon! Read the other thread. You have to call valeant directly and they will mail it to you. It's not yet available on the internet. The woman on the phone said it will eventually be. It's the same deal as direct success was but it's $100 instead of $50 and you can only use it at local pharmacies (Walgreens, cvs etc.) no mail order.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 4

Just called Valeant, the manufacturer, and they do have a replacement program for the Wellbutrin XL Guarantee Program that went through Direct Success Pharmacy. Its a coupon which you take to any pharmacy, it makes the cost $100 for a 30 day supply and the coupon is good for 12 refills. This is their 2017 program and they do not know at this time what 2018 program will be. They mail you this coupon which you receive 5-7 business days from calling. This is everything they told me. The phone number is 1-877-431-3578 and is for their Consumer Affairs. This program is not found on their website by the way.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 4

See Sammy Joe's updated post #34 below. They've summed it up very well.

Sounds like people tend to have better luck calling Valeant about the coupon instead of using the online form.

Best of luck!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 3

Rachel, when I called they just asked me whether I had commercial insurance. I said
Yes and that was the end of that conversation. It was a yes or no question. Maybe just say yes to the question so you can get the coupon?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

I did originally order from Canada prior to learning about this new coupon, and I just recently got a 90 day supply, so I have not yet actually gotten a script filled with the coupon. I will definitely update this thread with my results once I do.

As for the experience with Canada, the mail order process took longer than I expected, mainly due to technical glitches trying to submit a scanned copy of the Rx, which I uploaded several times, then faxed, then emailed twice, and I came pretty close to running out of pills. So don't wait until the last minute if you're like me and your world comes crashing down when you miss a single dose.

I was also unpleasantly surprised when the order finally arrived and the pills looked like knock-offs. The ones I'm used to are stamped with "WELLBUTRIN XL 300" in black ink, while the ones I got were the same type of pill but stamped with "WXL 300" in gray ink. I freaked out at first, because my last experience with generic Wellbutrin actually landed me in the ICU, but then I found an image of the same pill on Valeant's own website (here: wellbutrinxl.com), so I felt more confident that this is just the Canadian version of the brand name stuff, and indeed I experienced nothing out of the ordinary when I started taking it. In fact, after doing a deepish dive to find out about the legitimacy of this weird Canadian pill, I'm pretty sure now that ALL brand name Wellbutrin is produced in Canada, and it's actually the US version of the stamp that's different from the standard.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Re: Margo (# 51)

I never had to register or provide any personal information. I just had to check a few boxes and that was it. Perhaps there are different things you need to do depending on what boxes you check.

To compare apples to apples, this is how I filled out the form:

I checked NO for this one: "Are you eligible for reimbursement of prescriptions (in whole or in part) under any federal, state or other governmental programs, including, but not limited to, Medicare (including Medicare Advantage and Part A, B and D plans), Medicaid, TRICARE, Veterans Administration or Department of Defense health coverage, CHAMPUS, the Puerto Rico Government Health Insurance Plan or any other federal or state healthcare programs?"

I checked NO for this one: "Do you live in Massachusetts and/or have insurance coverage for prescriptions in Massachusetts?"

I checked this option: "I am 18 or older."

I checked this option: "Check here if you do not wish to receive periodic information from Valeant Pharmaceuticals North America LLC regarding future product and patient offerings."

Then I scrolled down and checked this: "By clicking here I confirm I am not enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, or any other federal or state government healthcare or pharmaceutical assistance program providing prescription drug benefits, that I am eligible to participate in this program, and agree to the Terms and Conditions specified above."

Then I clicked "Next".

Then I was taken to a page with an image of the coupon card that had all the necessary numbers on it, and from there it was just a matter of printing out the page and bringing it to my pharmacy, where they looked at the numbers on the card and typed whatever ones they needed into their system.

In other words, you don't actually get a physical card, just an image of a card on a web page.

And technically, instead of printing the web page, I saved it as a PDF and emailed it to myself, so at the pharmacy I just pulled up the email on my phone instead of giving them a printout.

Hope this helps!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Did you try calling Direct Success? There is currently some sort of coupon program in effect that works out even cheaper than the old guarantee program, at least for me and for now. I just got a 30 day supply for $5 instead of the $1,000 my insurance company expects me to pay (or whatever insane amount it's up to by now).

All this shadiness with Valeant is very nerve wracking for me, because I've had great success with Wellbutrin XL 300mg for over 10 years now, all attempts to even just taper down the dosage have met with disaster, and the one time I ever tried a generic, I literally wound up in the ICU after taking my first pill due to an extreme allergic reaction. That was with Budeprion, which has since been discontinued, but still I'm not exactly jumping to give generics another try, despite how eager my insurance company is for me to do so, as it saves them money either way, if generics wind up working or killing me!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I will call and ask, but they called me a few weeks ago to tell me that the cash program had been discontinued. I was told that I would have to pay full price. But it's worth another call. I've gone back to the Actavis version since is was the best of the three that I tried before (best of the worst).

Thanks for the tip.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Are you still able to get your Wellbutrin from Direct Success. I was doing the same thing and they switched me to the $5 program last month. They called me yesterday and told me they no longer could provide any assistance and I would have to transfer my RX or try to go through regular insurance. My insurance will not cover any of the Brand Name Wellbutrin. Leaving me with an out of pocket cost of $1200 per month. Are you having the same problem?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

My cost is now over $1300 a month, even with the current coupon card at wellbutrinxl.com. I'm thinking of trying a Canadian pharmacy that is currently around $65 a month.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I used Direct Success for years, and called earlier this week to change my address before an anticipated shipment of refills I had expected later in the month. That's when I first found out the program had ended (without having received any notice), and I hadn't realized I was also out of refills. I looked up Valeant's coupon program, but confirmed with their Consumer Affairs department that I am ineligible because I now buy my insurance through the New York State marketplace (a "state health care program," according to their restrictions). I haven't found any options, and the lowest price I found through Rx Outreach is over $1200. I had awful reactions to the generic, although it has been nearly 10 years since I tried them. It may have been budeprion, as Dave says above.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Holy crap. I just got my coupon card in the mail, activated it, and had my pharmacy run the prescription, and it came back as $15 for a 90-day supply! If I they had run it just a minute before applying the coupon, it would have been around $1,500 just for a 30-day supply. I have no idea what kind of game Valeant is playing with this drug, but I guess as long as they continue to provide weird secret loopholes like these, we'll all just have to play along and try not to think about it too hard.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

UPDATE and CORRECTION; I posted back on Feb 14 about the Valeant replacement program after I had called Valeant after finding out the Direct Success program was canceled. Now this is an update and correction to the post I made on Feb 14. Now that I have gotten the coupon, run it, read the find print, etc. I understand how this works. It is the same coupon on the website called the Wellbutrin XL Savings Program website. (Now the website is confusing because it's says 'up to $200 savings per 30 day supply' so I took that literally and assumed that program pays very little towards the thousands the med costs. Not true.) 1. You have to have commercial insurance 2. If your insurance would NEVER PAY, regardless of copays and deductibles, anything towards brand Wellbutrin XL (it's not on their formulary) it will cost you $100 for a 30 day supply. 3. If your insurance will cover or pay brand Wellbutrin XL, again regardless of copay or deductible situation, it will cost you $5 for a 30 day supply. Now using my situation as an example. My commercial insurance does cover brand Wellbutrin XL if my doctor says I have to take it over generics. But I have a very,very high deductible that I have to meet before any prescriptions, generic or brand, are paid for. I have not met my deductible. So with the coupon I only pay $5 for a 30 day supply. Basically my insurance paid nothing this refill but I only paid $5. On the Direct Success program I was paying $150 for a 3 month supply. Now it's $15 for 3 months! I am much happier! Any questions ask me. Oh by the way, in the fine print on the coupon, it does say Valeant can end this program at anytime without notice. That is what they did with the Direct Success Program. So enjoy the savings on these programs while you can. And if they end the program, call Valeant and ask. They may just have a new program starting. I was told on the phone this one is good for 2017 and for up to 12-30 day refills only. And the coupon says that also. For those without commercial insurance: call Valeant at the number in my Feb 14 post and ask about your situation.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I used it too. I paid 5.00 for a 30 day supply. I actually filled it at Direct Success again for 5.00. Since they had my prescription, it was just easier to fill there. My commercial insurance is BC/BS.

Here's an interesting twist though. I think I like the Actavis version better! After all of the talk and trials of different generics, I have concluded that I am going to continue on Actavis' XL 300. I noticed some additional side effects while on the brand drug that I don't seem to have with Actavis.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I too cannot take generic as it makes me feel worse actually. Teva is the worst but my experience with Watson brand became negative as well. Generics are usually NOT equal to their brand equivalent, in spite of what they try to tell you. The rate of release is usually different. I think it is a CRIME that mental health medications are priced so exhorbitantly!! Really, the people with suicidal ideations are the ones who have to suffer?!!!!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I just tried the new coupon, and it worked for me. $15 for a 90-day supply!

It wasn't completely without a hitch though. First Target/CSV mistakenly entered the Rx in the system without the "brand only" designation, so they wound up filling the generic at first. Then when they tried to rerun the brand through the insurance (CareFirst), it came back as over $4,000, again because the Rx was entered without the "brand only" box checked. Once they verified that the doc had written it as "brand only" and checked that box, it came back as $15.

P.S. Sorry for the delayed response on this. I've been working my way through a 90-day supply from Canada, so I haven't needed to refill until now.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: HankChinaski (# 42)

The coupon card at wellbutrinxl.com/savings is evidently active for 2018.

The fine print in the PDF when you download the card has not been updated yet and still says "This offer and coupon expire on 12/31/17" but I just called the customer service line about this (1-855-859-2966) and the rep said that the group number on the new card I just downloaded is valid for 2018.

I can confirm that the group number on the new card is different than my old 2017 card.

I won't know for sure though if it really works for another month or so, because I timed a 3-month refill in December in case the 2018 coupon wasn't offered right away, so it's still too early for me to submit a refill request.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I have the $5 savings card, and they told me that it would still be valid in 2018. However, I just found out at CVS that California passed some law that forbids use of coupons for brand name medications if there is a generic available! I am livid! Been searching online to try to find a solution; I take 450mg/day, so paying for the brand name would be around $3500/month!!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: Crosbysmon (# 46)

I was on the generic version for a few years, and they seemed to be okay. However, I was noticing that depending on the "brand" of generics, either my depression would come back, or I would have a lot of stomach issues (blood in my stool at one point), headaches, nausea. I have tried Anchen, PAR, Global Pharmacy, another one that I can't think of the name right now. Once I found Direct Success and started back on the brand name Wellbutrin, I was back to feeling like myself again. I'm not about to try that again... I know it's around a 4 hour drive to Las Vegas, maybe Arizona is closer. I have around 30 days left of my existing supply, so at least I found this out with enough time to spare.

My doctor is supposedly calling the CVS, as they do have limited exceptions (according to my internet search on the law) so my fingers are crossed... Thanks for your reply!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: JJW (# 48)

Definitely download the savings card [see post # 43].

Depending on your situation, your cost for the brand could be as low as $5 for a 30-day supply. The card worked for me when I got my first 90-day fill of the year a few weeks ago at Target/CVS.

Valeant started offering this card in 2017 after discontinuing the program with Direct Success, and they renewed the program in 2018, so the current card should be good at least until January, when presumably (hopefully) they'll renew the program again for 2019.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

The white oval pain pill with A332 worked for my severe pain and I had never increased the dose. The last refill I recei...

1 REPLY

I've been using the coupon program to get my brand Wellbutrin XL 300mg for $100/month for the past couple years. Thi...

2 REPLIES

I just stopped Wellbutrin because it had run its course, now been on Vybrid for 2 weeks it is not helping me at all. Won...

1 REPLY

Is this medication going off the market? The girl at HEB pharmacy said "they" (the pharmaceutical co.?) were goi...

2 REPLIES

Is Donnatal still being manufactured? I am told it will no longer be available. ## I have also been told that Donnatal i...

1 REPLY

ARE THE WATSON 750 VICODIN GOING TO BE DISCONTINUED? WHY? IS NORCO GOING TO REPLACE THEM? I HAVE A CONCERN BECAUSE I LIK...

5 REPLIES

What substitute can I use for pankreoflat, please help!! ## Have you talked to your doctor or pharmacist about finding a...

3 REPLIES

Discontinued fenobibrate on Monday and started having a lot of diarrhea today (Thursday). Not sure if it's caused by...

1 REPLY

Advised Sucralfate by Nostrum was discontinued. I have been taking it with bad side effects ## Hello, Linda! How are you...

3 REPLIES

I was told that Watson is discontinuing the light blue oval 10mg loritabs? Liver damages was the reason given? ## Curren...

1 REPLY