You know what I cannot wait for... the end of pharma commercials

[nadinbrzezinski]

true story...

Hubby went for his annual, and was joking with the doctor about women asking her for viagra... due to the commercials, YOU need to give me this shit. She didn't laugh. Yes, it has happened.

Cannot wait for those adds to go away... and they will... they will have to if and when we get a functional health care system

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

1. Ask your doctor if moronex is right for you!

My husband is encouraging me to ask for the one with the side effects of nymphomania and gambling.

[babylonsister]

8. Snort! nt

[comtec]

40. If you find that one lemmie know

i'll give it to my mate XD

[SammyWinstonJack]

44. LOL!

:spray:

[Soylent Brice]

54. let me know if they come up with a generic brand for that.

my co-pays SUCK.

[Mike 03]

2. Kick and rec.

There is some new chemical derivative of Viagra that is being sold over the counter.

[sharesunited]

3. Whatever happened to restless leg syndrome?

Has it finally been eradicated?

[Horse with no Name]

5. Legs are still restless

Just not as profitable as other ailing body parts!

[mopinko]

17. you wouldn't laugh if you had it.

it may sound stupid, but it causes sleep depravation which can cause very serious problems, including severe depression.

those ads don't bug me. viagra is not a joke to me, either. lots of men need that to counteract medications for things like high blood pressure. lots of men, given the choice of keeping their blood pressure down or their thing up, well, you know what they do. those ads have done a lot to reduce the stigma, and let people know that they don't have to choose. again, it really isn't funny to those who have the problem.
and the ones for antidepressants have done the same thing for a lot of people.
i don't think these ads will completely disappear. even if we have single payer, drug companies will still come out with new drugs.

[nadinbrzezinski]

21. The problem with the adds is not that patients do need these meds

is that the decision to prescribe should be the doctor's not the patient.

And due to those adds sometimes patients ask for things that ahem sound cool and they don't need. That takes away from actual patient care.

That is the problem with those adds.

And yes RLS is a serious condition, but not as common as the adds might make it sound it is. And Viagra's ahem, special effects were found during the research process. You do know it wasn't originally developed for THAT. But hey, it has been a big money maker. And yes, it has helped people, but I don't need the adds. And a doctor can decide if a man has ED and prescribe accordingly.

Oh and one more thing, in our society that gets the ikkies over a sex scene in a movie, or a dying girl in real life, but we run these adds when kids are watching? I find that highly interesting.

[Warpy]

24. The ethics of advertising to the general public are still horrible

because we all know they're done in such general terms that the "symptoms" fit most normal people. Those normal people become alarmed because stuff they'd been living with perfectly well with for years has now becomes something that requires a cure.

People who don't need the drugs clamor for them from the doctor. The doc knows full well if s/he doesn't write the scrip, the person will doctor shop until someone will. They also know the drug in question won't do a thing to make them feel any better and might make them feel worse, so they won't refill a prescription or bug the office for more, so they write the scrip.

That does great things for the pharmaceutical company's bottom line, but it does nothing for the patient and could even do some patients severe and irreparable harm.

That is why TV advertising directly to patients has to be stopped. Yes, it's nice to be told there is a treatment for impotence or baldness, but some things, like the mood altering drugs, can be dangerous, especially when they're stopped suddenly. Even the impotence drugs are extremely dangerous for men who have heart disease and are too bashful to tell an ER doc they've been taking one of them.

I don't give a shit how fat the pharmaceutical industry's bottom line is or what kind of a hit they'll take if people who don't need selective poisons represented by their drugs no longer clamor to take them unnecessarily. For public health and safety, those commercials have to stop.

[mopinko]

42. i see this idea as just polishing the doctor's crown.

the poor little babies, having to defend themselves from the whining hoards of patients who might have found out without them that there is a medication that the good dr welby hadn't mentioned to them. right up there with having to defend themselves from the evil dr. google.

they need to get over it. if they don't have enough of a relationship with a patient to tell them no, and have them accept it, maybe that patient should move on.

i am for patient power, and information is definitely power.

[PVnRT]

48. You think advertising is giving out good information?

Sorry, but false. Ads are designed to sell product, not disseminate info. Try reading through the drug information guide you get with your next prescriptions; I guarantee you that most of the stuff in there will never see a commercial, despite FDA regulations.

[Warpy]

52. Not the kind of information the drug companies are putting out

Symptoms are described in the most general of terms, leading people to think what they've always considered to be normal (and usually is normal) is a disease process needing treatment.

I'm afraid your ire is misplaced. The doctors are not the problem here. The unscrupulous and misleading advertising by drug companies is the problem.

[arikara]

53. Hahahaha!!! good one...

pharma ads as information.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

You're too funny! But you forgot your sarcasm smilie thingy.

[nadinbrzezinski]

57. The problem is that these commercials are not information

[Horse with no Name]

32. I know the disease--and I would not laugh at the disease

However, I laugh at the marketing of it so now everybody in the world that moves their legs at night now are convinced they are victims of RLS. Self-diagnosis is dangerous. All medications can cause harmful side effects under the right conditions. Benefit vs. Risk and all that jazz. People don't want to be told that they can't have the "brand new shiny purple pill that they saw on television".
Direct marketing of drugs is dangerous. It is NOT meant to benefit or educate patients--it is to "encourage" patients to "suggest" them to the docs--just in case they forget about the 200 boxes of samples and fancy pens with the names printed on it...or better yet, the prefilled prescription pads where all the doc has to do is sign.

[pipoman]

63. That's no lie

it may sound stupid, but it causes sleep depravation which can cause very serious problems, including severe depression.

My wife has the RLS and some nights I am awoken by it 4 or 5 times.

[Mike 03]

4. Kick and rec. NT

[azurnoir]

6. No Ifind the side effects part of the ads entertaining

with many of these drugs they leave the consumer asking themselves "what do I need this stuff for, again?"

[Horse with no Name]

11. That is my favorite

They always say you are going to shit all over yourself, have your hair fall out, start gambling and committing crimes in the most pleasant of voices.

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. Or in a small percentage keel over

[annabanana]

37. like "driving in your sleep with no memory of the event". .

Talk about the cure being worse than the disease....

[Raine]

59. How about the one that grows your eyelashes longer and thicker but

gives you dark circles and can permanently turn your eyes brown! :crazy:

[napi21]

7. Senator Dorgan mentioned that today on Thom Hartmann's Show.

They were talking about how to cut money out of the HC system, and Dorgan mentioned that. I will be thrilled too! If you actually listen to most of them, the side effects they mention are worse than the disease! REALLY! It amazes me that anyone even asks for most of that stuff!

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. Well to me it is kind of stoopid, yes all have side effects

ALL meds... but for me to tell the doc, you know I think I need (insert med here) due to restless leg syndrome... which is not even part of my medical hx is kind of stoopid

[mopinko]

60. sorry, i just don't find it stupid to ask doctors questions.

doc, do you think i have restless leg? hey doc, i think that i am suffering from depression. do you think some medication might help? hey doc, do you think that viagra stuff could help me? i hate taking the BP drugs, cuz i can't get it up. i love my wife. i miss making love to her so terribly.
you all think the "boner pills" are so hilarious. makes me wonder if you have a sex life, cuz if you did, you would have some idea of what it is like to lose it. i guess around here it is all just a joke.

doc doesn't have to give it to you. maybe he will give you something else. maybe he will send you to another type of doc. but giving people a place to start a difficult conversation, bringing things out of the closet, and lessening the stigma are all good if you ask me.
and yes, i have read many, many drug fact sheets. and i have taken lots and lots of meds. and i have made the decision to give my kids lots of meds. and i have had a couple of those side effects bite me. but really very few. all in all, most of the meds i have taken have been worth the risk. maybe you have to be someone who has been too sick to have a life to understand.
sad that folks at a progressive web site would make such fun of things that people depend on to live. but jealousy over money permeates pretty much everything here.
sad.

[uppityperson]

62. Here is the difference... serious post, not snark

1) viagra is a good medicine, used properly. Used improperly, it isn't.

2) The difference is that yes, of course it isn't stupid to ask the doctors questions. What is stupid though is learning a tiny bit about a diagnosis or a medicine, and then trying to fit yourself into that. I did enough of that in nursing school, symptoms fit most diseases I was studying, so I know how easy it is to do that.

Use your doctor's expertise in putting together puzzles. Talk to your doctor about how you are, what you are experiencing, your symptoms, etc. Rather than trying to guide your doctor into a diagnosis, let your doc have the clues and see what she/he can put them together into. Notice I did not say give up control and all to your god doctor, but rather than limiting yourself to "do I have this?", instead say "here is what I am doing".

Does that make sense?

I agree that public education about health and disease matters is a good thing, but NOT by a company trying to sell you its product.

Best wishes to you.

[JerseygirlCT]

9. Yes. The amount of money thrown away on those things

has got to be astronomical.

And you have to wonder that anyone asks for a drug based on those commercials. Do they ever listen to all the disclaimers? "Side effects may include death"

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. Many do these days

[sarcasmo]

10. I agree, it needs to end and all of the advertisement in the Doctors offices needs to go as well.

Having been on way to many appointments with the wife, you have the Viagra pens at the desk to sign in with, then all of the pamphlets it's like the office has become a billboard.

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. Mine they get the samples, which is good for the low income patients

but I have seen the staff kick them out when they show early for their shilling appointment.

Even the staff is not fond of them.

On the bright side when I was a medic I got a very GOOD sthethoscope from these shills.

A medical student I know got three... so he gave me the other two to take down to TJ. I gave one to the head of the ER who could not afford it and needed it, and I kept the other. Oh he is a GP these days and still uses that scope, but he hates the companies, They are expected to prescribe their meds for things like good meals at conferences and other crap, not what the pt needs. Hell, my brother hates them too, he is a doc. I got a very good mail opener from his last trip to san diego for a conference.

DId I mention that was a 200 + scope in 1987 dollars? They start early with that crap.

Oh and my scope... well mine walked at the public hospital once. So I hope whoever got the five finger disease still uses it for good.

[Mike 03]

12. Nadin, could you please

recommend some message or chat sites where these sorts of discussions could be held?

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. No I use DU

:-)

And Koss from time to time.

Oh and the tweeter..

Tweet

On the funny side the tweeter sometimes tweets, for real, when it updates. You should see the parrots, looking for the other bird

[timeforpeace]

18. Excellent point. IF they go away

[DefenseLawyer]

20. Say what you will...

But ever since my wife and I put his and hers bathtubs out in the back yard, the love life is off the charts

[nadinbrzezinski]

22. RLOL you need a full moon too?

[DefenseLawyer]

23. Sometimes we throw the football through the old tire swing

Good times... good times.

[nadinbrzezinski]

25. Just remember to wear the cream to avoid the mosquitoes

:-)

Me shilling something

[Skittles]

28. OMG

:rofl:

[SammyWinstonJack]

45. +1

:evilgrin:

[PVnRT]

49. FTW

:thumbsup:

[Skittles]

26. "notify your doctor if you have a serious medical condition"

yeah, well, OK

[Kerrytravelers]

27. No more boner commercials.

That one with the *happy* guy, who, after taking a **certain** pill is suddenly in an **upright** mood drive me nuts (hehehhe, get it. Nuts.) And that little whistling tune that goes with it... ugh. :eyes:

[laugle]

33. I'm so glad to know that other people are annoyed

with those ads. What about that 'extenze' product? My husband and I joke about it, and say all it entends is your wallet. All I can say is someone must be buying it, or they couldn't afford all the commercials.

Good god, who needs a four hour erection.............LOL.......wives will be running away from them........LOL

[Lance_Boyle]

51. this is an "herbal supplement" not a pharma product

those ads, and their cousins the enzyte ads, would still be around if direct-to-consumer pharma ads were banned.

At least the pharma ads are for products with proven efficacy. The "supplement" ads are just shiny fraud.

[Horse with no Name]

34. They pulled that shit off the market

I can't remember what it is called--but that commercial REALLLY gave me the creeps.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

29. The warnings are something else.

"If you die with a four hour boner, at least you will go with a smile on your face" :evilgrin:

[BR_Parkway]

36. f you die with a 4 hour erection it may cause complications with closing the casket

properly

[Blue_Tires]

30. something else will take its place

in my short life i've had to sit through the fast food wars, the cola wars, the athletic footwear wars, the long distance calling wars, the cell phone wars, and at present we have the pharm wars and auto insurance wars...

[nadinbrzezinski]

31. Yeah but the pharma wars have a special place in hell for the ethics of it

[FunkyLeprechaun]

35. I know some doctors

Who have prescribed certain types of medicines and their patients actually say, "I think this other medicine might be better because I saw it on TV." It has happened so many times that my doctor friend has said, "Well, I'm your doctor and I think this medicine is best for you, not this medicine you saw on TV."

There are people who actually come in after self-diagnosing themselves after watching commercials.

It's crazy.

[and-justice-for-all]

38. Those ads should be illegal....

they psych people into thinking they have a condition when they do not, then they go to their Doc and ask for the stuff who gives it to them, when they really do not need it.

But the Doc gets a bonus from Big-Phram for prescribing it.

[redqueen]

47. They used to be.

This was on Wikipedia:

Expenditures on direct-to-consumer (DTC pharmaceutical advertising) have more than quintupled in the last seven years since the FDA changed the guidelines, from $700 million in 1997 to more than $4.2 billion in 2005, according to the United States GAO (Government Accountability Office, 2006).

[and-justice-for-all]

56. It needs to be reinstated...nt

[redqueen]

64. I definitely agree. (nt)

[pleah]

39. I want the pecker perk commercials to be the first to be pulled off the air.

Then all the others that have side effects as long as your leg. Why would anyone take that shit after they hear all the side effects? I've never been able to figure that one out.



spelling correction

[optimal-tomato]

41. If I never hear the words "side effects include diarreha" while I'm having dinner again,

...it'll be too soon...

[Romulox]

43. Mandatory, for-profit insurance will ensure a LOT more money for commercials.

They ain't going anywhere.

[redqueen]

46. Oh hell yes.

I don't know when that idiotic idea got green-lighted but that was one glaring bit of idiocy right there.

[Vidar]

50. I get a kick of out of the side effect profiles. They can cure your sniffles, but death may result.

[Initech]

55. I agree, I dont need to hear about people's bathroom habits while I'm eating.

Fuck you, Flomax.

[Raine]

58. I HATE those commercials

so much! :argh:

[uppityperson]

61. Me too. Advertising medicine, selling medicine by advertising is just plain wrong. nt