[jmo531]

Researchers are studing the effectiveness of RU-486 (the "abortion pill" and "emergency contraceptive"), which is said to dramatically relieve psychotic depression.

(Oct. 8, 2002) It's stirred up much controversy, but the abortion pill known as RU486, also called mifepristone, appears to have another use that few are likely to oppose: a treatment for psychotic depression.

A small study on a group of 30 volunteers at Stanford University indicated that the abortion pill resulted in improvements in symptoms for psychotic depression, which can include not only feelings of hopelessness and sadness, but hallucinations and delusions.

"Some psychotically depressed patients are dramatically better within a few days," says Alan Schatzberg, MD, chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford. They stop hearing voices and having pessimistic kinds of delusions, like they're dying or the world is ending. We've seen the response within a four day study. This is fairly dramatic."

Traditionally, patients with psychotic depression receive one of two treatments: combined antidepressant and antipsychotic medication, or electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Even when effective, both treatments are relatively slow and can leave symptoms that last for months.

"With mifepristone (RU-486) there's a very quick intervention. The patients often feel better and then we can put them on conventional antidepressants without the antipsychotics or ECT," Schatzberg says. "What's interesting is that the results are not effervescent. The patients feel better and it lasts. Nobody's had to come back, nobody's had to undergo ECT."

The social implications of the treatment are profound, Schatzberg says, both because mifepristone might eliminate the need for shock treatments and because it comes from a drug with other uses that some people don't like.

Originally mifepristone was developed as a steroid treatment for Cushing's disease, to block the adrenal hormone cortisol. But since progesterone receptors and cortisol receptors are structurally related, mifepristone also blocks progesterone, an effect that makes it useful as an abortifacient and, in smaller doses, as an emergency contraceptive.

Research over the last 17 years has revealed that cortisol, a hormone released during times of significant stress, is extremely elevated in psychotically depressed patients. It seems their sustained levels of cortisol create a chronic stress reaction. This in turn may cause psychotic depression, including memory problems, sleep disturbances and hallucinations.

The research, published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, suggests that even a week on the pill can reduces surges of the stress hormone cortisol, which is strongly linked to psychotic depression.

Since the risk of suicide is greater with this form of depression, the researchers say they expect that RU486 could save lives.

[Kathyanita]

and to further complicate things:
there are pharmacists who refuse on personal moral grounds to fill prescriptions for birth control pills- i wonder if its off-lable use would influence the morality and if so- will women and Drs be tempted to mislead on either side to get the meds they require and have a right to.

AND, it can't be called an abortion pill. it doesn't "kill" anything. it PREVENTS the coming together of the egg and sperm. don't ask me how, scientifically, cause i am not medical enough, yet, to understand it. but my Planned Parenhood newsletter explained it. there is not actual "death" of anything. but, of course, that's how it is going to be portrayed.

you know what, if i was young enough to take the pill and some little %#@&#!-ant pharmacist refused to fill my prescription, he'd have to whip me and throw me out of the store. because i think i'd go over that counter and beat the crap out of him. NOT ONE pharmacist in this world has the right to refuse to fill a prescription, on moral grounds.....to me, that is the most ludicrous thing i've heard of. boycott Walmart, because their pharmacists do it regularly. phew, now i feel better..................sigh.

[Wants2Fly]

Wal-mart also expunges lyrics (much like Psych Central subject lines, come to think of it, but that's another story) and makes their employees attend cheerleader-like rallies and keeps unions out

And I should boycott Wal-Mart for all of the above . . .

but it is so darn cheap, I can't bring myself to do so.

[wi_fighter]

I hope the drug gets approval for psychiatric use. Once something has a use approved for men, too, THEN it becomes acceptable.

i do hope that the drug gets approved for psych use. that would be great. we all need the help.

and it's the truth about drugs for men....see how the government was paying for viagra for sex offenders? if breast implants were for men, we wouldn't be hearing the "pop" of them rupturing in thousands of men....i have silicone all over my chest and in my blood stream. reconstruction isn't all it's made out to be.

http://www.saveroe.com/fillmypillsnow/scored.php this lists the pharmacies that are going to fill scripts and the ones that haven't decided and the ones that WON'T.

[cat_eye]

It's cheap because they exploit immigrant workers, and they are NOTORIOUS for using sweatshops overseas, and not letting the sweatshop workers form unions. behindthelabel.org is a good place to find information about it. *steps off soapbox*

[jmo531]

My view is, I feel that if this particular drug helps with psychiatric issues then it should be approved for such and used. I think that this would help so many people and for that, it's worth it.

Thanks guys for your input.

Pat,
Thanks for the link. Quite interesting.

[darkeyes]

Yes, this interesting, thanks for posting this.
Seems this med. just may be a good alternative for those in need, I mean this for mental disorder vs bc, cause my main concern is in the mental health area.
I think it is interesting when a med can be used for different things, like anticonvulsants/antiepileptics helping with mood disorders besides what they originally were made for.
Anyone else here,happen to come across stuff like this, please share it with us.

Thanks,
DE

[goofygirl]

That is just stupid that they can refuse on "moral" grounds. Duh... anyone hear all the hubbub going on this weeks for convicted sex offenders getting Viagra on medicaid? It's all crazy!

[darkeyes]

Wow, I never heard of pharmacists being allowed to deny someone of a prescription due to the pharmacist's moral belief?
It's hard to believe any pharm. can refuse filling a script from a pdoc or doc., this would be interesting to find out where this is done, and if it is legally possible to deny meds to anyone having a valid prescription from their doc.
If anyone gets info. let us know.
Sorry, got off of main topic, along with the others

DE

[jmo531]

DE,

Check out the link that Pat posted. You'll be interested in knowing which pharmacies will not fill the RX.

Back on the original topic, I just feel that in todays day and age anything available that can be used to treat and releive symptoms of mental illness should be approved and used. Thats my view and I'm sticking to it. LOL

[Mahali]

bump