![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by lepus on December 29, 2003, at 17:25:58
Eli Lilly and Co. on Monday said it received U.S. regulatory clearance to sell a drug that treats the depressive phase of bipolar disorder with a combination of Prozac and another Lilly medication.
Symbyax mixes the depression drug Prozac with Zyprexa, used to treat schizophrenia and manic episodes of bipolar disorder. Zyprexa is Lilly's top-seller with more than $4 billion in annual sales, while Prozac, the company's former flagship drug, lost U.S. patent protection in 2001.Lilly said Symbyax is the first medication approved to treat the depressive phase of bipolar disorder, a condition marked by debilitating mood swings that affects at least 2.5 million Americans.
The Indianapolis-based company said patients spend more than three times longer in the depressive phase than in the manic phase of the disorder.
But taking antidepressants alone can make patients wildly manic and nearly suicidal. So adding Zyprexa can calm those manic tendencies.
A spokeswoman for the company said Symbyax will be available in four dosage combinations of the two drugs.
~* Maybe this drug will help some of us. Seems Zyprexa has had good results with a lot of people.
Posted by jay on December 29, 2003, at 19:03:57
In reply to Symbyax approved for bipolar, posted by lepus on December 29, 2003, at 17:25:58
I don't understand why they consider Zyprexa a mood stabilizer. (As in for long term use.) I can take 5, 10, 15 mg's, not feel much, up until 20mg's. Even with that, I need about 1,000 mg's daily of depakote/epival. It seemed like my body adjusted easily to Zyprexa, and I seem to doubt that it works well in the long run. IMHO...
Jay
Posted by linkadge on December 30, 2003, at 6:28:08
In reply to Re: Symbyax..seems like marketing scheme, posted by jay on December 29, 2003, at 19:03:57
Thats the thing, Epavil works on the cellular level to alter signal transduction and function. Zyprexa however works somewhat more upstream by effecting neurotransmitters. There is something to be said for zyprexa however as for many it can work much better than mood stabalizers. In some cases - if it is used early in treatment - it can replace mood stabalizers.
But I would think that mood stabalizers would get to the point much more directly.
If it works for you then use it.
Linkadge
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.