Wellbutrin SR

[suewatters1]

I am taking Generic version of Wellbutrin SR 150mg twice a day. But I notice for a while it doesn't seem to be working as effectively. I read that the maximum dose of the SR 200mg twice a day. Is that true. I want to have a DR increase my medication for my depression.
I can't always get in to see my family DR that quickly because he only works 2 days a week at the clinic I see him at and it is a 50 minute drive. I would like to go to the local clinic where I usually go sometimes. But since it is for my depression they might not want to touch it.
I forgot to ask my psychoanalyst when I saw him today but I called and left a message on his answering machine.

He always says it looks I have a high metabolism. He can give out medication but rather not to as he feels one DR should be giving out all the medications. Because it would be easier to make sure there is no interaction between medications also since some medication not dealing with depression needs to be monitor for blood pressure changes and what not he doesn't want to go there. He was a GP and still has the credentials. I don't blame him just it would make it so much easier for me since he is the one counseling me.

Sue

 

[Retired]

Re: Wellbutrin Sr

But I notice for a while it doesn't seem to be working as effectively

Are you saying that you previously took the brand name Wellbutrin SR and now you take a generic bupropion, but find the generic does not provide the same symptom relief as the brand name product?

If that's the case, is there a reason why you do not revert back to the brand name product?

Have you spoken to your pharmacist about this to determine of there might be an interaction due to some other prescribed or over the counter medication which may be affecting the effectiveness of your medication?

You could also read the sticky postings in the Drug Interactions section of Psychlinks on the subject of checking for drug interactions to learn more about the subject.

According to the U.S. product monograph for Wellbutrin SR the target dose of Wellbutrin is 300 mg. per day in two divided doses but a maximum dose of 400 mg. can be used for resistant cases.

It is not uncommon that some people notice a difference in effectiveness in generic versions of medications, apparently due to variations in their absorption into the bloodstream. This may or may not be the case in your situation and would bear investigation by your doctor and or pharmacist.

Another possibility might be that your brain chemistry requires trying a different antidepressant compound, also not unusual when treating the illness of depression. This would also need be evaluated by your physician.

It's usually better to consult only one doctor in managing your medication, since that doctor has your medical history and generally has clinical experience with the medication that has been prescribed.

Do you have access to a specialist (psychiatrist) or has your family doctor been treating your depression all along?

 

[suewatters1]

Re: Wellbutrin Sr

Hi Steve what I meant to say I was 100mg of the SR twice a day and got it increased to 150mg twice a day and I notice a very good improvement so I thought I was at an optimum dose. But I find the pressures of work harder to deal with and I just don't give a dam* anymore about lots of things.

I had my family DR since the spring of 2006. I have tried different shrinks since 2000. The last one she only saw me 15 minutes at a time and had totally made up her mind that I had anger problems I needed to deal with.
I started taking medication for depression last summer when it got real bad. I saw a shrink temporarily as he wasn't taking new patients and we didn't really click for different reasons.
I started seeing this psychoanalyst in January and he is so good to talk to. He really understands me knows who I am. He sees the real me for who I am. It took me 6 months on a waiting list to become a regular patient of his. He is so good at what he does everybody wants him but he is not taking new patients. I am trying to go back to get my counseling with the CMHA and I am on a waiting list for the family counseling center (That is only for short term counseling)

So on top of trying to manage my severe ADHD and now my depression getting worse I just find it hard coping with normal everyday stuff.

For my ADHD meds I take just more then maximum dose 72mg of Concerta and 10 mg of Ritalin to kick start it. So with most meds I take; the maximum isn't always enough.

Thanks

Sue

 

[stargazer]

That's good that you have an understanding psychoanalyst. About the wellbutrin, I am on the same dosage (150mg twice daily), although because of my bipolar diagnosis, I am taking it in conjunction with 1500mg depakote at night. Those are my only meds, and I don't know much about the meds you are taking for your ADHD, or any other meds you might be on.

However, I took depakote for some time prior to adding the wellbutrin, and the effect was not nearly as positive. I did find that a couple weeks after beginning the wellbutrin, I felt unusually happy, and also had trouble sleeping. This faded after a while, and I started sleeping better, and felt more mellow.

It's been about two months that I've been on the wellbutrin, and the positive effect remains. In my case, that means that I no longer experience erratic impulses that were causing me to make irrational decisions, produce quick bursts of unprovoked anger, and so forth.

I think that the positive effect will continue, despite that I don't "feel" any different now than I did before I was on the meds. My guess is that the wellbutrin is doing its job "behind the scenes" without my being much aware of it.

Hopefully, this is what's happening with you, too. I doubt that it would have stopped working. It's more likely that you're getting used to it, and so you're not experiencing the way it works, as you once did.

 

[suewatters1]

Re: Wellbutrin SR Generic Version

Hi Stargazer I went to the pharmacy yesterday and ask that I get the Bupropion from Sandoz They are ordering it and it will come in tomorrow. They will exchanged the ones I have for the Sandoz one.
I left a message with my psychoanalyst yesterday and he left me a message today. He said it does make a difference if I was on Sandoz earlier in the year and when they increase my meds the pharmacy gave me another generic brand.

But now I realize I started feeling crappy a few weeks after starting on the 150 mg dose twice a day. He said when I start my new pills it will take some time for it to work. He said the compound they use to make the medication may be different with different companies and that my body might not be absorbing the compound from this company.

Hopefully once I start taking the pill it won't take long for me to see improving. I hate feeling like this. I felt better on the 100mg twice a day then I do on the 150mg twice a day.

Sue

 

[stargazer]

They're probably right that, after a couple more weeks, you'll start feeling good again. I was never on the 100mg twice daily, and I think I've always had the same generic provider; but there were definitely some unpleasant effects at first -- fingers shaking, waking up in the middle of the night, and so forth. These effects might vary from one person to another, but they definitely went away once I got used to the wellbutrin. Hopefully this will also happen with you, with the increased dosage, and the return to the Sandoz bupropion.

By the way, my bottle reads "budeprion" for some reason. Is that a mis-print? I always thought it was "bupropion."

 

[suewatters1]

Hi Stargazer not a misprint I just checked online. It's the name a company uses but it is bupropion.
Drugs and Treatments - Budeprion SR Oral - Patient Handout from WebMD

Sue

 

[stargazer]

I also ran a search, and found that it was another name. I'd need a magnifying glass to read any of the other info on this pill bottle, though, so I'm not sure who the exact provider is.

I'm going out to dinner now, so I probably won't be online for a while. It's been nice chatting with you.

 

[suewatters1]

Nice chatting with you also

adding info

Brand Names: Budeprion, Budeprion XL, Wellbutrin, Wellbutrin SR, Wellbutrin XL, Zyban, Zyban Advantage Pack

 

[stargazer]

Long story, but I switched to another doctor and went to a different pharmacy. This time the Wellbutrin was generic from Sandoz, reading "Bupropion Hydrochloride Extended-release Tablets (SR)." It specifies not to take it in combination with ZYBAN or with other medicines containing bupropion hydrochloride.

I haven't tried it yet, as I still have a couple of the old pills remaining. But I can't help but wonder if this is going to result in side effects such as you have described, being as apparently there is a difference among different suppliers of the generics.

(I tend to doubt it, only because I doubt the doctors would have prescribed it that way -- but the thought has crossed my mind.)

 

[Retired]

But I can't help but wonder if this is going to result in side effects such as you have described, being as apparently there is a difference among different suppliers of the generics.

There may or may not be, and individual response may vary.

If you want to be sure of a consistent response from a medication, stick with one manufacturer.

If cost is not an issue, then insist on the brand name.

 

[stargazer]

There may or may not be, and individual response may vary.

I took the new generic version on schedule two or three hours ago, after having taken the old version last night; and I notice nothing different. I understand that individual responses may vary.

If you want to be sure of a consistent response from a medication, stick with one manufacturer.

It's a long story, but I went to the closest pharmacy for expedience's sake, rather than a distant one, being as transportation is an issue for me. It didn't cross my mind they would issue the meds from a different manufacturer. I can specify that I always get them from the same manufacturer in the future.

If cost is not an issue, then insist on the brand name.

Unfortunately, cost is very much an issue, as eventually there will be a cap on my MediCare Part D co-payments. Before I became eligible for Part D, my meds were covered by my Medi-Cal insurance, and were free of cost to me. In those days, I even got the brand depakote, which is quite expensive. Now I always get the generics.

But I'll keep your advice in mind if things change.