Israel doctors prescribing 'trendy' antidepressant to the masses

[IndianaGreen]

Israel doctors prescribing 'trendy' antidepressant to the masses

By Dana Weiler-Polak, Haaretz Correspondent

While the field of mental health continues to be discredited in Israel, the developers of psychiatric drugs are nevertheless enjoying an upswing in sales. One representative example of this trend is Cipralex, a drug produced by Denmark's Lundbeck pharmaceutical company to treat depression.

The medication has been on the market for many years but only recently experienced a dramatic rise in sales.

"'Trend' is indeed the right word," said a pharmacist in the center of the country. He said Cipralex (the brand name for the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor Escitalopram) "is no different from other drugs on the market, but it continues to dominate in sales over similar products like Prozac and Seroxat."

The use of antidepressant medications in Israel has transformed in recent years from a taboo to a legitimate subject which many in the public eye feel no hesitation about discussing openly. Actor and director Menashe Noy and journalist Hanoch Daum are but a few to have sung the praises of Cipralex.

"There is definitely a feeling that more and more people are living off of Cipralex," said Shira Tofer, who takes the drug.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1061040.html

[Behind the Aegis]

1. What does this have to do with I/P?

[IndianaGreen]

2. It has 'Israel' on it, and it has a correlation to conflict

You can't have it both ways!

[Behind the Aegis]

3. What "correlation" does it have to the conflict?

"You can't have it both ways!" What the fuck are you babbling about?!

[Chulanowa]

4. Well, to be honest...

Pretty much everything with either "ISrael" or "Palestine" mentioned in the article ends up here in the ideological sewer anyway.

And I think he's saying that all the stress is taking its toll on Israelis' mental well-being, thus the upswing in drug sales. Beats me, though, I never did get into the "cure it with chemicals" brand of therapy.

[azurnoir]

11. Well it makes Israel a truly western country

the same thing exists here in the uS were antidepressants are among the most over used and misprescribed drugs out there they were intended for use in cases of clinical depression were there is a chronic chemical imbalance in the brain but are prescribed for "situational" depression such as I lost my job, my Mom died, my SO broke up with me.........you name it normal life situations where sometimes the people affected would be helped by "talk therapy" or simply time but here take a pill is cheaper and easier

[shaayecanaan]

5. A highly strung fellow, arent you? nt

[Behind the Aegis]

6. A pop psychologist are ya?

[LeftishBrit]

7. Shouldn't this be in the Health forum?

(though good luck there! that forum would sometimes make I/P look like the Flowers and Bunnies Forum!)

[Scurrilous]

8. Palestinians in Gaza Turn to Tramadol Painkiller for Relief (12/14/08)

<snip>

"The new drug overtaking the Gaza Strip doesn't stimulate hallucinations or boost endurance at the dance club. It merely chills you out, which is exactly what many Gazans say they need.

Ruled by Islamic hard-liners from Hamas and locked in by Israel and Egypt, Gazans can't travel outside the strip, have few places to go for fun and are faced with a failing economy. Thus the boom in the popularity of tramadol, a painkiller known here by a common brand name, Tramal.

Growing numbers of Gazans have begun using the drug over the past year and a half to take the edge off life in the impoverished seaside strip, pharmacists and residents say.

This worries medical personnel, who say the drug can cause dependence. It is a prescription drug in many countries, and the Hamas-run Health Ministry has made efforts to control it, but without much success in a society where medicines available only by prescription elsewhere are often sold over the counter.

Tramadol is especially popular among young men. Some down the pills with coffee or dissolve them in tea. Others pop them freely when hanging out with friends. Grooms have been seen passing them out at weddings.

"You feel calmness through your whole body, absolute quiet," said one regular user, 27-year-old Bassem, in describing the drug's effect. He, like others interviewed by The Associated Press for this story, refused to give his last name for fear of being arrested as a drug user."

more

[LeftishBrit]

9. Interesting.

My mother had to take Tramadol for pain, and she found the side-effects, and especially complete exhaustion and 'zonked' state, extremely unpleasant, especially when on a fairly large dose. I'm surprised anyone would want to take it if they didn't have to. It just shows how stressed people must be there.

[Mosby]

10. Tramadol can cause seizures.

[Howardx]

12. does it block feelings of guilt?

im sure they need it.