[Squishy90]

Hey guys, yesterday my doctor put me on a new drug called aplenzin. He said one of the common side effects is weight loss. Now im all excited. Has anyone taken this and lost weight? :P

[angelskeep]

I've not taken it, but just googled it and it is another name for Wellbutrin if that helps.

Barb

[Squishy90]

Really? Aww man. Why would they come out with a new drug if it's the same thing as something else?

But, thanks for your help!

[eclipse]

It looks like it's Wellbutrin in a different formulation. If it helps, I've lost ALL my weight since starting Wellbutrin last fall - 115 lbs. While I've certainly done my part by focusing on my calories, I attribute a lot of my success to Wellbutrin. It killed both my appetite and my desire to binge eat almost immediately. I had taken it for a few months a few years earlier (stopped due to lack of insurance) and that time I lost about 30 lbs in 3-4 months without really trying - so I'm pretty sure it's the Wellbutrin and not just a coincidence. I know it doesn't work that well for everyone, but it just might for you.

[Leenie]

But Aplenzin is made with a different type of salt than other bupropion treatments... so maybe thats the key?


http://www.aplenzin.com/default.aspx

[Squishy90]

Thanks guys!
WHOA eclipse that's amazing! I hope I lose weight from it too. Problem is, it makes me feel like a zombie o_o

[kaplods]

Originally Posted by Squishy90

Really? Aww man. Why would they come out with a new drug if it's the same thing as something else?

Drug companies do it all the time. They make drugs that are only minor variations of an existing drug and market it as "new and improved." There are several reasons, but the bottom line is profit. People tend to believe that newer is always better (even doctor people), so by always having a "new" version of a drug available, there are going to people who will choose the new drug, assuming it's better just because it's new (because they assume wrongly that the drug companies wouldn't have made an improved version unless it was actually an improvement).

Sometimes there is an actual improvement, for example an extended release version so a patient can take one pill a day instead of three, but what the patient may not realize is that they (or their insurance) may be paying 10 to 50 times as much for that improvement. I don't know about you, but I'd gladly take three pills a day to save $300.

I'm saving over $1,000 a month by switching to cheaper versions of all the medications I was on. I had no idea that was possible, but when I lost my drug coverage (long story) I found out quickly that I couldn't afford to just take whatever my doctor prescribed. We had to find cheap alternatives for everything I was on. Now my doctor has the Walmart discount list ($4-$9) programmed into his blackberry and that's where we "shop" everytime I need a new prescription.

Ironically, I've had no issues with any of the medications, which makes me wondery why the "cheap list" isn't doctor's first choice.

Particularly ironic was an expensive antidepressant I was taking at bedtime to improve sleep. I switched to amitriptyline (because it was on the $4 list) and it actually worked far better than the med I was on, which didn't surprise the doctor, because the reason amitryiptyline had lost popularity as an antidepressant was it's tendency to cause drowsiness. What surprised me was why the doctor didn't prescribe it in the first place, since I was needing it for sleep and not depression, and would be only taking it at night anyway.