What year was the drug Elavil approved by the FDA?

Question

I read an article where the person claims they were taking it in 1964 and I am pretty sure it hasn't been on the market that long.

Answer 1

According to the FDA website, Elavil was approved by the FDA in 2001. So it's unlikely that that person was actually taking Elavil (which was manufactured by Merck for AstraZeneca).

However, Elavil is the U.S. brand name for a drug called amitriptyline. Amitriptyline has been widely prescribed since the 1960s, according to an article called "History on the Use of Antidepressants in Primary Care" by Dr. Joseph Leiberman III.

http://www.psychiatrist.com/pcc/pccpdf/v05s07/v05s0702.pdf#search=%22amitriptyline%201970s%22

He probably meant he was taking amitriptyline in 1964, which is entirely possible.

Answer 2

I have RLS and have suffered with it for a very long time. It manifests itself in different ways in different people. For me, I have some of the worst symptoms. Whenever I sit still or lay down to sleep at night, I have an uncontrollable urge to move my legs. It's like feeling as if your legs are full of energy and ready to run a marathon, no matter how exhausted the rest of your body is. And the restlessness lasts for hours...never 5 minutes. I have lost many nights of sleep do to RLS. The newest medicines that are now out have made my symptoms virtually disappear. RLS is not new, it is not a fake disease, it is a serious problem for some people, and the pharmaceutical companies' new medicines have helped a lot of poeple.