kbschaffer Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Okay, I'm new on here, had a question. I'm about to check with another doctor about it... but thought I might get some people on here who know in the meantime. I've been on Wellbutrin SR 150mg twice a day, for the past month. My doctor now is switching me to XL. We are on a military base and the naval hospital she says does not like to give out Wellbutrin and I might have problems. Well, after having some problems with pharmacy, that is when she switched me to the XL, and she is giving me Wellbutrin XL 150mg once a day. I am very confused about this... I was taking a total of 300mg of the SR a day, and now she is giving me 150mg of the XL once a day. Are these the same doses?? She claims they are formulated different and that they are the same.... I specifically asked her bc I don't understand how 300mg can be the same as 150mg. She was also have so much trouble with the pharmacy giving it out that I think they might only give out the 150mg XL and that is why is prescribed that. My husband works with other doctors and is checking to verify this.... do any of you know? Does Wellbutrin SR 150mg 2x a day = 150mg XL once a day??? THanks for the input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 I take Wellbutrin 150 SR, and I've never heard of that. The different between SR and XL is the length of time over which the med gets into your bloodstream. So 150 SR = 150 XL as far as I know. Just the SR gets in and out of your bloodstream faster. May I ask why they don't like to give out Wellbutrin? That seems strange to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olga Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Well,we're not pharmacists here, but I can share my experience. I have been on Wellbutrin SR 300 (150 twice a day, like you) and for whatever reason, it really didn't help me. My doctor switched me to the XL (which is "extended release") and I started at 150, but 300 is generally considered the therapeutic dose. Once I started taking 300XL, it kicked right in and worked great. Is your doctor your GP? Some GPs really don't know a whole lot about the psych drugs, and if you want an expert opinion, you should be seeing a psychiatrist for this prescription. I don't know how she can say that 300 SR is equal to 150 XL, because it just isn't. Having said that, some of our members are on an SSRI (another family of anti-depressants) and it is supplemented by Wellbutrin. In that situation, psychiatrists sometimes prescribe 150 as a daily dose and it works fine for the patient. I don't understand the problem with getting it from the pharmacy. We're not talking a controlled substance, like an opiate. What is the deal? It's an antidepressant and in another form (Zyban), it is given to people to quit smoking. If your doctor is a GP, THAT may be why the military pharmacy isn't crazy about having her prescribe it. Also, if you are a military spouse and not on active duty as a member of the military, I don't get why it's anyone's business what medicines you need. Are they going to control what you take for birth control? Or for high blood pressure? What is up with that? I hope your husband can get some answers from his doctor friends. olga PS---If you look through this forum, you will find a couple of threads about Wellbutrin. The generics are NOT all the same, and your doctor is wrong if she says all the formulations are the same. Some of the companies haven't perfected the release mechanism with the XL version, and the med drops you down after 6-8 hours because it releases 60% of the active ingredient in the first 4 hours. Teva is one generic that some of us have had difficulty with. Look at your bottle from the pharmacy and see who the manufacturer is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbschaffer Posted April 21, 2011 Author Share Posted April 21, 2011 Thanks for the responses. I had a psychiatrist out in town years ago but had a horrible experience with the staff there, so I just decided to get my meds through my GP and just therapy to supplement them. I've been on Abilify and Paxil before. Paxil caused me 10x more anxiety, stopped taking it. Abilify did nothing for me. It is a generic they are giving me. Bupropion I believe? I am a wreck with this dosage stuff. It's been causing me anxiety like crazy. I just want to make sure I'm getting the same dosage as before... as it is the 150 twice a day wasn't even fully helping my anxiety, so anything less would just be pointless and I'd be back to full blown panic attacks. I take Klonopin as needed, and believe me it's been needed a lot today because of this mess! Military naval hospitals do things quite different.. I believe the problem giving out the drug has something to do with the cost. That's what I got from it at least. Usually everything they do around here is because of what it would cost the government.... doesn't matter that i need certain meds... budget is more important.. sigh. My husband is rushing around trying to get this sorted out... so far the pharmacist said I should have recieved 300mg XL, but another doctor in the family practice said the 150mg XL was correct. I swear no one there knows what they're talking about... I really should consider going back to a psychiatrist... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olga Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 Yes, I can see that the docs aren't really familiar with the med. If the pharmacy checked out some of the generics, there are inexpensive ones made by a couple of companies. I'm taking one made by Watson Labs and it costs me $50 for a 3-month supply on my drug plan. I bet the military has certain approved vendors and that's why it's expensive. Some of those approved vendors are experts in the gouging department. My other concern is your anxiety. Wellbutrin is wonderful for dealing with depression, but anxiety is a whole other kettle of fish. I think that if you can, you really ought to consider seeing a pdoc again and work with him/her on your medication combo. A GP really isn't qualified to deal with someone who is diagnosed with depression and anxiety. That's a more complex situation and they don't have the training and knowledge that a pdoc has. (In my opinion, of course! ) Good luck and I hope we hear from you again. olga Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Elvis Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 Wellbutrin = Wellbutrin = Wellbutrin, regardless of formulation. The total dosage you need a day to reach a desired effect is the same regardless of which formulation you're taking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catnapper Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 When my pdoc switched me from Wellbutrin SR to XL, it was a straight 300 mg SR to 300 mg XL switch. I'll also chime and say it's time to see a pdoc (psychiatrist). GPs are licensed to prescribe any kind of drugs, or even do heart surgery. But I suspect if you needed heart surgery you'd want a cardiologist, and a pdoc is your best bet by far if you need any sort of MI treatment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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