Patient Relieved at Drug’s Removal

Q. I am so relieved that the FDA finally got the antidepressant Budeprion XL 300 off the market. Years ago my insurance company switched me from Wellbutrin XL 300 to Budeprion XL 300. Within a short time I became suicidal, depressed and anxious.
I couldn’t imagine what had caused the change and was making plans to kill myself.
When it finally occurred to me that I had switched meds, I went back on the Wellbutrin (at my own expense) and felt better almost immediately.
For years I’ve been telling doctors that I wouldn’t take Budeprion. I’m sure they all thought I was crazy. Thank you for alerting people to the problem with Budeprion through your website.
A. The FDA could not ignore hundreds of reports from patients who experienced problems with the generic antidepressant Budeprion XL 300. They described symptoms such as anxiety, headache, nausea, dizziness, irritability and insomnia at PeoplesPharmacy.com. Many reported that their depression returned and some had suicidal thoughts.
One mother wrote that her daughter had a seizure on Budeprion XL and believed that the uneven release of the drug was responsible for delivering too high a dose initially.
The FDA announced the withdrawal of this generic medication on October 3, 2012. Other companies making long-acting bupropion formulations are required to submit new test results by March, 2013.
The photo of Budeprion XL 300 was taken by Nathan Wert for Wikipedia.