Expensive sleeping pill Rozerem apparently does nothing

[SOS]

"In the case of the sleeping pill Rozerem one review document from the Food and Drug Administration states that the drug made “no significant difference in time to fall asleep” and that patients “do not seem to recognize any benefit from treatment.” But the reviewer’s uncertainty about the drug’s effectiveness is not reflected in Rozerem’s label, which does not include efficacy data from a clinical trial of 848 young and middle-age adults; that trial found that the drug was no more effective than a placebo.
Dr. Lisa M. Schwartz and Dr. Steven Woloshin, who wrote the essay, said that the F.D.A. revised the design of drug labels in 2006 to highlight appropriate uses and warnings but that more needed to be done. An agency spokeswoman said that it was “actively engaged in talking to stakeholders about the issue” but that there was no specific deadline for action. Officials with Takeda Pharmaceuticals, which markets Rozerem, did not respond to repeated requests for comment."

And the retail price? About $140 for 30 pills.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/health/research/03awar.html

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. According to my doc, it is essentially the same as taking Melatonin.

Which is really inexpensive - and may or may not do anything for you (lots of studies, probably some placebo effect). I asked him when I saw that ad because the ad made it sound as effective as Ambien but without the withdrawl symptoms/side effects.

No wonder! It really doesn't do anything!

(then again, having worked in pharma for 25 years, people would be amazed to realize how many if not most medicines are effective for only a small percent of the target audience....)

[Sal Minella]

3. I recommended melatonin to a friend who was having trouble falling asleep

and she asked her doctor about it.

Her doctor uses it to induce sleep for herself, but said she hesitates to recommend it to patients because they seem to think such a cheap over-the-counter med can't really be much good.

Sad.

[NRaleighLiberal]

6. Yep. sad indeed! I take a few herbs for my knee pain (no cartiledge, torn ACLs)

that work great - much less expensive than replacements right now, and less dangerous than cox 2 inhibitors!

[Lex]

15. Melatonin definitely works for me.

Mainly it keeps me from waking up several times per night. (If it's the placebo effect, then so be it, at least I sleep soundly through the night and am refreshed in the morning.)

[TwilightGardener]

2. I liked their ads, though--with the beaver and Abe Lincoln.

My dreams are always nonsensical like that.

[SOS]

10. The beaver was cool

but those ads cost millions to produce and air.
And the price is $4 a pill, which is paid by Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance or out of pocket.

Imagine the millions of dollars spent on a pill which does nothing.
Part of the reason our disease-profit* system is going bankrupt.

* "disease-profit" is my new term to replace the comical "healthcare".

[Craftsman]

4. About once or twice a month I have issue falling asleep

I use a more natural and time tested method of going to sleep called bourbon. A tumbler with about 1.5 inches of W. L. Weller help me go to sleep.

[nebenaube]

5. That's a recipe for obstructive sleep apnea...

you are only fooling yourself.

[Craftsman]

8. After a strong shot I am asleep in 30 minutes and sleep like a baby

[LeftHander]

7. GOP deregulation created modern "Snake Pill" industry...HAHAHA nt

[Ichingcarpenter]

9. Your link goes to The Onion not the NY times

or it least it should.

[SOS]

11. Interesting to note

When a pharmaceutical company puts out an expensive FDA-approved drug that does nothing, the "quack" posters are mysteriously absent.

[Cleita]

12. I never found any of the prescribed ones that effective.

I get better results from over the counter meds like Benedryl or my favorite lately of Ibuprofen PM.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

13. Lunesta works amazingly well.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

14. Rozerem is supposedly a melatonin uptake inhibitor.

Keeps the stuff circulating.

I did not get any benefit from benadryl, ambien or lunesta.

I think Rozerem helps some but certainly doesn't put me to sleep.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

16. They gave me Lunesta after a major shoulder surgery, it worked great.

Taking it with 2 Vicodin may have had something to do with it. Sorry you haven't found any relief.