Posted by grey on February 26, 2008, at 19:57:24
In reply to Re: Budeprion (Generic) vs. Wellbutrin » mom2, posted by 30years on February 18, 2008, at 3:51:40
> I've never noticed any difference whatsoever between the brand and the generics over the 30 years I've been taking medication (and that's about all of them--I'm treatment resistant). They are chemically identical, which means there is no way your body can tell the difference (as long as the generic is identical in all aspects; for example: immediate release, sustained release (SR), extended release (XR or XL), etc.)<
> My guess is that for those that notice a difference, it is either psychological or symptoms that would have occurred regardless. Aspirin is aspirin, regardless of what brand you buy.<
According to the FDA generics do not have to be "identical" in all aspects, such as XL = XL. They only have to be within a 20% range of the name brand sustainable level. That can be higher or lower. The same is true for all different type releases, i.e. XL, SR, ER. For some people that 20% different can be the difference in a drug working or not. But then, all generics are not the same. Hypothetically, while Bupropion XL might be only a 5% sustainable difference Budeprion XL might be an 8% sustainable difference.
A friend of mine who is a neurologist told me that even a 1% difference can affect how someone responds to a drug. He also said that he has seen someone not tolerate a 1st level generic like Bupropion XL (ANCHEN) but can tolerate a 2nd level generic such as Budeprion XL (TEVA)with no problem. On top of that it will also depend what other meds they are on.
The bottom line is that you may have to try several brands of generics to find one that works for you. Most drugs have several generic manufacturers. You might also have to go back to Wellbutrin XL.
poster:grey
thread:397165
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080221/msgs/814861.html