Would DUers please explain to me how the makers of

[malaise]

Ambien are allowed to advertise that product on television and tell people that one of the side effects is suicidal tendencies. WTF is wrong with these pharmaceutical companies? How irresponsible are the channels that allow these devastating drugs to be advertised let alone sold? At what point is their protection for citizens from these greedy evil men.

[Emit]

1. As I understand it, they are allowed to advertise only if they list the major side effects. n/t

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. I am in favor of banning all drug commercials

The pharma companies need to be spending their money on research instead of encouraging self-diagnosis.

[malaise]

3. I agree 100% n/t

[Happyhippychick]

4. I TOTALLY agree!

[NC_Nurse]

9. Me too. They are continually making up new "conditions" you might have too.

WTF?

I take ambien, BTW, not sleeping can make you suicidal too. ;-) I still think they shouldn't advertise it.

[abluelady]

21. I Think We're One of Two Countries

in the western world that allow drug advertising. The other might be New Zealand, but I'm not positive. I am positive, though, that it shouldn't be allowed. It is just another flaw in consumerism and medicine, imho.

[cwydro]

40. YES!

Great idea!

[Mrs. Overall]

5. I find the side effects for the drug for restless leg syndrome outrageous, too--

uncontrolled gambling and sexual impulses (just to name a few).

Sorry, I'd rather have my legs tremble.

[malaise]

6. hahahahahha

My younger sister told me that an expert told her that restless leg syndrome doesn't exist but that big pharma made the drug and then came up with RLS to use it. :D

[Mrs. Overall]

10. Exactly!

I know a couple of people who are afflicted with it and I want to tell them to get up off their asses once in awhile and walk around a little bit and then maybe their legs won't feel weird at night.

[Mariana]

55. How do they get so many doctors to go along with it?

That's what I don't understand.

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. The toenail fungus commercial was the one that sent me over the edge

I asked my doctor if she had ever treated it and she said never. She also said that particular medication was very very expensive.

[MineralMan]

13. I've had toenail fungus for over 40 years. One doctor

giving me a physical offered to prescribe some anti-fungal drug for it. I asked about the side effects. Liver damage was the one he mentioned first. I told him that my toenails didn't bother me and that I'd pass on a drug that could shorten my life. Still have the fungus toenails, but my liver's just fine, thank.

[Paper Roses]

43. My husband got rid of the infection he had using Tea tree Oil.

It is about 3 to 4 dollars at CVS, comes in a tiny bottle and you use hardly a drop on your toe. The cure was given to him by a Nurse Practitioner at the VA.

Like any of these treatments, it took a while but it did work. He did not like taking drugs and this was the alternative. It is natural, had no side effects that he noticed. You can google tea tree oil, I believe it is a natural product.

[malaise]

45. Tea tree oil also works wonders for

dry scalp and yes it's a natural product.

[Overseas]

25. Seems like some side effects lead to re-marketing a drug

Like if the blood pressure medication makes it difficult for people to pee, then they rebrand the product as a way to fix incontinence, with the side-effect that it "may cause a sudden drop in blood pressure."

Or if a common drug gives you muscle shakes in the legs at night, then they'll find one that makes muscles sluggish and push that to cure the side effects of the other one.

[Mrs. Overall]

27. Ah, now that's interesting. I bet that is absolutely what they do.

My elderly mother never questions her doctor and she must be on at least ten prescriptions for various, odd things (aside from blood pressure meds).

[malaise]

28. Profound

Hadn't thought about that.

[Buns_of_Fire]

57. ...for example, Rogaine (Minoxidil) was originally a high-blood-pressure treatment...

until they discovered its now well-known side effect -- and Viagra was initially being studied as another high-blood-pressure (and angina) treatment.

Until, I guess, Upjohn and Pfizer realized that there sure seemed to be a lot of hairy, horny guys with low blood pressure running around all of a sudden.

[ovidsen]

7. The 11th Commandment at work.

It's the one that says "cover thine ass", and that's exactly what Big Pharma is doing. By mentioning side effects in ads for drugs, it's trying to insulate itself from legal action from, say, the relatives of people who take Ambien and then kill themselves.

I completely agree with the other posters here who say that ads for prescription drugs should be banned (again). They simply encourage people to self diagnose (and anyone who plays "doctor" and tries to treat himself or herself has a fool for a patient), and the money wasted on ads could be much better spend on drug R&D.

[MineralMan]

8. In rare cases, you may experience sudden death. If this occurs

while using Perpetuin™, relatives should contact a funeral home immediately.

I fully expect to hear something like this soon on one of the drug ads.

[NC_Nurse]

11. LOL. Actually, there are a few where they say "In rare instances, sudden death may

occur. Can't remember which drug it is tho...

[MineralMan]

18. Haven't heard that one...

I'm not surprised, though. I detest those ads...all of them. They encourage patients to ask for these meds, and docs are happy to write the scripts. Most often, there's a generic that will work just fine.

I have restless leg syndrome. It's not at all severe, but does keep me awake sometimes. I discovered that a single ibuprofen pill about half an hour before bedtime does away with it.

[NC_Nurse]

30. Yep. They've found getting the patients sold on meds before they even get to the

doctor is very profitable. Most docs don't have the time or the energy to argue with a patient who wants
some drug they saw on teevee...

I get patients sometimes with a two page list of medications. That CAN'T be good for you. How can you even eat any food with all those meds to take all day long? Yuck.
Half of them probably cancel out the other half anyway.

I'm sure it's a great contributor to the high cost of healthcare these days. Overutilization of pharmaceuticals.

[MineralMan]

36. My wife and I monitor her mother's meds all the time.

For a while, she was seeing several doctors for different things. Each, of course, prescribed something, or multiple things. If we weren't monitoring her prescriptions, she'd have been taking several drugs with the same function, each prescribed by a different physician. Very annoying, considering that every time she visits a doctor she lists all her meds, or my wife or I do.

Worse, she uses the same pharmacy for all her meds, and they don't seem to check either. I'm annoyed, to say the least, and her primary care physician is quite used to us consulting with him about her prescription list.

She doesn't have any dementia, but has always been a little scatter-brained about medical stuff, so it's one of the things we have to keep an eye on.

[malaise]

54. Senior citizens are the easiest group to rip off

It's really sad the way corporations prey on people many of whom have served their country with dignity.

[malaise]

15. LOL

Don't rule it out. :D

[panader0]

14. The real war on drugs should be against big Pharma

They demonize marijuana and then try to sell us hundreds of horrible, expensive and dangerous crap drugs.

[malaise]

17. 100% correct n/t

[LeftyFingerPop]

16. C'mon DUers!! What's the big deal?

Temporary muscle spasms that may become permanent

Moderate to severe volumes of blood spurting from nose and eye sockets

Sudden loss of your teeth

Voluminous rectal discharge

Uncontrollable spontaneous urination

Complete detachment of prostate gland while in social situations

etc. etc. etc.

Once again, DU makes a big deal over minor issues.

[malaise]

20. Too good

:rofl:

[havocmom]

29. And those side effects are possible with teabag protest attendance

Just an observation though, so Beck doesn't have to mention it, yet

[Kajsa]

19. " side effects include;"

List of side effects,

i.e.

kiss your ass goodbye,

but----

" ask your doctor if ______ is right for you!"

:puke:

[malaise]

23. And if Doc has been on one of those lovely trips

'sponsored' by you know who, make sure you have a living will or they'll keep you alive until your bank account is depleted and the house is seized.

[havocmom]

32. Wonder if drug junkets are down now that Big Pharma markets direct to patients

Let the patients pester the doctors. Much cheaper and more effective than courting the doctors directly. <-- some Big Pharma exec probably got a HUGE bonus for thinkin' up that equation.

[malaise]

38. I'm sure I read of a big court fine recently

over doctors on junkets with one of the pharma companies

[Kajsa]

33. Yep!

You got that right, Malaise.

:(

[Octafish]

22. This photo shows the Searle CEO at work...

He was free to shill for War Inc all he wanted --
even with those who used them against their own people.

What we need is a government that answers to We the People --
like its designed to do.

[malaise]

24. You know other than aspirin, panadol and those low level

pain killers, I have never seen prescription drugs advertised on TV anywhere else in the world but the US. That may explain the high cost of health care and medicine in the US versus everyone else.

[sam sarrha]

31. before Aspirin Weed was the most prescribed medication... >LINK>>

http://www.jackherer.com/chapters.html

[malaise]

34. Hey I live in Jamaica

Weed does not need to be prescribed. Old ladies and old men take their teaspoon of tonic nightly before bed(weed soaked in white rum). Others drink ganja tea; many smoke it; people bake herb cookies, include it in carrot cake or include it in a variety of recipes.

Doctors even made an eye medication with the all purpose herb.

[sam sarrha]

48. you are Truely Blessed... take a toke foe me while enjoy'n paradise

:hippie:

[malaise]

52. We gave that up years ago

:D

[Octafish]

35. Watching the ''evening news'' makes clear they're about the only ones who can afford to advertise...

...on the tee vee all they want, apart from Big Oil and Wall Street.
Knowing Rummy and Co., they passed the cost along to the consumer-citizen.

[malaise]

37. Now just you take your flue shots

and give Rummy his money :evilgrin:

[sam sarrha]

26. Strattera, a recycled failed anti-depressant causes 12 yr olds to commit suicide, i was prescribed

that bullshit at 55 and the Warnings are DECEPTIVE,.. those drugs cause 'Hallucinations', you don't know what is real. except the reality that the drug causes.. THERE IS NO OTHER FUCKING PLACE TO GO IN THERE.. there is no god damned door marked EXIT. you are stuck.. there is no way out of that hell..IT CREATES YOUR REALITY.

i was lost in a steven king nightmare where every body else was was dead or going to die, i knew that my mother and my wife would be dead, i couldn't deal with the rotting corpses, i would have to leave the house and find some place to wait for my own death. i had horribly depressing "VISIONS-HALLUCINATIONS" OF SITTING IN THE WOODS WAITING TO STARVE TO DEATH IN THE COLD AND WET..

i told my doctor, he brushed it off, i know he didn't report it .

i cant find the Norwegian study that was faked, my computer crashed, and now MSN has hijacked my computer, it approved strattera when only about 4 out of 20 people actually finished the study, seems most quit cause the shit is EVIL, they just never came back.. it was approved anyway.

the drug failed all testing as an anti depressant, they hired a NIGERIAN mathematician to tweak the numbers and magically turned it into something to poison our children with... i figure he is also the guy that sends you those e-mail letters

[malaise]

39. Damn that's frightening n/t

[sam sarrha]

49. if it hadn't been for my Hippie days.. i might have been lost for good, but i had the practice of

being able to step back in one, i came out of the last strattera hallucination shaking my head violently trying to wake up.. i have 8 years experience meditating. probably saved me.

[Spazito]

41. They can't advertise in Canada....

Viagra is the only prescribed drug that tried to find a way around the law and it was hilarious. The ad consisted of a man leaving his home with a big smile, leaping over the fence to the tune of "Zippy Do Da". That one didn't last very long, lol.



Of course we do get the American channels so see the ads Americans are bombarded with and it is disgusting, imo.

[malaise]

44. It's mind-blowing to me

I have a cousin who visits us once a year and she loves Lifetime - all they show are movies to depress women interspersed with big pharma ads.

[Spazito]

46. It is mind-blowing to me as well....

The ads are, to me, so obvious. The intent is for the person viewing them to deem themselves afflicted by the 'problem' and then to demand from their doctor the product they are selling.

It would be laughable if it weren't so insidious.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

42. My "favorite" ad was for a pill for yeast infections. One of the side effects can be lymphoma.

Meanwhile, the topical remedies are perfectly safe.

[CanSocDem]

47. Even in Canada....

...where pharma-advertising is banned, we are affected by its' influence. The largest selling over-the counter drugs in Canada, are the ones most heavily advertised on U.S. television. If you watch ANY television at all, you can't avoid their attempts to make you feel like a sickly consumer. And they're good at it.

It's interesting watching them react to proposed changes coming from their customer base. They've never had to do that before so they are stepping up their campaign to convince you that they are your only salvation.

In the last several months the one aspect of their advertising that I've noticed changes in, is the inclusion of "your doctor" in the application of the drug. I think it is correct to surmise that PharmaCorp can depend on ModernMedicineInc., to continue the strategy that has made them both rich.

I think it is treating illusion with illusion, but that's just me.

.

[malaise]

51. It's the same everywhere there is cable television

The sad part is that human beings bestow an amazing amount of power and authority to advertisers. Way too many people are gullible.

[Are_grits_groceries]

50. I don't think any drug advertising should be allowed.

They also should print out warnings that are understandable,and not in microprint.

I have gotten some of the inserts that doctors usually remove from drug packaging. I can understand enough of the science about the studies that it gives me the willies.

The other problem with taking drugs are the interactions and side affects. One drug will raise blood pressure. Another you might need to take lowers it. There are other conditions that drugs have that will work in opposition. It's like taking a witches brew. Who knows what is really going to shake out after all the interactions.

Any drug dealing with depression or anxiety is scary. You have to find the right drug and the right amount. If you take a drug, it might work, but only at a certain level. Almost all drugs dealing with depression have warnings that say they might cause suicidal tendencies.

My horror story:

When I was first depressed it was in the Middle Ages, and there weren't nearly as many treatments. I was given Thorazine. I got tardive dyskenisia:
Tardive dyskinesia is characterized by repetitive, involuntary, purposeless movements. Features of the disorder may include grimacing, tongue protrusion, lip smacking, puckering and pursing, and rapid eye blinking. Rapid movements of the arms, legs, and trunk may also occur. Involuntary movements of the fingers may appear as though the patient is playing an invisible guitar or piano.

I was scared as shit because I couldn't control my body and the nurses asked me what drugs I had sneaked in. They thought I had taken something myself that caused it. They finally took me off of it, and after several days I was okay. I wanted to die. During that time, I seriously wanted to die.

[mdmc]

53. I really like ambien

I've actually slept walked on it a couple of times.
I remember when I was living with my parents I awoke in the driveway.
I was in my sweatpants and a tee-shirt.
I was trying to get into one of the cars.
I bet I would have driven off if the car was unlocked and had the keys in it.

Yup..some wild stuff indeed..

[The Midway Rebel]

56. Wow, DU finally hit upon my pet peeve

I do not have cable or satellite and my TV gets constantly bombed with big pharma propaganda. It drives me crazy.

This is what I hear:

You are depressed, you suffer from social anxiety disorder, regular anxiety disorder, you have pimples, hemorrhoids, you are an insomniac, your breath stinks, you are dyspeptic with acid reflux, you're bald, have toe nail fungus and you are overweight. Why, you are so messed up and backward, you nose runs and your feet smells. Take this crap and if the side effects are worde than the symptoms...well, ask your Dr. and we will find some other toxin to put in your body.

This is the one case where I take Nancy Reagan's advice and just say NO!

[malaise]

58. That's the meme

and don't forget that restless leg. :D