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Sarafem AAARRRGHHH?


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Has Anyone ever heard of Sarafem? My wife is pre-menopausal and a couple years ago her doctor prescribed her “Sarafem” for her upcoming hormonal changes. She knew it had some Fluoxetine (Prozac) in it and was under the impression it was a combination of Prozac and hormones. She started taking it and said it made her feel better. There is not a generic so we had to pay a higher co-pay for it. When we moved she stopped taking it for a short while and felt the difference so she found a new doctor out here. Not having prescription benefits right away she paid $150. A month for about 5 months. Also during this time she was diagnosed with restless leg syndrome and was prescribed Requip another expensive non-generic drug. She still has insomnia from the RLS and will at times double dose the Requip.

 

So I was watching Larry King last night and he had on Suzanne Summers from the 1970’s show “Three’s company” she was talking about the dangers of taking synthetic hormones. So I thought. Wow we better look into this.

 

So today I googled “Sarafem” it had no hormones in it! It is 100% Prozac! Renamed and Remarketed by Eli Lilly as a pre-menopausal medication. It comes in a box with pretty girly flowers on it but it is not hormones but the old SSRI.

 

So we looked up Prozac and besides a bunch of other side effects it can also cause insomnia and RLS. When we moved, of coarse she felt the effects of not taking it she was suffering from withdrawal. I can’t believe it! The doctors are wrongly pushing this medication. My wife went to this doctor with no symptoms but was prescribed it because of her age. The same exact medication PROZAC is on Wal-marts $4.00 prescription list. So for years she paid a lot of money for this medication when she could have gotten it at Wal-mart for $4.00. AND it probably caused her RLS and the need to buy the expensive Requip.

 

Does anyone know about Prozac withdrawal or suggestions?

Dave

 

 

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Dave

 

  OMG!!.  Dasterdly doctor.  I am so sorry for your wife.  Go to paxilprogress.org and talk to the people there, they are experts at getting people off of SSRI's.  I think you get off of ssris just like you do a benzo, with a slow taper.  I hope for her sake it won't be painful or drawn out. 

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I remember years ago going to see my GP for a sinus infection and he wrote me a scrip for Paxil. I asked him why and he said, "Well, you're getting to that age." (I was in my early 40s at the time.)

 

"Getting to that age." What a wonderful reason to get someone on an SSRI. (Not.)

 

I filled it once and never took a pill.

 

rufus

 

 

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10mg of Prozac will not be difficult to get off of. It’s more the principle of the thing .   

 

Dave

 

 

Dave, just beware, getting off 10mg prozac won't be a picnic. I got off 10mg lexapro and had some pretty severe wd sx, and I tapered it over a month or more. (not sure what the equivilancy of these two drugs are)

I can attest to prozac causing rls! the ssri's and tricyclics one of the strongest triggers of rls. That's why I had to go off lexapro. 'There are other meds too that trigger it, antihistamines for one. If she is still having rls problems, she can check out the website rlshelp.org.

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I remember years ago going to see my GP for a sinus infection and he wrote me a scrip for Paxil. I asked him why and he said, "Well, you're getting to that age." (I was in my early 40s at the time.)

 

"Getting to that age." What a wonderful reason to get someone on an SSRI. (Not.)

 

 

 

Rufus,

That's horrible! :tickedoff:

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Yeah, I wasn't too happy with it.

 

On the other hand, he was perfectly willing to prescribe valium so I could taper off the benzos. Go figure.

 

rufus

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Dave,

 

I often say 'nothing can surprise me any more' but am still shocked reading about Sarafem! This is CRIMINAL!

 

I hope your wife gets off of it without any problems.

 

tanya

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Dave,

 

  I just found this out by doing some research on sarafem.  In 2000 Eli Lilly's patent on prozac was set to expire. Faced with the fact that their cash cow was about to go generic they came up with the brilliant marketing plan. They took the same drug, colored the tablet pink and purple instead of green, wrapped it up in a floral box and marketed it as a cure for "pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder".  Two years later Sarafem hit the market as did a drug called "Prozac Weekly" a once a week time-release version. All this done so they could get an extension on the patent and reap in more profits.  Sarafem costs 50% more than brand name prozac!!  Sickening

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Dave,

 

  I just found this out by doing some research on sarafem.  In 2000 Eli Lilly's patent on prozac was set to expire. Faced with the fact that their cash cow was about to go generic they came up with the brilliant marketing plan. They took the same drug, colored the tablet pink and purple instead of green, wrapped it up in a floral box and marketed it as a cure for "pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder".  Two years later Sarafem hit the market as did a drug called "Prozac Weekly" a once a week time-release version. All this done so they could get an extension on the patent and reap in more profits.  Sarafem costs 50% more than brand name prozac!!  Sickening

 

 

This is just sick sick sick. And to target women at a vulnerable point in their lives! God, I wish we could curse on this forum! :tickedoff: :tickedoff: :tickedoff:>:( >:(:pokey: :pokey:

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Dave, rls has been around for a long time, way before ssri's. this article is from rlshelp.org. But just to add, it can also be caused by medication, dialysis, or blood loss. (how I got it thru too much blood donation) If it's hereditary, your stuck with it, but if you get it from these other reasons (called secondary rls) you can mostly or completely resolve it.

 

What are the Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) and PLMD (Periodic Limb Movement Disorder) ?

 

 

"This is a chronic condition which occurs in 5-12% of the population.  RLS has probably a disease for thousands of years, but it was only first described in the English literature in 1672 by the physician, Sir Thomas Willis.  Oppenheim, in 1923, described the disease as a neurological disorder.  Dr. Ekbom, a Swedish neurologist, described the condition more fully in1944. The next year, in 1945, he named the disease, Restless Legs Syndrome. Dr. Symonds, in 1953, used the term, Nocturnal Myoclonus, to describe the leg jerks that occur at night. 

 

People with this problem complain of discomfort in their legs (sometimes even arms) that is difficult to describe (often described as "ants crawling up the insides of my legs") and control. The discomfort makes them want to move their legs ( to get up and walk or often even resorting to vigorous exercise) to gain relief. Their legs feel "restless" and this may be associated with other unpleasant sensations including "pins and needles", muscle twitching, or aching. These symptoms generally occur when the patient is sitting quietly or lying in bed. For a good description of what it is like to be a patient with RLS and a good discussion of the symptoms read the letter from an actual patient with RLS. It can be a significant cause of sleep disturbance (often causing severe insomnia) in most people afflicted with the disorder.

 

RLS occurs most commonly in middle age and gets worse as one gets older.  However, a large portion of patients (up to 43%) may have onset of the disease before age 20 (and often as a very young child). A family history is found in over 60% of RLS cases and new evidence point out possible linkage to chromosomes 5 and 10.

 

Eighty percent or more of these people may have an associated disorder called PLMD - Periodic Leg Movement Disorder (also known by the older name as Nocturnal Myoclonus). This condition causes leg jerks from uncontrolled contractions of the hip, thigh and calf muscles of one or both legs. During the leg jerks, the hip, knee and ankle move in flexion and the toes extend.  These leg jerks can be very small (barely perceptible twitches) to gross large kicks that may even propel the patient's spouse out of bed. The leg jerks may last 1/2 - 5 seconds and recur every 20-40 seconds.

 

This condition may also cause significant sleep disturbances including insomnia or excessive daytime sleepiness (by causing micro-arousals not noticed by the patient all night). However, some sleep specialists do not believe that PLMD really causes enough of a sleep disorder to result in daytime sleepiness or should be treated. There is little research on this topic which has resulted in this controversy about the importance of PLMD.

 

What causes RLS?  At this time, we do not know.  We are not even sure from where in the body that the RLS impulses are generated. One study (Annals of Neurology, May 1997, 41:5, pages 639-45) found that the cerebellum and thalamus were activated during RLS symptoms.  Other studies have found conflicting results. Clearly, more research is definitely needed to more fully understand this disorder"

 

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i always thought restless leg syndrome was cramping of legs and feet - i get that and take magnesium and calcium for it - but that feeling that your leg fell asleep and is waking sounds awful - i have read that magnesium and B vitamins help.

 

i have not really studied it but if i had it i would get to the bottom of it eventually cause i am so very through with drugs.

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I guess I should say it has become a very common condition since SSRI’s became popular. So it seems like a new disorder even if it has been around for awhile. Requip and Meripex seems to be marketed to the general public on TV and even on full-page magazine ads to cure a common condition. I guess only time will tell if the Prozac caused her RLS. She has had blood work and a sleep study taken. Neither identified the cause of the RLS. My psychiatrist once wrote me a script for Requip, it was almost like he was trying to convince me I had RLS, which I don't. Thanks for taking the time to look up that information.

Dave 

 

 

I tried requip once, made me dog sick. The  most important blood test that she needs regarding rls is a ferritin level. This tests her iron stores. It should be over 50 even if they tell you its' ok over 20. A hemoglobin/hematocrit test is not enough. Thsi just tests what is in your blood at the moment, not how much you are storing. You can have a normal hemoglobin and zero storage, which is why those finger stick tests they do when you donate blood is so stupid. Not enough info. Basically you can be one blood donation away from complete depletion.

A woman can have a low iron storage from her period, particularly if it's heavy, and/or she doesn't take iron supplements.

Dave, I don't think it will take months for the rls to resolve once she's off the prozac. What ssri's do is antagonize dopamine, which is needed  to prevent rls. When it's blocked by ssri one can develop symptoms. Once it clears your system, I think it won't take too long to recover. I'd be interested to hear where you heard this, about taking months. I thought I had read everything there was to read about rls, but never heard this. I know with iron depletion it can take months to replace it and recover, but I don't see why this would be the case with stopping A/d's.

 

 

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some god awful technician drew blood out of my arm or finger - can't remember which - it fell apart on the way down and the doctor said i was fine - he always delivers his verdict like some foot ball coach or something.  i looked at him like he is an idiot and start to gather my things to leave - i came home and started taking sub lingual B complex again.
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some god awful technician drew blood out of my arm or finger - can't remember which - it fell apart on the way down and the doctor said i was fine

 

What fell apart on the way down where?? ???

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If you need to justify the test to your doc (99.8% of docs don't have a clue about rls) go to rlshelp.org. It's run by a specialist down in So Cal, and there is a section that talks about iron depletion and ferritin levels.  :)
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linda my blood floated away from around the circle - didn't look very red to me - i think blood is suppose to have more pigmentation then mine did.

 

i gotta say i don't eat much meat and very very very little red meet - but i am trying to eat more spinach.

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linda my blood floated away from around the circle - didn't look very red to me - i think blood is suppose to have more pigmentation then mine did.

 

i gotta say i don't eat much meat and very very very little red meet - but i am trying to eat more spinach.

 

veggie sources of iron are pretty poor as far as absorption. Chicken has iron. Chicken liver has about the highest iron available in food. I think fish does too, but I'm not sure if it's high or not.

since you are post meno, you may not need much. In fact, you can get too much. But you should find out what your hemoglobin is.

 

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my primary always smiles and says everything is great except for my triglycerides - he wants me on meds for that - and one other thing - he wants me on meds for that - and then there is that mental problem - he things i should be on meds for that to.

 

so if i think something is a problem - it isn't - and if he wants me on meds i say no.

 

i bought a container of chicken livers - and gizzards - i think i will start eating liver, gizzards and necks - they are cheap and i like them.

 

ps i have offically declared myself sane :D

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