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  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards | negrogesic

benefits of IR vs XR pill?

I

insomniawesome

Greenlighter
Joined
Jun 21, 2013
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1
Sorry if this is in the completely wrong place. I'm a new guy and I just have a quick question. Are there any significant benefits that instant release anti-depressant pills would have over the extended release? I'm currently on 150 mg XR bupropion and I'd like to get switched to the instant release if possible. :?
 
Is your bupropion therapy not working? If so, simply up the dose of the XR formulation to see if it alleviates your depression symptoms. Also, consider Aplenzin, bupropion hydrobromide-- it even comes in a 522mg. equipotent to 450mg. bupropion hydrocholoride.

Why would you want to switch to IR if your bupropion is efficacious at the current dose? Like many anti-depressant drugs, bupropion needs to be have a stable plasma concentration; therefore, like some other drugs, it is released in an ER format to avoid multiple dosing.

Why would you want to do multiple dosing unless your bupropion is not working and if that's the case-- try upping the dose.

Now, to the core of the matter, IR bupropion may be more effective for those people who don't metabolize the ER version correctly. I would consider the IR 'strategy' after upping the dosage. Bupropion XL is bioequivalent to both twice-daily bupropion SR and thrice-daily bupropion; therefore, I don't see the need to use SR unless the XR formulation is not providing the right plasma concentration.
 
It really depends on the substance and it really depends on its half life. For example. Some chemicals have very short activity so XR can be a good thing in the right setting. E.g. Taking Ambient CR to sleep. That could work well. As it gets released twice to keep you asleep. With Adderall XR, this is very different. The half life of dexamph itself is long so since it keeps getting released over and over it can be too long and uncomfortable. So it largely depends on the drug.

All extended release, controlled release, XR, and CR means is that it's released a bit at a time instead of the whole pill at once
 
Er pills are newer and in some cases patent protected thus costing a lot more than one should pay. The convenience of fewer pills is a pro but I've found that er pills don't last as long as advertised. I could go on a rant of little problems but for me taking something when I need to helps keep me organized and if I forget if I took a pill, I don't have to worry waiting 12 hours up to a whole week before taking another
 
This is based on just a few days experience, but I found two bupropion 75 mg taken eight hours apart made me feel better than one manufacturer's generic 150 mg XL. Wellbutrin XL 150 mg was better than both.

In the case of generic bupropion extended release (brand name Wellbutrin XL), different manufacturer's products may not be the same.
The FDA had some bupropion XL 300 mg products removed from the market: http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/CentersOffices/OfficeofMedicalProductsandTobacco/CDER/ucm153270.htm

There are anecdotal reports of generic bupropion XL products that are still on the market not working as well as Wellbutrin XL. Due to the little testing actually gone into these generics, I think it's totally plausible. I personally always get Wellbutrin XL, and have noticed that some generic brands tend to give me headaches. However, this could very well be coincidence. If the generic XL really causes problems for some people, then there might be a benefit to taking IR if the name brand XL is not an option. Otherwise, XL is so much more user-friendly.
 
I was started on Wellbutrin SR working up to 2x150mg a day and it was awesome. Doc switched me to 1x300mg XL (still not sure why??) and it SUCKED. I was only on the XL for maybe a week before I called the doc and demanded to go back on the SR. The XL - despite having the same amount of the active ingredient that I was taking daily before - just wasn't "potent" enough for me for some reason.

For some people the XL works great and from what I understand it's particularly useful for patients who are prone to anxiety. Wellbutrin can make anxiety worse and the slight ups and downs associated with the SR can be real problem for anxiety sufferers. The XL version doesn't have those and might not cause increased anxiety in some people like the SR might.

So @insomniawesome, is your depression usually accompanied by increased anxiety? If that's not much of a problem for you, I think you should absolutely discuss with your doc maybe trying the SR, 75mg 2x a day. Give that at least a week for your body to get used to it before giving up on it. It might make all the difference :D

Good luck and namaste!
 
red_bandit said:
I was started on Wellbutrin SR working up to 2x150mg a day and it was awesome. Doc switched me to 1x300mg XL (still not sure why??) and it SUCKED. I was only on the XL for maybe a week before I called the doc and demanded to go back on the SR. The XL - despite having the same amount of the active ingredient that I was taking daily before - just wasn't "potent" enough for me for some reason.
Click to expand...
Do you know if the 300 mg XL was name-brand or generic? If it was generic, did you get it before November 2012? If so, do you have any way to find out if it was made by Impax/Teva? That product was recalled because it wasn't equivalent to the name-brand 300 mg XL and I suspect other generics may be bad too.
 
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