The eDrugSearch Blog » Zoloft

A list of dangerous drugs — and safer alternatives — for seniors

Cary Byrd — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 05:58:42 +0000

Consumer Reports has published a valuable article identifying common prescription drugs that can be dangerous for older patients. Healthcare consumers over age 65 are more than twice as likely to suffer from adverse drug reactions; the publication lists the following drugs as posing a high enough risk that they should be avoided if possible:

Antianxiety drugs

Chlordiazepoxide (Librium, Limbitrol); diazepam (Valium); quazepam (Doral)

Recommended alternatives: alprazolam (Xanax), lorazepam (Ativan), and oxazepam (Serax)
Antidepressants

Amitriptyline, doxepin (Sinequan) and Fluoxetine (Prozac)

Recommended alternatives: citalopram (Celexa), paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft)
Antihistamines

Chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton); diphenhydramine (Benadryl)

Recommended alternatives: Cetirizine (Zyrtec); fexofenadine (Allegra); loratadine (Claritin)
High blood pressure and enlarged prostate drugs

Doxazosin (Cardura); prazosin (Minipress); terazosin (Hytrin)

Recommended alternatives: Diuretics for high blood pressure; tamsulosin (Flomax) for enlarged prostate.
Pain relievers

Naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn); oxaprozin (Daypro); piroxicam (Feldene); Meperidine (Demerol)

Recommended alternatives: acetaminophen (Tylenol); ibuprofen (Advil ); capsaicin cream (Zostrix); morphine
Sleeping pills

Barbituates (Butisol, Nembutal, Seconal); diphenhydramine (Sominex); flurazepam (Dalmane)

Recommended alternatives: zaleplon (Sonata) and zolpidem (Ambien)
Stomach drugs

Bisacodyl (Dulcolax); Diphenoxylate (Lomotil)

Recommended alternatives: Increased intake of fiber and fluids; change in diet; loperamide (Imodium AD)

Drug commercial parodies — a roundup

Cary Byrd — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:32:33 +0000

As you know, we like to post links to parodies of pharmaceutical commercials. Rather than publish these individually, though, I thought I’d provide all these links in a single roundup post. Here are some popular parodies of current drug ads — one for each drug. (Be warned that some of them are a little off-color.) Enjoy!

The dangers of anti-depressants

Cary Byrd — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 00:17:41 +0000

Fox News ran a provocative story Thursday slamming Big Pharma for overhyping the benefits — and downplaying the dangers — of anti-depressants such as Paxil, Zoloft, Prozac and Effexor. You can read the transcript here or watch the piece below.

Frankly, it’s surprising to me to see this kind of anti-Big Pharma slant from Fox News. We’ll see where they go with the story.

Abilify: No. 1 and climbing

Cary Byrd — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 22:26:41 +0000

The most searched-for drug on eDrugSearch.com for the past two months has been Abilify, which treats the symptoms of psychotic conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Initially approved in November 2002, more than 12.5 million prescriptions have been written for Abilify in the United States as of June 2007.

Expect those numbers to continue climbing. Last week, the FDA approved the drug as an add-on treatment for adults with major depressive disorder. The drug is to be used in conjunction with commonly prescribed anti-depressive therapies, including the SSRIs Lexapro, Prozac, Paxil CR, and Zoloft.

Better nutrition now, fewer pills later

Cary Byrd — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 23:18:40 +0000

In this 10-minute video, Natalie, a lovely Austin, Texas-based nutritionist, discusses how to improve your diet so you can take fewer statins (cholesterol drugs like Simvastatin), proton pump inhibitors (drugs for heartburn and acid reflux like Nexium and Prilosec) and antidepressants (Prozac, Zoloft, etc.)

The drug rep’s moral dilemma

Cary Byrd — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 15:01:34 +0000

We stumbled across a kind of soap opera/game show called “Moral Dilemmas” on a site called BustedHalo.com and thought we’d share it, since it involves a pharma rep.

Basically, the idea is to tell a story that sets up a moral dilemma, and then let visitors to the site debate what the character should do in the situation described. Here’s an excerpt from the episode, “The Drummer and the Drug Rep”:

Kara landed a good job as a drug representative for a large pharmaceutical company … recently much of Kara’s job has involved educating doctors on a new anti-depressant her company has developed called Serotonix. The drug is very similar to existing medications like Prozac and Zoloft in that it is effective in treating depression and anxiety and it is not addictive … Of course, like most of the drugs it is similar to, Serotonix is expensive, costing up to $3 per 50mg pill.

The drug has begun to make a huge splash in the marketplace and nearly every doctor she visits asks questions about it and requests samples. The company she works for is more than happy to oblige and reps like Kara are always sent out with more than enough promotional packages of Serotonix to give out to physicians as they see fit.

On a recent January afternoon, Kara … saw a familiar face sitting in a booth in the smoking section and recognized that it was Robert, an old acquaintance whom she hadn’t seen since high school … He told her that he’d dropped out of college after two years to play drums for a Seattle band that seemed poised for big things. They had had some small success but failed to really take off. After the band had broken up two years ago, Robert moved back to their hometown. He had been trying to find another group to latch onto and was working at a Starbucks in the strip mall down the road to make ends meet…

Over the next two weeks she visited Robert three more times, but while she loved spending time with him it was also becoming clear to her that he had some real struggles in his life… The last time she saw him, Robert confided that he had struggled with depression for the past few years and had even tried to commit suicide a few times…

The next day Kara picked up the phone and heard Robert crying on the other end. He told her that he felt hopeless and didn’t believe his life would ever get better … After a few moments he gathered himself and asked “Do you think those samples you carry in your trunk would do me any good?”

OK, pharma and medical bloggers: What’s the right thing for Kara to do?

Here are your voting options:

1. Tell Robert that she could get fired for giving him samples of a prescription medication?
2. Go be with him to make sure he doesn’t try to hurt himself?
3. Offer to drive him to a nearby emergency room and try to get him some help?
4. Cross professional boundaries and ask a doctor she calls on in her job to see Robert for free and perhaps prescribe some medication?
5. Give Robert a few weeks worth of Serotonix samples and see how he reacts?

Current voting results show No. 1 with a big lead — followed by No. 5.

Of course, we might have recommended option 6: Go to the doctor and then fill your prescription online through eDrugSearch.com to save money.

The most interesting thing about BustedHalo.com is that it’s actually a Catholic ministry for people in their 20s and 30s. Here’s the background.

Another reason to comparison shop with eDrugSearch.com

Cary Byrd — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 05:00:51 +0000

If you believe the comedy troupe Secret Pants, it can be dangerous to shop over the phone with brick-and-mortar pharmacies:

If Big Pharma isn’t picking your pocket, the big drugstore chains are

Cary Byrd — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 14:13:41 +0000

Rite Aid Corp. — the third-biggest drugstore chain, which recently agreed to buy the Eckerd and Brooks chains as well — has seen its profits rise of late after its introduction of generic versions of drugs such as Zoloft.

Why? Because generic medications carry a higher profit margin for the big chains than brand-name drugs.

Let me break this down for you: Big Pharma already marks up the brand-name drugs so much that there isn’t much left over for the big drugstore chains. Because generic drugs are much less expensive, however, the chains can mark them up substantially. This is particularly true with so much consolidation among chains, meaning reduced competition.

This is yet another reason to consider purchasing medications online, where there is truly a free — and highly competitive — market.