What Is The Best Generic Version Of Wellbutrin Xl - Watson Or Anchen? (Top voted first)

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 thought I'd respond as I was very recently in a similar position. My extensive searching online tells me that *there is* a difference between the brand and generic versions of Wellbutrin. In fact, irrespective of the drug there is always potential for variation between brand name and generic despite what some doctors and many pharmacists will have you believe.

The pharmacist was quick to allay my initial concerns about choosing a generic but what she conveniently neglected to tell me was that the FDA only requires there to be a 20% bioequivalence between the active ingredients in generic drug and brand name one.

Generic drugs use different filler ingredients (dyes, binders, etc.) which can affect the user's response. Sometimes they can create a different side-effect profile entirely. Some generics deliver the payload at a different rate (as experienced by many Budeprion users). Budeprion was originally touted as the generic equivalent to Wellbutrin but people quickly realized it wasn't even close to being an adequate substitute due to the delivery mechanism releasing most of the drug shortly after being ingested rather than in timed intervals throughout the day like it was supposed to.

I originally opted for the generic manufactured by Anchen and felt only a moderate effect after a week and a half. This was my first time filling the prescription so please know I'm not drawing from a long history here. However, after a week and a half of little to no favorable results, I went back and requested (make that demanded) the brand name Wellbutrin. They were reluctant to comply and had to call my insurance company to cajole them into allowing a refill on the prescription so early.

The minute I popped a brand name Wellbutrin pill I noticed a difference. Call it placebo all you like but I felt better. I have to continue my Wellbutrin course for a longer period before I can honestly assess the differences but after the amount of misinformation I've uncovered when searching for "Wellbutrin XL vs generics", I think I'll pay the extra $20.00 for the brand name and take with me a little peace of mind.

Most importantly: educate yourselves. You don't always have to take your doctor or pharmacist's advice. Don't ignore it either, but just having a title doesn't make you infallible. Case in point, the pharmacist at Wal-Mart tried to argue that "Wellbutrin" WAS the generic until I told her to search for "Bupropion" in her computer. Derp. The other pharmacist told me Wellbutrin and generics were identical. Nope. I disagree. It's easy to push misinformation on uneducated masses.

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You're welcome, Mimi. Don't despair just yet. I'm responding to add a little context to my above post. Please accept the above as pure conjecture. I'm just a 22 year old guy who was prescribed Wellbutrin for mild ADHD-inattentive type. You and I are probably looking for different things out of these medications.

I've read several anecdotal reports from users who have taken the brand name Wellbutrin AND the Anchen and Watson brands who say they don't notice a difference. I know this sounds contradictory to my former post but as you know, with all medicine, it can be highly individualized. Also, the TEVA brand of Wellbutrin was the brand notorious for underwhelming and disappointing so many people.

If you decide to go with generic, I'd say go to Wal-Mart or Sam's Club (as they share the same pharmacy network) and get the generic made by Watson.

I still stand behind the ideas I conveyed in my first post but I encourage people to explore their options to see what works for them. In your case, it sounds like choosing the brand name is cost prohibitive. $7,000 a year? What happened to primum non nocere? That can seriously harm a person's bank account! 7k/year is like taking on an apartment payment or luxury car payment. Yikes!

I say go with generic first and see how you respond. I didn't get any bad side effects from the Anchen brand but it didn't live up to the Wellbutrin hype I had been reading about either. In my case, since the difference between brand and generic is nominal I opted for the former. If I was in your position, you'd better believe I'd be figuring out which generic I'd be taking because I wouldn't be dropping that kind of coin on a pill in this lifetime.

Best of luck.

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Re: aline (# 1406)

I had the same thing happen to me with Global generic Wellbutrin XL 150. I’m going through it now. I had changed pharmacies and started taking it 10/3/17. I finally called my psychiatrist in tears and panic after I looked at my receipt and noticed the different manufacturer. I was taking Actavis manufacturer before. Global is like going through withdrawals and not being on anything at all. Crying, panic, anxiety, housebound, can’t shower, nausea, suicidal, feeling out of it, crazy, headache, nausea. It is pure HELL. I called old pharmacy to change back and will have it tomorrow but it will take weeks to get back to where I was because it took weeks subtly to get here today. Thought it was generic Zoloft because I recently changed over to that in August was starting to feel somewhat better then BAM awful when different generic Wellbutrin. Why and how can they do this to people’s lives. People can go off the deep end here. This is seriously wrong

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I find myself very frustrated about the drug manufacturers, the FDA and to some extent pharmacists but primarily the prescription insurance companies. Please don't get me wrong, I am thankful to have benefits. The brand Wellbutrin XL was the medication I was taking for 7 years. I was at the max dose of 450mg I was doing very well and stable and with the addition of Lamictal was healthy and had not been hospitalized for 3 years; at that point I was healthier than I had been for the prior 13 years. It was great and then unfortunately my insurance changed and the brand was not covered. This is what frustrated me, the new insurance policy stated that if I had a prior authorization in place with my previous pharmacy that I could continue with the brand. That is why I had the prior authorization with my old insurance because there was medical documentation, from many years of treatment, that I needed the brand medication. Not so, the prior authorization process was a nightmare and to no avail I was in fact not going to be able to continue with the brand until I tried the generic dispensed from the new insurance company's mail order pharmacy. In just over a week, ten days perhaps I was in a rapid spiral into a major depressive episode so the mail order pharmacy sent me a different manufacturer of Wellbutrin, the Teva brand generic. I had heard nothing good about the Teva brand but I had to try it and thankfully it was just 3 days and I felt better. Again so aggravating that after a 3 months mail order supply I needed a refill they send me out a different generic manufacturer. Apparently the pharmacy did not have any idea of the problems I had experienced and I had to go through the whole rigmarole again to get the Teva brand. This angers me so and I think what mental health patients face with medication means nothing to the pharmaceutical companies and insurers. I think other patients would agree that finding the right dosage and the right medication takes along time and it is a delicate issue that varies between many people. when a patient finds the treatment that allows them to have a life where they can function to a certain extent of satisfaction that is the medication the insurers should pay for!! This may not be so dramatic for patients with a shorter history of mental illness but it is no secret the problems that countless people experience, all one has to do is google it and read forums like this one. I again find myself disgusted and almost hopeless because after the mail order no longer able to dispense Teva I was relegated to a month to month supply of the Teva at the retail pharmacy. This was the difference between a 3-month supply benefit being $10 to a one month supply being $27, again I am thankful to have benefits. But herein lies the toad, that I the patient, the person paying the medical insurance premiums has to fight to convince the pharmacist that just because a pill has the same active ingredient does not mean it is the same. Apparently the Teva brand is no longer available at the retail level so I am on my 1st day with the Watson brand. This is so unacceptable to me that my wellness is so carelessly and haphazardly handled by the "professionals". This first day not so good, I felt so over medicated this morning, I was nauseous and my face turned bright red and hot to the touch. I know that I have to give this brand a try for at least a week. I hope and pray that it works like it is supposed to and I will not have to try yet another manufacturer in a week. I appreciate being able to use this forum if nothing else that for a sounding board. Health and wellness to you.

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I'm a psychiatric nurse practitioner who both prescribes and takes Wellbutrin XL. There are many problems with ALL of the generic Wellbutrin's. I subscribe to Consumers Lab, which analyzed all versions of Wellbutrin. The major problem with the generics is the delivery system, which is still proprietary. The FDA considers a generic with the same active ingredient to be equivalent if it dissolves in the range +/- 20% of the brand (& also doesn't require clinical testing), so generic companies had to come up with their own delivery system. Back in 2007 or 08, Consumer Lab identified the Teva generic as not being equivalent, but the FDA reviewed the data, and claimed it was. It wasn't until October, 2012 that the FDA reversed it's decision, it was withdrawn from the market, and the other generic companies were asked to produce their documentation by March 2013.
Consumer Lab found NO generic Wellbutrin XL to be equivalent to the brand.
The only generic for Wellbutrin SR found to be equivalent is Watson, which, according to Consumer Lab is sold to them by GlaxoSmithKline as an "authorized generic."
The oldest version of Wellbutrin (75 & 100mg) is immediate release, so the delivery system should not be an issue.
Since this post is getting a bit long, I will post more info in another post for those who, like me, don't have the patience to plow through all the verbiage.

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In case you don't know, Wellbutrin XL has a program for patients to get the brand for $0 if you have insurance and no more than $50/month if you don't. Click link below for information:
wellbutrinxl.com/savingscard/consumer/consumer-landing

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All I can say is thank God for Direct Success Pharmacy and name brand Wellbutrin! I went thru hell and back with those generics! I was so confused that I couldn't figure out if I was just crazy or if there was something wrong with those pills! After getting on name brand Wellbutrin I was both relieved that it wasn't me but also angry that pharmaceutical companies are allowed to be putting this trash out on the market! I don't understand why they would be allowed to jeopardize mentally vulnerable people this way and get away with it! If there is no way to produce a comparable generic then take them all off the market! It's not fair to do this to people! But anyway, even though I am on a fixed low income I just find ways to afford the $50 a month by not eating out, cutting down on driving to save on gasoline and not running a lot of electricity!

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WOW....I just spent 6 hrs looking into all ingredient listings for the generics of Wellbutrin XL 150mg. I've taken both the 150 & 300 dosages of BRAND since it was GSK.(I had rcvd a waiver fr ins for brand as my Dr established she had many patients that did not do well on generic). Btw.....this was all around the time of the Teva recall. So as with many of you, my ins is no longer allowing such & cost is exorbitant. I did the Direct Success thing starting 8/2016, with last fill being 11/2016. I decided I just wasn't doing so well & to avoid all of what I'm now doing..I tried Adderall for 7 weeks. Disaster. ("Crashes" were ridiculous at a VERY low dose). I began to read others reporting that Valeant fr Canada was ineffective. Ah-hah!!!! Got my bottle-yep, last fill was manuf in Canada. So I began my research into the ingredient listings of many manufacturers INCLUDING the original GSK, Valeant, Teva/Actavis (JUNK), Mylan, Watson, Sandoz (which I can't quite deduce if they actually have an XL version or just IR & SR), and the bottle I now have which was filled 12/2015 (in error of brand)-bottle says "PAR Pharm", but pills marked "A 101"......WHICH identify as Anchen. I do know Par purchased Anchen. So here's the short story: Valeant Canada's ingredients really ARE those of GSK.....and Par (pills marked A 101 are really Anchen) comes in closest by miles. I have been taking the expired ones I have & have improved but w/awful dry mouth. But I do still have Valeant that are not expired & am going to try those beginning tomorrow. I did not bother to look up Sun or Cipla because I just didn't. Once I experiment with my UNexpired Valeant fr Direct Success I'm going to call & see about their latest promotion. (Have ins through husband's work). IF I find the pills effective I will continuously expend all efforts to get them. If not -I think I'll be asking for PAR. I REALLY hope this helps someone. You're not crazy if you find your med ineffective. Nor am I. I've just educated myself on the EXACT ingredient listings & they're different. A lot. I've never posted on anything, but after searching so long & reading comments of those who'd taken their time to share, I couldn't not share what I've gleaned.

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I've have been taking wellbutrin xl for about 11 years. I switched primarily to avoid the sexual side effects I was experiencing with Paxil. I've had two negative experiences with the generic form. The first was when we were living abroad and could not get the brand name drug. I took the generic version for about 3 months and at the 3 month mark I felt about the same I as did pre-diagnosis. It was awful. I read about the generic controversy, called my US doc and had a year's worth of brand name meds expressed to me. Felt much better with in a week. A few years later (back in the US), the mail order pharmacy I was using switched me to a generic (without my knowledge and despite the written Rx stipulating no substitutions). The generic looked nearly exactly like the name brand (small white round pill, 300 mg - just no "wellbutrin" written on it, and so I didn't realize it wasn't the name brand for about a month....until I started feeling crummy...again. It occurred to me to look at the bottle and realized what had happened. Needless to say, I've been back on the name brand for a couple years without issues. Wish there was a generic I could take...but for me the time release mechanism seems t be an issue. Anyone know of any studies that have compared all the generics' time release mechanism against GKS?

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I upped my dose from 150XL to 300 XL (of name brand Wellbutrin from Direct Success pharmacy, $50/month) and I really feel like it is helping! I am so grateful. The generic I tried made me sick. The name brand 150XL made me edgy and tearful, but I could tell it was still lifting me out of the deep depression, as I was starting to get a few things done. After three months on 150XL, my doctor upped my dose to 300XL and I have had no problems at all with any side effects. I feel more positive in that I notice I don't ruminate like I used to, or get as upset and stay upset like I had been. Even though I still have days where I don't accomplish much, I 'm starting to have more days that are productive and that is really such a positive effect.

It's like, my depression brain acknowledges things that need to be done, and I may even feel willing to do those things, and think about doing them, maybe even intend to do them, but in the abstract somehow. Seems almost impossible to bridge that gap from thinking to taking action. The Wellbutrin seems to help me bridge that gap. I think of something that need to be done, and then miracle of miracles, I actually get up and go do it. And that is a big step forward. If you have lived with major depression for many years as I have, you know what I mean! I am very happy with this dose. I've been on it for two weeks and dare I hope it will even get better?

I feel sorry for people who are struggling with the unreliable generics and some who don't seem to read back through this whole thread. In case anyone didn't find the info, you don't have to use generics anymore. Name brand is $50 a month through Direct Success pharmacy. It's not a scam, it's bonafide name brand, manufactured by Valeant, in the U.S. If you google Wellbutrin, the info will come up on their website.

Thanks again to everyone who has shared experiences here as it gives us a way to compare our own. Good luck to everyone in finding a dosage that works for you! I will post again in a while to let you know how it is going.

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I have been on Wellbutrin XL 300mg for years. I am one of those patients who insisted the generic wasn't working. So I always have gotten the name brand. My insurance changed and now informs me I have to get the generic. I am scared to death! I am so afraid I am going to start feeling crappy after all these years. Why should insurance companies be allowed to force a patient to take something other than what was prescribed? They aren't doctors! It's all about money!!! Not the true health of the patient!!! This just goes all over me. Pray for me, hopefully nothing bad will happen.

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I have no experience using it, but I do understand the problems that can occur with generic medications.

I also did some searching and from what I've found online, most that have tried the one manufactured by Anchen have had good results with it.

However, you may not get the same results, the only way to find out is to actually try it and see how it works for you. There are many aspects to a medication, including the amount of the active ingredient and some of the binders and fillers that can affect how one may work for any given person.

If you do try the Anchen one, please post back and let us know how it works for you.

https:/­/­rxchat.com/­wiki/­Wellbutrin/­

Does anyone else have any advice or comments to add?

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Thanks for the comments. After two requests and forwarding a ton of research to my doctor, she is still refusing to write a prescription for the generic. She is adamant about it being dangerous. I have generic coverage that will only cost me $15 per month as opposed to the $7000. Maybe that is why I'm driving an eleven year old car instead of the luxury vehicle you mention; however, if I can't get a generic that works well, I will have to pay whatever it takes to get the brand because I honestly can't live without it, and I am on the max dose - 450mg. I have tried lots of other antidepressants and nothing works like Wellbutrin XL - not even the SR. I just can't believe they cancelled the patient assistance program just as I was about to get on it.

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Hi Everybody! New interesting news update. I subscribed to the FDA newsletter to receive any reports about bad drugs being taken off the market (that's how I found out about Watson back in October) and new drugs that have been approved coming onto the market. There's a new generic Bupropion Hydrochloride 300 XL that was approved on January 17th made by Zydus Pharms Drug Co. I hope maybe it will be good. Didnt say when it will become available. Just a heads up for everyone.

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Your post is from a few years ago but I will post this information for the benefit of others.

First of all you're right. The Wellbutrin program shows it's expired on their website. It's not expired.. Google wellbutrin assistance program to find the 800-number.

Secondly if you take 450 XL per day order one bottle of 300 XL and one bottle of 150 xl vs three bottles of 150 mg. this will s ave you $50 per month. Your dr. May have to prescribe it this way. Should not be a problem.

I hope this helps someone. Without going into the boring details of my own experience with Wellbutrin versus generic I believe Wellbutrin brand is superior and works much better. I've tried both and didn't respond well to the generic. It took me a long sad time to figure this out. I hope I can save someone from having to go through this.

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I agree with you A. I see where everyone is coming from with this....but the generic version is definitely not the same. Every manufacturer has a different amount of bupropion in the pills, different fillers/binders....I've been through 3 different generics and I feel like I'm taking a different medication each time I get switched. Roller coaster.

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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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I called Valeant directly. They have a new card starting today ($5 with insurance, $100 without). 877-431-3578. Good Luck to you.

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Cvs just changed my generic xl 300 from Par manufacturing (which I did well on for a year) to Cipla which made me nauseous w/headache. After 4 days, I figured it out. Cutting them in half has helped some. Can't find anyone who still carries Par & my insurance will charge $4000 for Wellbutrin! Outrageous...generic meds need to be more consistent!!

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Re: JM (# 1424)

The generic with A 102 is from Par. I got my last refill of them from CVS, but I spent a lot of time on the phone calling pharmacies ask which one they carry. I've also learned to check my bottle in front of the pharmacy employee before I walk away in case of a substitution.

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