Do Drug Ads Scare you?

I only see Drug ads in my magazine and I ignore them. Any prescriptions (only for for cholesterol and pain meds if arthritis really bad) are through my family doctor and if I wanted to take an OTC drug, I would ask my pharmacist first or my doctor if they advise. I used to take Tums too but since I lost weight and smaller meals, I don't have that problem anymore.
 
hollydolly said:
Only OTC drugs are permitted to be advertised on TV in this country... no Pharmaceutical drugs which need prescriptions are permitted.. ..thank God for that tbh.
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The U.S. and New Zealand are the only nations which allow these "Ask Your Doctor" ads on TV. Here, the drug companies spend at least 5 billion dollars a year on this crap, and you can bet that these advertising costs are added to the charges at the pharmacy. These ads are among the reasons why drugs cost twice as much here as the same thing costs in Canada or Mexico.

A large portion of people who are hooked on these drugs could eliminate that addiction if they adopted a more healthy lifestyle....diet, exercise, etc. Obesity, for example, accounts for almost 1/3rd of our nations health care costs.

At the bare minimum, IF a person has to take some any of these concoctions, they would be wise to do some careful research on their own, via sites like Drugs.com, WebMD, etc., as many of doctors get substantial kickbacks from the drug companies, and have little concern about potential side effects.
 

There are a lot of people, who are just waiting for that one law suit to put them on easy street for the rest of their lives. So, most of the drug ad ramblings are for liability purposes. They don't bother me, now about car insurance, and "final expense" insurance ads......................................
 
I ignore all drug ads simply because I take a generic for hereditary cholesterol. But in general I think the ads for prescription drugs are good because they are informative about what the drug is targeted for and what the side effects could be. Especially good is the list of side effects that quite often IMO are far worse than what the drug is supposed to help with.

Then there is the CYA at the end where the listener is advised to check with their doctor before taking the drug. The drug has to be prescribed so how is the listener going to get it? Wouldn't it be more accurate to tell your doctor that you heard an advertisement for the drug that seems to be related to whatever you have?


My reason for thinking the ads for prescription drugs are good. Considering the quantity of drugs & conditions I wouldn't expect a PCP to know every drug that comes onto the market.
 
The ads are rather amusing. They need to improve their timing.
I saw one of those ads for testosterone supplements - the usual "Have more energy, lose weight, gain muscle, please her all night....etc."
Right after that ad, "If you took testosterone supplements & were later diagnosed with cancer, call this attorney."
 
Canada doesn’t permit advertising of drugs directly to the consumer through television but when they did, I disliked hearing the huge long lists of possible side effects but good to know.
For instance if you take certain anti depressants because you’re depressed , one of the side effects are suicidal tendencies. That completely baffles me.
 
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Keesha said:
Canada doesn’t permit advertising of drugs directly to the consumer through through television but when they did, I disliked hearing the huge long lists of possible side effects but good to know.
For instance if you take certain anti depressants because you’re depressed , one of the side effects are suicidal tendencies. That completely baffles me.
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After several mass shootings (including school kids & the Las Vegas shooter), they found that all of them were on antidepressants. They added "May cause homicidal tendencies" to the suicide warning. They prescribe these drugs like Skittles - a dangerous way to profit.
 
win231 said:
After several mass shootings (including school kids & the Las Vegas shooter), they found that all of them were on antidepressants. They added "May cause homicidal tendencies" to the suicide warning. They prescribe these drugs like Skittles - a dangerous way to profit.
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Yes it’s scary. The majority think as long as people with mental disorders take the suggested prescription, that everything’s good. Most of our mass shootings are done by people with mental disorders, all taking prescription drugs.
 
Keesha said:
Yes it’s scary. The majority think as long as people with mental disorders take the suggested prescription, that everything’s good. Most of our mass shootings are done by people with mental disorders, all taking prescription drugs.
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When my nephew was 12 & having problems with his parents' divorce, his mother took him to a doctor who immediately put him on Paxil & some other drug. I argued frequently with his mother, but she repeatedly reminded me that "I'm not a doctor, so I don't know."
After several violent outbursts, his mother took him off all drugs - against the doctor's advice.
When the connection to violent behavior was made, I asked my nephew what effect the drugs had on him. He explained it this way:
"When you're depressed or frustrated, you may want to do something violent, but your brain stops you from doing it because you know it's wrong & it's crazy. When you're on these drugs, you don't care & have much less restriction on impulsive behavior."
Interesting - similar to the effect alcohol has on some people.
 
Em in Ohio said:
Now that we are all more health conscious due to the pandemic, it seems that drug ads are proliferating in the US. The reason that I avoid drugs as much as possible is because of the side-effects warnings that accompany them. Today, I Googled to find out more. It was very enlightening! Am I alone or do others avoid possible treatments because of these warnings?

https://www.goodrx.com/blog/prescription-drug-advertising-regulation-united-states/
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The side effects do not scare me. The drug companies put all that in to cover themselves legally. What scares me more are the ingredients we are putting into our bodies. Research that. It is an eye opener!
 
The ads are always the same, clips of people holding hands and walking, walking thier dogs, playing with grandkids etc. However the majority of the commercial is actually spent telling you the horrific side effects that they are legally responsible to disclose so they don't get sued. Most sound worse or as bad than the condition they are designed to prevent/help. To me it seems like between drug and insurance commercials they take up 90% of the ads on TV.
 
DearRaven said:
The side effects do not scare me. The drug companies put all that in to cover themselves legally. What scares me more are the ingredients we are putting into our bodies. Research that. It is an eye opener!
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smiley w question mark.jpg

I recently learned that some blood pressure meds used to use snake venom. What ingredients bother you?
 
win231 said:
After several mass shootings (including school kids & the Las Vegas shooter), they found that all of them were on antidepressants. They added "May cause homicidal tendencies" to the suicide warning. They prescribe these drugs like Skittles - a dangerous way to profit.
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Yes, how many kids need to commit suicide or people engage in mass shootings before somebody in authority puts a stop to this crap?!?
 
JaniceM said:
Yes, how many kids need to commit suicide or people engage in mass shootings before somebody in authority puts a stop to this crap?!?
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Where money is involved, no one will put a stop to it. Besides, they already have a scapegoat: "It's those damn guns."
 
Long ago, the head of one of the major pharmaceutical companies said it was 'his dream' to 'make drugs for healthy people,' because, then, they'd be able to "sell to everyone." He said he wanted his company to be like Wrigley's producing chewing gum.
Seems his dream has been accomplished.. not only 'psychiatric' drugs, but even drugs for trumped-up or non-existent medical conditions.
 

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