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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 14 of 14. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by 4WD on August 26, 2005, at 21:25:28
I heard on CNN today that the FDA is "delaying" a decision on whether to make the "morning after" pill available without a prescription. If they do this, will we all be able to do a mifepristone trial on ourselves at home?
marsha
Posted by Ocracoker16 on August 26, 2005, at 22:44:31
In reply to RU486 OTC?, posted by 4WD on August 26, 2005, at 21:25:28
No, mifepristone is not the morning after pill. Mifepristone is a pill which induces abortion by blocking action of progesterone. Preven and Plan B are morning after pills also known as emergency contraceptives. Those are the pills that CNN is reffering to.
Posted by wildcard on August 26, 2005, at 23:07:50
In reply to Re: RU486 OTC?, posted by Ocracoker16 on August 26, 2005, at 22:44:31
Yeah it is Prevan and Plan B that are emergency B control but the delay on it being OTC is fear that it will be used as BC and not as an emergency back up...i've heard they may put the age at 21 in some states and keep it locked in the pharmacy but there is a lot of controversy about pharmacists and their personal feelings on the medicine??? i'm not certain exactly b/c i've heard bits here and there.
Posted by KaraS on August 27, 2005, at 0:26:35
In reply to Re: RU486 OTC?, posted by Ocracoker16 on August 26, 2005, at 22:44:31
> No, mifepristone is not the morning after pill. Mifepristone is a pill which induces abortion by blocking action of progesterone. Preven and Plan B are morning after pills also known as emergency contraceptives. Those are the pills that CNN is reffering to.
Mifepristone is the same drug as RU486.
Posted by Ocracoker16 on August 27, 2005, at 9:07:12
In reply to Re: RU486 OTC? » Ocracoker16, posted by KaraS on August 27, 2005, at 0:26:35
Yes, it is the same drug. I was just trying to not have to type both names, but I can see how someone might be confused by the original post in which it was referred to as both but separately. One was in the subject line and the other one in the message. The main point is that RU486 (Mifepristone) is not the morning after pill. It is a common misperception that the morning after pill is the abortion pill.
Granting OTC status to Preven and Plan B has been an issue of debate for sometime. Proponents believe it will make it more accessible. Currently, there are pharmacists who will not fill prescriptions for both meds and Walmart does not carry them in the pharmacy. The FDA has to worry about the consumer who will use it on a daily basis in substitute for being examined by a doctor and prescribed a BC pill. The morning after pills have really high levels of hormones.
Posted by SLS on August 27, 2005, at 9:36:39
In reply to Re: RU486 OTC?, posted by Ocracoker16 on August 26, 2005, at 22:44:31
> No, mifepristone is not the morning after pill. Mifepristone is a pill which induces abortion by blocking action of progesterone.
Mifepristone (RU-486) is also a potent blocker of cortisol receptors. It is currently being studied to treat bipolar depression. It seems to have provided evidence of being efficacious for psychotic depression. Both of these disorders are characterized by over active HPA function and increased levels of cortisol. I believe this is also true of melancholic (typical/endogenous) unipolar depression as well.
We will have to see whether or not mifepristone would be of use in treating atypical unipolar depression for which cortisol levels are often decreased.
- Scott
Posted by KaraS on August 27, 2005, at 10:57:03
In reply to Re: RU486 OTC?, posted by Ocracoker16 on August 27, 2005, at 9:07:12
> Yes, it is the same drug. I was just trying to not have to type both names, but I can see how someone might be confused by the original post in which it was referred to as both but separately. One was in the subject line and the other one in the message. The main point is that RU486 (Mifepristone) is not the morning after pill. It is a common misperception that the morning after pill is the abortion pill.
>
> Granting OTC status to Preven and Plan B has been an issue of debate for sometime. Proponents believe it will make it more accessible. Currently, there are pharmacists who will not fill prescriptions for both meds and Walmart does not carry them in the pharmacy. The FDA has to worry about the consumer who will use it on a daily basis in substitute for being examined by a doctor and prescribed a BC pill. The morning after pills have really high levels of hormones.
Thank you for the clarification. I understand that RU486 is not the drug in question now for use as an over-the-counter morning after pill. Was RU486 ever given as a morning after pill in the past? Is that what has caused the confusion here?
Posted by ed_uk on August 27, 2005, at 13:54:38
In reply to RU486 OTC?, posted by 4WD on August 26, 2005, at 21:25:28
Hi Marsha,
In the UK, the 'morning after pill' can be sold by a pharmacist without a prescription.
~ed
Posted by Ocracoker16 on August 27, 2005, at 14:22:12
In reply to Re: RU486 OTC?, posted by SLS on August 27, 2005, at 9:36:39
SLS, I know that it is also being investigated for use in bipolar depression. You can go to NIH website and look at the numerous studies. I knew what her question was. She knew about research on the drug that showed promise. When she heard about emergency BC she thought that they meant mifepristone. That seemed neat and she wondered if she could get to try if it became an OTC. The research being done is another topic which I didn't go into, because mifepristone is not the morning after pill. I did not want to talk about mifepristerone's therapeutic qualities because I didn't want others thinking that we are close to getting the mifepristone OTC making it easy to get for the masses who could only try it by being in clinical trials.
Ofcourse she is interested in it for treatment of bipolar depression. If I had no idea that mifepristone was being studied for psychiatric purposes, I would be wondering why she thought it was interesting that it might become an OTC drug. Instead, I read it to say that the morning after pill might become available OTC and that meant she could try mifepristone. I immediately said something is wrong here, because this drug is not a morning after pill. While mifepristone might be an effecive treatment(I am very med resistant and I am alwas hoping for drugs just like this one to pan out), Plan B and Preven are the emergency bc pills that are being considered for OTC status.
Congratulations if you made it this far. I will write posts of this length in the future so there is no chance someone could think that I had to be informed that there was another use. I never should have given details on how it works for abortion in order to educate people about the difference between mifepristone and emergency bc pills. Its ok that you didn't realize I knew about use in bipolar depression because I never talked about that. I explained it above. For those who don't know the psych uses, your detailed explanation helps to reform.
Not a good day. I don't know anyone here. Everyone will hate me for what I wrote. I feel vulnerable.
Katie
Posted by SLS on August 27, 2005, at 15:34:57
In reply to Re: RU486 OTC?, posted by Ocracoker16 on August 27, 2005, at 14:22:12
Hi Katie.
It wasn't my intention to question the scope or depth of your knowledge. Sometimes, posts are meant for the uninformed to learn from, even if they are posted as replies to knowledgeable persons.
In the future, I don't think it will be necessary for you to extend the length of your posts to be assured that no one will assume ignorance. It takes up too much energy.
I'm sorry that you are not in a better space. It was very helpful for you to describe your current state of vulnerability. It took more courage to divulge that than I would be able to muster. Thank you for allowing others to have insight into your being.
- Scott
Posted by 4WD on August 27, 2005, at 16:53:24
In reply to Re: RU486 OTC?, posted by Ocracoker16 on August 27, 2005, at 14:22:12
> SLS, I know that it is also being investigated for use in bipolar depression. You can go to NIH website and look at the numerous studies. I knew what her question was. She knew about research on the drug that showed promise. When she heard about emergency BC she thought that they meant mifepristone. That seemed neat and she wondered if she could get to try if it became an OTC. The research being done is another topic which I didn't go into, because mifepristone is not the morning after pill. I did not want to talk about mifepristerone's therapeutic qualities because I didn't want others thinking that we are close to getting the mifepristone OTC making it easy to get for the masses who could only try it by being in clinical trials.
>
> Ofcourse she is interested in it for treatment of bipolar depression. If I had no idea that mifepristone was being studied for psychiatric purposes, I would be wondering why she thought it was interesting that it might become an OTC drug. Instead, I read it to say that the morning after pill might become available OTC and that meant she could try mifepristone. I immediately said something is wrong here, because this drug is not a morning after pill. While mifepristone might be an effecive treatment(I am very med resistant and I am alwas hoping for drugs just like this one to pan out), Plan B and Preven are the emergency bc pills that are being considered for OTC status.
>
> Congratulations if you made it this far. I will write posts of this length in the future so there is no chance someone could think that I had to be informed that there was another use. I never should have given details on how it works for abortion in order to educate people about the difference between mifepristone and emergency bc pills. Its ok that you didn't realize I knew about use in bipolar depression because I never talked about that. I explained it above. For those who don't know the psych uses, your detailed explanation helps to reform.
>
> Not a good day. I don't know anyone here. Everyone will hate me for what I wrote. I feel vulnerable.
>
> Katie
Hi Katie,No, no no. Don't feel bad. It was my mistake. I thought the morning after pill WAS mifepristone. I just got confused. Sorry. I thought it sounded too good to be true. OH well.
And welcome to pbabble! Do you live on Ocracoke?Marsha
Posted by Ocracoker16 on August 27, 2005, at 21:10:58
In reply to Re: RU486 OTC? » Ocracoker16, posted by 4WD on August 27, 2005, at 16:53:24
> > SLS, I know that it is also being investigated for use in bipolar depression. You can go to NIH website and look at the numerous studies. I knew what her question was. She knew about research on the drug that showed promise. When she heard about emergency BC she thought that they meant mifepristone. That seemed neat and she wondered if she could get to try if it became an OTC. The research being done is another topic which I didn't go into, because mifepristone is not the morning after pill. I did not want to talk about mifepristerone's therapeutic qualities because I didn't want others thinking that we are close to getting the mifepristone OTC making it easy to get for the masses who could only try it by being in clinical trials.
> >
> > Ofcourse she is interested in it for treatment of bipolar depression. If I had no idea that mifepristone was being studied for psychiatric purposes, I would be wondering why she thought it was interesting that it might become an OTC drug. Instead, I read it to say that the morning after pill might become available OTC and that meant she could try mifepristone. I immediately said something is wrong here, because this drug is not a morning after pill. While mifepristone might be an effecive treatment(I am very med resistant and I am alwas hoping for drugs just like this one to pan out), Plan B and Preven are the emergency bc pills that are being considered for OTC status.
> >
> > Congratulations if you made it this far. I will write posts of this length in the future so there is no chance someone could think that I had to be informed that there was another use. I never should have given details on how it works for abortion in order to educate people about the difference between mifepristone and emergency bc pills. Its ok that you didn't realize I knew about use in bipolar depression because I never talked about that. I explained it above. For those who don't know the psych uses, your detailed explanation helps to reform.
> >
> > Not a good day. I don't know anyone here. Everyone will hate me for what I wrote. I feel vulnerable.
> >
> > Katie
>
>
> Hi Katie,
>
> No, no no. Don't feel bad. It was my mistake. I thought the morning after pill WAS mifepristone. I just got confused. Sorry. I thought it sounded too good to be true. OH well.
>
>
> And welcome to pbabble! Do you live on Ocracoke?
>
> Marsha
>
>Hi, I wish I lived on Ocracoke. I just vacation there with family. Are there any recent studies on mifepristone that look positive?
Katie
Posted by denise1966 on August 30, 2005, at 15:32:25
In reply to Re: RU486 OTC? » 4WD, posted by Ocracoker16 on August 27, 2005, at 21:10:58
Hi Scott,
I remember you saying previously you had the opportunity of joining a trial for this drug. Are you still thinking of doing so?
Denise
Posted by SLS on August 31, 2005, at 6:50:29
In reply to SLS - Are you still thinking of trying RU486?, posted by denise1966 on August 30, 2005, at 15:32:25
> Hi Scott,
>
> I remember you saying previously you had the opportunity of joining a trial for this drug. Are you still thinking of doing so?If my doctor is eligible to dispense it to me, I might have it within a month. It depends on the FDA. They seem to have changed their requirements. They told my doctor that he needs an IRB (institutional review board) to oversee the drug trial. He is in private practice and not on the staff of a psychiatry department at a hospital. He is working with two different agencies to arrive at a definitive explanation.
- Scott
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