# Some Wellbutrin generic MAY make you sick because time-release not same as brand



## rickthegreat (Dec 22, 2008)

Dunno if this is old news to everyone. I went from taking the brand of Wellbutrin to the generic a while back and it made me sick. Just thought I'd point out in case not everyone had heard of it that some generic versions do NOT act the same way as the brand. This is only for the XL versions. It has to do with time-release technologies which ARE not shared by the brand manufacturer. So one version of Wellbutrin XL will release way too much too fast and you get serotonin toxicity. I think that's what it's called. However, it all depends on the manufacturer. If the name brand of Wellbutrin doesn't work though, then obviously it may not be for you, but if you tried the generic and it made you sick it might be that the manufacturer's time-release was faulty. I take a generic, but the one's I take are ok. Not quite the same as the brand but it's ok. (It's a small round pill show here, and it's made by Actavis:

http://www.drugs.com/imprints/141-14239.html

Here are some links for more info:

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2007/04/23/side-effects-of/

http://www.icis.com/Articles/2008/0...00-controversy-over-disparity-in-effects.html

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/413125/studies_reveal_that_generic_wellbutrin.html?cat=5


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## VanDamMan (Nov 2, 2009)

I've heard this also.

I got sick off mine for about a month before adjusting.


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## Ash09 (Apr 27, 2009)

Bupropion has no effect on serotonin, it's a noradrenaline and dopamine reuptake inhibitor. It has a tendency to cause nausea, so if it is released faster it will reach a higher plasma concentration and cause higher levels of nausea. It's not a toxic effect. This is why I generally avoid extended release mediations, you pay more for the brand and then if the formulation changes you're screwed.


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## rustybob (Nov 19, 2009)

There are definite differences in the time release between generics. When I first started on bupropion I was taking 100mg pills, GEN-Bupropion. Once I switched to 150mg, the pharmacy gave me Sandoz-Bupropion. For the first week after the switch I was REALLY starting to relapse. On the 8th day everything went back to normal.


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## matty (Nov 2, 2009)

I always get generic, but that is something to be mindful of. They only ever point out that the dosage is the same. Thanks


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## jonny neurotic (Jan 20, 2011)

I can personally attest to the inefficacy of the sustained release of "Bupron SR". It is more like delayed release then it all hits at once. So I am breaking the tabs in half...


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## tuckandmiss (Aug 23, 2012)

*Wellbutrin XR made me sick and crazy*

I have taken Paxil for years. I decided to try Wellbutrin for weight loss and smoking cessation. It made my brain feel like it was in a vice. My computer screen looked like it was moving from side to side. The ground under me made me feel like it was rolling and I did nothing but cry. Am going pack to Paxil tomorrow. Wellbutrin is the worst pill I have ever put in my body. Hope this helps someone.:mum


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## swim (Apr 4, 2011)

I usually don't throw out leftover pills but WBxl ended up in the garbage.


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## istayhome (Apr 4, 2012)

interesting stuff guys. I found all forms of wellbutrin to be totally useless.


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## riptide991 (Feb 1, 2012)

It's funny because the FDA won't approve these generics in Canada because they don't meet the same criteria as the brand name. Here we can only get Brand Name Wellbutrin XL. I don't know why they approved it in the U.S. From the monographs I saw it is nothing like brand name and has a huge coefficient of variance. GSK did a lot of research and development on the method of release, of course generics aren't going to match it unless they put the money into research, but even then they may not get it.


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## istayhome (Apr 4, 2012)

This actually is very interesting that there is such a variance and that the generics fail so miserably.


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## A Sense of Purpose (May 8, 2011)

Here in Aus, meds seem to be substantially cheaper and more are covered by the PBS scheme. So its a no brainer here to ask for the brand name drug.


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## CD700 (Apr 22, 2010)

A Sense of Purpose said:


> Here in Aus, meds seem to be substantially cheaper and more are covered by the PBS scheme. So its a no brainer here to ask for the brand name drug.


Yeah I think we a pretty lucky here. I picked up a months supply of Pristiq yesterday for 5 bucks. No insurance or anything. So I always buy the brand name

My only experience with generic is when the chemist stuffed up and gave me generic Effexor. The capsules were MASSIVE. I opened one up and they didn't even have those bead thingys. It was just 3 small tablets inside. It felt different too


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