A mess o' meds!

[eddie z.]

I finally saw my regular psychiatrist today after being discharged from intensive outpatient treatment about 2 & 1/2 weeks ago. When I went in, I was on 4 prescription meds (plus 3 over-the-counter dietary/herbal supplements). Then, he ends up ADDING two more! This is for a grand total of nine medications. Grrrrr, to quote dot.

The infamous Wellbutrin (teehee) has been re-introduced along with Inderal for my tremors. Zoloft, Straterra, Abilify, and naltrexone were left as is. This witches' brew bloody well ought to do the trick, no? Actually, I'm not THAT angry. I just like the angry smilies. I'm just...mildly exasperated maybe.

Thanks for letting me vent and b*tch!
Much love,
Eddie

[Fidget]

Hey Eddie. I just wanted to let you know i am by ur side. whatever you need... i am here. thank you for your support. I hope you are staying strong. i am looking up to you!

[eddie z.]

Thanks so much, Fidget!! That's very kind of you. I took all 9 meds this morning, so we'll see what happens, huh?
Love, Eddie

[runningfree]

eddie,
I know how you feel! I had another drug added (Namenda) to my current two (Effexor and Wellbutrin {generic})! It does seem to be doing something, but I don't know if it is because I am not working and it feels great to not have to be anywhere and to not care what day it is.

In my friend's classroom she had a student that was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease less than a year ago. He was only '5'! He joined the public schools in April from catholic school to get more aide due to his disability. He takes 46 pills every morning! He has more at lunch and at dinner. He was absolutely fine until last July. I think of him every time I swallow a pill and reassure myself that it is nothing compared to what this poor boy has to endure. I know that someone always has it worse and someone always has it better, but it does help me put it into perspective when I am thinking that I want to give up!

Don't feel like you are b----ing because it sounds more like you're scared and desperate for the hope that it will work.... Hang in

[eddie z.]

it sounds more like you're scared and desperate for the hope that it will work..

Absolutely!!

Yes, I'm scared that I'm going to be incapacitated forever. And I AM desperate for some relief. I feel like a nap even right now.

Believe it or not, I've never heard of Namenda. Do you know what the generic name is? Maybe duloxetine? Makes me realize I need an new drug update!

Love, Eddie

[runningfree]

It is a brand new drug released by the FDA in October 2003 for the treatment of Alzeihiemer's (sp). My understanding is that drugs are released with a treatment specification, but the doctors using them identify that they can be used for other purposes too! I don't know and I was a bit scared to try it, but as he said it is used at higher doses by elderly people and it is safe. I am really trusting someone here! I don't think I have a generic because it is the sample package that he gave me. The things that we do for hope!
Hang in

[eddie z.]

I don't think I have a generic because it is the sample package that he gave me.

No, if it came out in October 2003, then there wouldn't be a generic available yet, but all drugs have a generic name even if what you have is a brand name product. It's like you may not have Kleenex but you still have "facial tissue." Facial tissue is the generic name.

And yes, docs use FDA-approved medications for non-FDA-approved uses ALOT! In fact, some meds get used more for "off-label" purposes than for their approved ones. This is often the case for drugs used for bipolar disorder. Most of them are just approved for seizure disorders.

What is your doctor using the Namenda for? Depression? Whatever it is, I hope it helps, of course! I'm glad you seem to be doing better, Sharon.
Love, Eddie

[lurkings]

Namenda
Generic Name:
memantine HCl

Date of Approval:
October 17, 2003

Manufacturer:
Forest Laboratories Inc.

Treatment for:
moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Namenda (memantine HCl) for the treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease. Namenda is the first NMDA receptor antagonist to be approved for Alzheimer's disease and is also the only therapy approved for the treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease.
Forest expects Namenda to be available to physicians, patients, and pharmacies in January 2004.

Namenda's FDA approval is based on the Agency's review of safety and efficacy data from two U.S. placebo-controlled Phase III clinical trials and an earlier trial conducted among nursing home patients in Europe. Phase III data included a 28-week monotherapy study of 252 patients published earlier this year in the New England Journal of Medicine and a six-month, 401-patient study of Namenda when used together with an ongoing regimen of the commonly used Alzheimer's agent, donepezil. In trials, patients treated with Namenda scored higher on measures of cognition, daily function, and/or global performance. This development program for memantine was a joint effort between Forest and its licensor, Merz Pharmaceuticals, who obtained centralized approval for memantine in the European Union in 2002. Merz Pharmaceuticals is a specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to research and development in the fields of neurology and psychiatry.

In clinical trials, Namenda has been safe and well tolerated. The most common adverse events observed in clinical trials are dizziness, headache, constipation, and confusion. Once available in pharmacies, Namenda will be administered orally at a recommended dose of 10 mg BID following a four-week titration.

Alzheimer's is a progressive disease of the brain and it is the most common type of dementia. The term dementia is used to describe the progressive loss of cognitive, intellectual, or functional abilities. Published reports project that by 2010 more than 5.1 million people in the United States will have Alzheimer's disease. Currently, all Alzheimer's medications approved in the United States belong to a class of agents called acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, which are indicated for patients with mild to moderate symptoms of the disease. Namenda is the only approved therapy in the United States for moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease.


Mechanism of Action

Namenda (memantine HCl) is the first of a new class of medications for Alzheimer's disease with a mechanism of action distinct from currently available drugs. Namenda is a low to moderate affinity NMDA (N-methyl-D- aspartate) receptor antagonist. It is thought that overexcitation of NMDA receptors by the neurotransmitter glutamate may play a role in Alzheimer's disease since glutamate plays an integral role in the neural pathways associated with learning and memory. The excitotoxicity produced by abnormal levels of glutamate is thought to be responsible for neuronal cell dysfunction and the eventual cell death observed in Alzheimer's disease. Namenda is thought to selectively block the excitotoxic effects associated with abnormal transmission of glutamate, while allowing for the physiological transmission associated with normal cell functioning.

For further information, see FDA Talk Paper or visit www.namenda.com

[eddie z.]

Gee whiz! Thanks, lurkings!!
Love, Eddie

[runningfree]

WOW! I know who to call when I need information!!!! Thanks

[eddie z.]

Yeah, lurkings is DA BOMB!! And I don't care if that expression is out of date.

[ThreeGraces]

Eddie - what herbals are you on? Did you discuss them with your psychiatrist because lots of them have many side effects and drug interactions.

About Namenda (or any other drug): the FDA approves drugs for a certain use but MDs can prescribe anything for anything, it's called "off-label" use. Today at work I heard a new one - Viagra suspension for babies for pulmonary edema!

know how ya feel!!

[eddie z.]

Thanks, Samantha!!

ThreeGraces,
LOL. I forget sometimes that folks on here don't know I'm a pharmacist, so I often know more than the doctors about side effects and interactions. I take OTCs and herbals as seriously as any prescription drug. I am taking gingko, grape seed extract, and L-tyrosine for my ADD, based on a book I read, and I let my psychiatrist know. Actually, he recommended the gingko also for loss of libido caused by the Zoloft. So two of the nine meds treat side effects. Whew! Thanks for your concern.

Love, Eddie :

[ThreeGraces]

Originally Posted by eddie z.

Thanks, Samantha!!

ThreeGraces,
LOL. I forget sometimes that folks on here don't know I'm a pharmacist, so I often know more than the doctors about side effects and interactions. I take OTCs and herbals as seriously as any prescription drug. I am taking gingko, grape seed extract, and L-tyrosine for my ADD, based on a book I read, and I let my psychiatrist know. Actually, he recommended the gingko also for loss of libido caused by the Zoloft. So two of the nine meds treat side effects. Whew! Thanks for your concern.

Love, Eddie

Sorry! I'm a pharm student and tech of 7+ years, so I'm always on the lookout. You know it's funny because JUST TODAY, I read that about gingko ameliorating the sexual dysfunction of SSRIs. Weird coincidence Ok, then I'll leave you alone!

[eddie z.]

Three Graces,
No need to apologize! Your intentions were the best. Where are you in school, if I may ask? I went to UNC-Chapel Hill. One of the last of the pharmacy B.S. classes.

And that gingko works! teehee
Love, Eddie

[tigerlily]

I read about that ginko deal a few weeks ago too. Been on meds forever but consistantly on an anti-depressant since my son was born almost 3 yrs ago and I have been looking for something to help with my lack of libido, to say the least. I could care less about sex now, unless i go slightly manic, then i get all revved up for about 2 weeks and then nothing! So the Ginko works? Huh. You know there may be something to this herbal thing

[eddie z.]

Yes, my libido is back , not with a vengeance, but definitely present. But I wouldn't take the gingko without medical supervision because it does interact with other meds.

General update: I am MUCH better! I think, though, that tanning in the real sun is helping more than anything. Plus I have a "beastly" tan according to a friend. Anyway, something's working.

Love, Eddie