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Taking brand name Wellbutrin 100mg, 3x - 4x day, for over ten years, no problems and the medication was fully controlling the depression. Required by the insurance company to take generic, Buspar, I noticed within two hours of taking the medication that I had extreme anxiety and nervous twitching. Later in the day, and especially in the late afternoon and evening, I pounced on eveything wrong. Which means that the depression was not being treated. The cost penalty to take brand name is outrageous when the generic is truly not effective for many patients. Doctors have said to me that generic Wellbutrin is one of the most frequent comments for being ineffective.
When a generic is shown to be ineffective, its like no medication is authorized.
It should be noted that the Consumer Lab tests found only one brand of a "few" generics didn't perform the same as the brand name Wellbutrin. Apparently, the others did. From personal experience, I can say that the generic, manufactured by Apotex, is just as effective as brand name Wellbutrin.
"...test findings by ConsumerLab.com that were released to MSNBC.com showed that one of a few generic versions of Wellbutrin XL 300 mg, sold as Budeprion XL 300 mg, didn't perform the same as the brand-name pill in the lab"
It, probably, should, also, be mentioned that "The FDA investigated these complaints and concluded that the Budeprion XL is equivalent to Wellbutrin XL in regard to bioavailability of bupropion and its main active metabolite hydroxybupropion. The FDA also noted that coincidental natural mood variation is the most likely explanation for the apparent worsening of depression after the switch from Wellbutrin XL to Budeprion XL."
@Tony Amdur
BuSpar (buspirone) isn't a generic of Wellbutrin (bupropion). They're two, entirely, different drugs.
My pharmacy did the same thing right after the first of the year. I chose to switch to the brand name, at a huge price difference, and have had no problems since. I seriously thought I was alone and going crazy. After having struggled with finding the right medication for years it was distressing to have that experience with the Welbutrin XL generic. It scared me so much I asked to be put on the name brand rather than suffer another change at my pharmacy's whim. Each month when I pay for my medication ($124.00 with insurance) I cringe a bit and then remember that I am paying a premium for my mental health. It's worth it to me. It would be nice if the generic companies were held to a higher standard and/or more highly regulated. But doing so will probably up the prices of generic meds.
Another thing I found out while researching this problem is that generics can be 10% over or UNDER name brand formulation. Also, the fillers they use can differ between manufacturers and can be absorbed differently by your body. That may speak to the problem of the medication working its way through your system more quickly than the name brand equalling anxious morning followed by crying all evening like me. I'm not clear on all the science nor can I point to a specific source for this information since I didn't write it down at the time. I just want to put it out there though to give hope to someone who might be struggling.
Don't give up!! Keep trying to find what works for you and fight for it. All of us deserve good mental health.
I had the same experience as the writer when taking generic Wellbutrin (bupropion). I found there was a difference in quality of the generic and stopped ordering it from the mail-order pharmacy. The local drugstore's version seemed to work OK for a while, but one day I woke up and realized that I was probably feeling worse than I ought to. I went back to the brand-name Wellbutrin (the SR seems to work better in my syster than the XL), which has been a very good medication for me.
Thank you for the information. I had been on Wellbutrin for a few years before the generic brand was available. My insurance company required me to purchase the generic brand which did nothing to alleviate my symptoms. It was like starting all over again. Unfortunately, my last two insurance companies still will not cover the brand name I require so I purchase same from Canada and have been doing so for 3-4 years. Otherwise, I would be spending about $300 a month for the medication. I would be interested to know if any new generic form is on the market now that is comparable to Wellbutrin XL 300 mg.
What a difference this drug has made in my life! I started it about two and a half weeks ago and feel better and have lost over 10 pounds! I used to take Lexapro and every month I was gaining ten pounds! EEk. A friend told me about Wellbutrin and I could hug her! I am wondering though if this generic brand is as good as the brand name? I may ask for that next week since I have a follow up with my doctor. I still get a little weepy from time to time, but at appropriate times.
At least I'm not numb to feeling things like before on Lexapro. I also take more initiative in my life decisions and feel more mellow and able to follow through with things I start, yay!
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