Posted by Shay Sweet on November 9, 2006, at 14:58:27
In reply to Re: Trying Emsam. » SLS, posted by ed_uk on November 4, 2006, at 14:35:57
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Having been on both sides of the fence--that is to say I've worked both for community mental health/private pay residential and have taken medication for depression--I have so many thoughts, concerns and horror stories lingering in my brain that it is difficult to encourage people to seek treatment.That said, I also have a couple of "acquaintances" who work for Pfizer and other well=known Pharmaceutical companies as "drug reps." I have made these contacts through various employment related conferences, luncheons, etc.
Of the two different types of settings for mental health/substance abuse, the private pay facility was by far more corrupt than that which received government grants. This is likely due to all of the hoops you have to jump through in terms of paperwork, auditing, etc. in exchange for the grant money. It is a much safer environment in my opinion simply because it is regulated.
I found it a bit odd that the private facility (both of whose names I will withhold) was not saturated with the wealth of accoutrements such as pens, sticky notes, staplers and calendars with names like Campral, Risperadol, Cymbalta, Lexapro, Zoloft and even the newest form of Alprazolam (Xanax) manufactured by Schwarz/Pharma, called Niravam, which are orally disintegrating tablets for those who cannot be bothered with water when a panic attack strikes. Their brochure, which brags the drugs ability to "Wind Down Anxiety," includes a quiz for one to self-determine the presence of possibly GAD--or Generalized Anxiety Disorder--and several asides with quips like, "Symptoms often date back to childhood..." in the margins.
The marketing of 'new' drugs, with the same active ingredient but directed toward a different category of people, is despicable. For example, how many of you remember the drug Sarafem? Boasting its ability to treat PMDD, or Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, the active ingredient Fluoxitine is the exact replica of the antidepressant Prozac. The overtly feminine marketing done by Wyeth, or whichever company it was, was supposed to account for the drugs huge price boost (nearly triple the cost of Prozac).
I don't want to bore anyone by going on and on, so I'll just mention one more thing here; the previous poster who spoke about drug companies being held accountable for being deceptive is absolutely correct.
In fact, at a recent luncheon I attended (fabulously catered, I might add), Bristol Myers Squibb's Medical Science Liaison (former pharmacist made her a delightful new twist to the usual rep who is less credible due to lack of medical experience) gave what must have been her first presentation for the company's new drug, EMSAM. She was a young, cute Vietnamese girl whose mispronunciations of medical terms only had the Psychiatrists giggling flirtatiously as they blotted their mouths with napkins to catch lingering remnants of turkey-avocado rollups.
This drug is an MAOI (monoamine oxidase inhibitor for those who don't know much about them accept for the fact that it seems as if most other drugs are contra-indicated with an MAOI according to the literature accompanying the drug and the commercials that follow.
I did learn a lot from this conference, such as the reasons for not taking MAOI’s, which has something to do with the limitations of certain foods from one’s diet containing tyramine, which is found in red wine, certain meats and very potently in cheese, especially the really strong, smelly cheeses. The combination causes hypertensive crisis/blood pressure surges. However, the marketing strategy here is the introduction of EMSAM, which is ingested a different way, therefore bypassing the stomach and eliminating the risk. Look it up on the web for more in-depth info.
The point I was going to make before I trailed off was that this girl was so naïve, she actually answered the doctor’s question about “off label use,” which is highly punishable and under investigation right now with drug companies nationwide, flippantly, with a wink-wink sort of move. The girls seated on the sidelines, who were more experienced reps, winced at the suggestion/gesture of their coworker. No one else seemed to notice.
Sorry for the long post folks! I’m unemployed, and yet somehow I find the time for this inane blathering. Oh well. Maybe it will help someone.
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Respectfully,
Shay"If we were our bodies, If we were our nametags
If we were our rejections
I'd be joining you."
poster:Shay Sweet
thread:698340
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20061104/msgs/702061.html