Warning: Drug Ads Can Make You Sick

from In These Times:



Warning: Drug Ads Can Make You Sick
A $4.2 billion annual drug industry incessantly reinforces the medicalization of complaints through direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising
By Terry J. Allen


Jane’s family is suffering from plagues of biblical-lite proportions. Her teenage son is unruly and easily distracted. Her daughter has menstrual cramps, is 12 pounds overweight and shy. Her husband sleeps fitfully and has occasional heartburn and irregularity—not to mention that his libido is falling and his cholesterol rising. As for Jane, her menopause generates more heat than a blowtorch. Her knees twinge, her breasts are less perky and her jaw line more blurred. Her personality is flat and her legs restless. All of them are less happy than they think they should be.

Although there is a diagnosis, pill or surgical treatment for each of their ills, the family members could simply be suffering from exposure to advertising that sells a fantasy of flawless health, perfect skin, clockwork bowels, extended youth and perpetual cheerfulness in the face of disappointment, aging, money woes and the reign of George Bush. They may, in fact, be healthy people snookered by the pharmaceutical industry, the media and their doctors into believing that ordinary frailties are diseases; that the human condition can be cured.

A $4.2 billion annual industry incessantly reinforces this medicalization of complaints through direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising.

In 1998, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decided to allow pharmaceutical companies to hawk prescription drugs to the public, with limited oversight and minimal explanation of safety and side effects. A 2006 Government Accountability Office investigation found some of these marketing efforts “false and misleading” and faulted the FDA—which is responsible for oversight—for failing to maintain standards of accuracy and to protect the public. The United States and New Zealand are the only countries that allow DTC marketing.

Big Pharma says that the goal of DTC ads is to educate the public about what treatments are available. But there is no denying that the images of people caressed by soporific green moths, charmed by Latino bees and enticed by sexually fulfilled couples can create expectations and perceived needs that lead to unnecessary and expensive drug consumption. Some of the products are only minimally effective. Many can cause liver or kidney damage, high blood pressure or other adverse effects that would have to be countered with still more drugs—each with its own side effects and risky interactions. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3455/warning_drug_ads_can_make_you_sick/

The way they quickly gloss over the side effects.

"Side effects may include brain damage, cancer, impotence, stroke, heart attack...."

where the side effects include nausea and diarrhea. I think I'd rather have my nose running than the other end.

:spray:

Flatulence and bowel imcontinence

Yeah, that's preferable to being a few pounds overweight!

one of them in passing (quick passing) even says you may end up with an uncontrollable urge to gamble...I'm not kidding, they list that as a side-effect. x(

itch, rashes, full body hair loss, projectile vomiting, gigantic eyeball, and the condition known as hot dog fingers."

laugh.

Why anyone would try to seek a cure that's worse than the present 'ailment' cracks me up. Lewis Black's take on these ads is brilliant and fall down funny.

I get especially tired of seeing ads for something called "FloMax". Damn it, do we really need to hear about male urinary symptoms while we eat fucking dinner? :grr: :argh:

This direct marketing of pills to the public has really gone overboard. An ad for one of those prescription sleep aids doesn't even give credit to the doctor who should be evaluating these medications for you - it tells you to notify your 'prescriber' that you want this pill. Not your doctor - your 'prescriber'. I guess they want to cut out the middle man. Doctors should be outraged by this because it ill-serves their patients.

It's so amazing that anyone would even consider taking the drugs after hearing the side effects. I hope our next Dem in the WH puts an end to that crap!

All those awful side effects that I suffer with my scripts..you know... a NORMAL AND PAINFREE life.
Get a chronic disease sometime and you will see how most of these side effects you hear about are NOTHING compared to that.
Oh yeah and my poor dad..Didn't die of a heart attack at age 56 like his dad and grandfather because of the Lipitor.
BTW all those side effects you hear about? Most people who take meds suffer only MILD sides and those are much less awful then what its made out to be. That being said, I don't like the ads myself but its the docs whose responsibility is to prescribe meds and MOST docs do proscribe meds (like my doc who keeps me on the most minimal meds possible) in a responsible manner.

Do you know how many people would DIE or suffer horribly without their meds? Geez. I have said this time and again. EDUCATE yourself.
I have NEVER met anyone with as little knowledge of biology in my entire life.

because he was so afraid of the side effects from watching the ads. He ended up not having any side effects at all, but he delayed for an unacceptably long time.

I think those ads to a disservice in both directions, pushing drugs on people who don't need them, and scaring off people who do need them.

I don't think that drug companies should be able/allowed to advertise prescription drugs.

Possible side effects include:

Lacerations
Contusions
Fractures
Paralysis
Brain damage
Death



BAN AUTOMOBILE ADS NOW!1!1

I was commenting on the way they gloss over very quickly after they push what I call the "new disease of the month" pills. If you want to educate yourself about the possible side effects-some of which ARE dangerous-then read up about it. I know several people who are qualified to put M.D. after their names who hate these ads, mainly because they are aimed at the patient and not the doctor. Some have had arguments with their patients about a particular drug that was advertised because in the doctor's opinion it was not the best medication for their position.

Merry Xmas, anyway!

If a doctor is required to prescribe them?

I once went to the doctor for a prescription for Welbutrin, which had been recently approved for smoking cessation. She checked it out on the internet and said OK, and wrote the script.

I had a horrible experience on it (it is a anti-depressant, after all,) and discontinued its use after about a week. I probably should've never been given that prescription...

they make people think they need all that crap and they barely mention the side-effects which can be as severe as death.

are pretty mild and only suffered by a small percentage of the population who takes the meds--the severe sides usually about 3-4%. Like to show me a med that lists possible DEATH as a side effect btw?

But are they really any worse than other ads? Look at how car ads imply that you'll be more attractive to sexy chicks (or that the sexy chick comes with the car). Young women are practically promised that their lives are over if they have a zit (which can, of course, be cured by Zitbegone), any type of body odor (hence the plethora of perfumes and deodorants for every surface and crevice), or other observable flaw (makeup, hair color, perms/straighteners , push-up bras, cosmetic surgery). Then we're told to fill our lives with every toy and gadget imaginable lest we be bored, boring, unhappy, or whatever. And don't even get me started on the food ads.

Like with everything, people need to inform themselves. Just because something is advertised on TV they shouldn't just run out and get it. Neither the ad company nor the corporation paying the ad company is your friend. They want to sell you something. It's your job to get the facts before buying whether the product is a CD player or a pill for erectile dysfunction.

Of course, that might actually be true. I'm not married and I don't drink.

I wonder what a medical marijuana commercial would be like?

Side effects: Giggling, smiling, food cravings, excessive use of the word "dude".

Our insurance premiums, Medicare and Medicaid tax dollars pay for all prescriptions, not just the ones that are needed. So the advertising costs all of us, not just the person buying the product.

pay to treat people who develop conditions related to crappy eating habits, smoking, alcohol abuse, mis-use of OTC drugs and myriad other factors. How far are we going to take the Nanny State laws?

How Americans like to trot that one out whenever responsible (or irrespeonsible) public health actions are discussed.....

(I figured I'd say it before someone else did)

I just say don't create demand for a product that is not needed, using advertising, when my money pays for it. Has nothing to do with anything but stop the ads, already!

and also one of the many reasons that health care costs are rising in double digits in the states.

My Ozzie GF was appalled at the sheer number of these ads on American TV (not to mention their subtly deceptive nature) You won't find them in any other western nation (and for good reason).

Yet most of these nations far outperform the US on the relevant health outcome measures, often for 1/2 the price.

Hmmm....

just because a person comes in and says "I saw it on TV". A person could see a brazillion drug ads on TV and unless the doctor is willing to prescribe it, they aren't going to get it (illegal means aside).

That can't be said of other stuff advertised.

and how these ads (and insistent patients) affect their prescribing habits. There's quite a bit of peer reviewed research on the matter- and none of it points to positive effects on outcomes, effieicny or expense.

With the pharmaceutical ads, you have to make an appointment with your doctor, then you have to get the medication prescribed to you. I mean, really, does anyone go to their doctor and say - "Hey look, I want those pills I saw on the ad! I need these meds!". It's not like you can cut out the middle man with pharmaceuticals. :eyes:

Thanks Bill Clinton! Way to go allowing PhARMA onto American TV!

Most of these ads are nothing more than disease mongering, complete with equivocal claims and fancy acronyms designed to persuade people that they're not only sick- but that the company's product will make then well and "happy" again.

In the 2004 VP debate, Edwards mentioned that he'd reverse the regualtion allowing that trash on the tube- yet another reason why people are coming around and having a second look at his candidacy.

shouldn't even be allowed to watch TV - I mean these folks go into an MD's office demanding that they get treated w/drug xyz & the unethical sob in the white lab coat perscribes it.

Drugs are not the same as other products. They not only have side effects, they have interactions with each other and can cause
allergic reactions that can be very serious.
There are many drugs that can cause death - if prescribed incorrectly or taken incorrectly (remember Anna Nicole Smith?).
When they are needed, prescribed and taken correctly, they can be miraculously helpful, lifesaving in many cases.

The necessity of a medicine and it's use should be decided upon by a physician who knows the patient's full medical picture.
Unfortunately, many people come into the doctor's office after viewing these ads and demand prescriptions like they're ordering dinner at
a restaurant. They often get them too.

EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. One of those ads comes on the tv, I mute it, or otherwise distract my attention (not that I watch that much myself, but husband does when he is home); because I have to say I just have this 'feeling' that it can't be good to hear such things reinforced OVER and OVER and OVER. It seems to me they are trying to create the problems so they can cure them.

Ask your doctor
Tell your doctor
Ask your doctor
Ask your doctor

SHUT. UP.

I know there must be an epidemic of each problem there's an ad for....because people have almost been 'brainwashed', as it were. I'm a strong believer in people's ability for individual thought, but something like this is insidious.

I've been occasionally getting this since I was a little kid. My treatment: tie a knee sock around that part of my thigh where the trouble is coming from. Not so tight as to cut off circulation. Works every time.

there is an ad being run up here by Pfizer for Viagra. They get around the ad ban by having the characters talk complete gibberish - they can't actually mention the condition the drug is supposed to treat, or anything. They're "reminder ads", which works for Viagra because everyone knows the condition it's supposed to treat. I haven't seen a similar ad for any other drug.

These Viagra commercials are ridiculous - some older woman talking to her friend: "Minky Viagra noni noni boo-boo plats". She says it in a way that makes you think she's saying in some foreign language "My husband took some Viagra and banged the shit out of me, all night long".

Here's a YouTube of one of them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I3QsiH1-EU