Thoughts on drug advertising commercials.

[Limitool]

I was just wondering if I was the only one or there are others who DO NOT LIKE seeing drug companies advertising to the general public. Outside of premium viewing on my TV it seems a large majority of the 1 minute ads are drug companies advertisements. We all watch normal people doing normal things all the while listening to all the ailments they all suffer from. The first 30 seconds are all the ailments. The next 30 seconds are all side effects. But the real kicker that always gets on my nerves is at the end of each commercial the speaker always says.... "Ask your Doctor if (this shit) is right for you"...!

Now the drug companies want you to sort through your ailments, listen to them, than YOU solicit the Doctor if their drug is right for you. And there's where I draw the line. When I go to the Doctor I'll tell him the ailments and/or problem and I'll trust him/her to prescribe a drug if needed. I'm paying the Doctor to do this and I'll be damned if I'm going to ask or suggest a drug off a TV commercial. The drug company is suggesting you diagnosis yourself and inquire. That just seems so backwards and unprofessional to me.

How are they allowed to peddle their prescribed drugs on TV to people who can't access them except through their dealer / Doctor. But it's legal obviously.
Next will be cocaine, heroin and crack manufacturers advertising and urging you to ask your dealer if they have this drug and if it's right for YOU. End of rant.

 

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[Carl-NC]

LMAO, I cut the cable over 10 years ago so I don't see this crap except when I travel. I turn on the hotel TV, pick a channel, and am instantly reminded why I got rid of cable. Besides the outrageous pricing. My favorite is when I visit family in Florida, non-stop lawyer commercials: "We'll sue anyone for you, and it won't cost you a cent!" Americans are grossly over-medicated and grossly over-litigious.

 

[robertk]

My favorite is when I visit family in Florida, non-stop lawyer commercials: "We'll sue anyone for you, and it won't cost you a cent!"

 

[releventchair]

Between fine print and side effects nothing in half a century has had enough appeal to ask a doctor.
Been years since seeing my primary doctor anyways, it's usually a want to be assistant' (physicians assistant or similar that prescribes a pain reliever regardless of my being me).

I had to lobby to be assisted by being weaned off multiple prescribed pain meds long ago.
Not looking to revisit such.
Morphine? Yes please. Why mess around with less effective stuff?

Fine print should be illegal.

 

[ArfieBoy]

I agree with all of you! Being an elderly gentleman (okay, I' a grumpy old geezer and ancient veteran) I hate all the drug commercials on TV! Too many of them are aimed at my age group, and I include all the "miracle" supplements. I openly refer to the supplements as the modern equivalents of "snake oil sales!" As relevantchair stated, if you read the side effects of most of the drugs, they will do more harm to you and your health than the original condition. All those adds ought to be outlawed!

Thanks for letting me rant!

 

[Red-Coat]

Interestingly, surveys conducted by the FDA in 2004 found that most (surveyed) physicians felt that DTC (Direct-to-Consumer) advertising of drugs made their patients more aware of treatments and more engaged in their own health care. Also 27% of consumers were prompted by such advertising to make an appointment with their physician in relation to a condition they had not previously discussed.

Over here, DTC adverts for prescription drugs are not permitted. In fact I think it’s only you guys and New Zealand that have them.

The prevailing view here is that DTC adverts may misinform patients by over-emphasizing treatment benefits, under-emphasizing treatment risks, and promoting drugs over healthy lifestyle choices as well as potentially leading to overutilization and inappropriate prescribing.

Also worth remembering that we don’t pay for prescription drugs in the UK. We only pay for the prescription itself, which is about $12 per item, or $140 to cover you for a full year if you need a larger number of drugs and/or multiple renewals (free once you’re over sixty or if you’re a hospital inpatient.)

PS: You only have to go back to 1913 to see heroin being advertised by Bayer.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Ban them all.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

The advertising does have an advantage as it helps spread the word about drugs that may benefit some patients who have limited options and may not be aware of them.

 

[ARC]

Same sh-t ... different day.

 

[Limitool]

The advertising does have an advantage as it helps spread the word about drugs that may benefit some patients who have limited options and may not be aware of them.

Ok... help me understand. How does it help with patients with limited options...? All I hear at the end of ad is drug companies asking consumers to solicit their Doctor for their drug. Maybe I'm not understanding.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Ok... help me understand. How does it help with patients with limited options...? All I hear at the end of ad is drug companies asking consumers to solicit their Doctor for their drug. Maybe I'm not understanding.

If you don't know about the drug you can't ask your doctors about them. The only objection I have is the cost of the ads which drives up the drug prices. The ads also help educate people about the side-effects if they are prescribed.

 

[Limitool]

If you don't know about the drug you can't ask your doctors about them. The only objection I have is the cost of the ads which drives up the drug prices. The ads also help educate people about the side-effects if they are prescribed.

Well I guess that's where my problem is.... I don't want to go to my Doctor and ask about any drug ever. I'm paying him/her to listen to me in person and then prescribe a possible needed drug and any side effects. Not the other way around. I bet your right about ad's driving up drug prices.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Well I guess that's where my problem is.... I don't want to go to my Doctor and ask about any drug ever. I'm paying him/her to listen to me in person and then prescribe a possible needed drug and any side effects. Not the other way around. I bet your right about ad's driving up drug prices.

It's a fact the advertising drives up the prices...

 

[releventchair]

If you don't know about the drug you can't ask your doctors about them. The only objection I have is the cost of the ads which drives up the drug prices. The ads also help educate people about the side-effects if they are prescribed.

Doctors are exposed to more meds than I.
Including from lobbying . Here here's some free samples ect..

Without going into details of why ,I could use some stout drugs. Yet get prescribed stupid crap I can buy off the shelf basically.
I'm trying to NOT take pain meds that are stout again. I may lose that fight before long.
Then I won't be prescribed my choice.

What I feel from recent (well past) visits is the attendant physician is terrified I might be DR. shopping for drugs. Nevermind my long term relationship with this Dr. Or my not recieving scripts for powerful drugs with them.
(My scripts were from elsewhere.)

So I'm going to visit the wanna be Dr. about a med I saw on T.V.?
Next I'll describe my condition calling for it's use based on what? A commercial? Self diagnosis? Or delight of all medical staff , a self diagnosis derived from internet browsing?

 

[ole miss rebel]

I filled prescriptions for 15 years & I agree with the OP, let the doctor do the prescribing!
I've seen the drug store industry go from a cash only business (up to the mid 1980's) to an insurance business. Now the pharmaceutical AND insurance companies are in a symbiotic relationship for big profits.

 

[Limitool]

I agree with all of you! Being an elderly gentleman (okay, I' a grumpy old geezer and ancient veteran) I hate all the drug commercials on TV! Too many of them are aimed at my age group, and I include all the "miracle" supplements. I openly refer to the supplements as the modern equivalents of "snake oil sales!" As relevantchair stated, if you read the side effects of most of the drugs, they will do more harm to you and your health than the original condition. All those adds ought to be outlawed!

Thanks for letting me rant!

And.... I totally agree with you on the "miracle" supplements part also (along with the drugs). And some of the people who pitch them I'm surprised at. But I guess they get enough money to say anything. They are very annoying also too.

Rant on sir... your on a roll....

 

[WoodsDigger]

I was just wondering if I was the only one or there are others who DO NOT LIKE seeing drug companies advertising to the general public. Outside of premium viewing on my TV it seems a large majority of the 1 minute ads are drug companies advertisements. We all watch normal people doing normal things all the while listening to all the ailments they all suffer from. The first 30 seconds are all the ailments. The next 30 seconds are all side effects. But the real kicker that always gets on my nerves is at the end of each commercial the speaker always says.... "Ask your Doctor if (this shit) is right for you"...!

Now the drug companies want you to sort through your ailments, listen to them, than YOU solicit the Doctor if their drug is right for you. And there's where I draw the line. When I go to the Doctor I'll tell him the ailments and/or problem and I'll trust him/her to prescribe a drug if needed. I'm paying the Doctor to do this and I'll be damned if I'm going to ask or suggest a drug off a TV commercial. The drug company is suggesting you diagnosis yourself and inquire. That just seems so backwards and unprofessional to me.

How are they allowed to peddle their prescribed drugs on TV to people who can't access them except through their dealer / Doctor. But it's legal obviously.
Next will be cocaine, heroin and crack manufacturers advertising and urging you to ask your dealer if they have this drug and if it's right for YOU. End of rant.

We watch streaming TV. No medical adds. My wife had cancer. Her friend had cancer at 48 and Drs tried so hard to kill her she wrote a book which just came out on Amazon.

 

[Limitool]

We watch streaming TV. No medical adds. My wife had cancer. Her friend had cancer at 48 and Drs tried so hard to kill her she wrote a book which just came out on Amazon.

Sorry to hear about your wife & friend. Your right about the streaming as we do that also a lot. And no drug ads appear.

 

[WoodsDigger]

Sorry to hear about your wife & friend. Your right about the streaming as we do that also a lot. And no drug ads appear.

We are all alive !! Thank you. All the commercials are controlled by the FCC and probably who pays the most for the air time. Whats that say lol. We have some family members with health issues. It's alot. We come home to watch TV, retreat, try to slip away watching our favorite show and then the Ozempic commercial comes on. We mute the TV, then our show comes back on we miss it cause the volume is down .

 

[Limitool]

We are all alive !! Thank you. All the commercials are controlled by the FCC and probably who pays the most for the air time. Whats that say lol. We have some family members with health issues. It's alot. We come home to watch TV, retreat, try to slip away watching our favorite show and then the Ozempic commercial comes on. We mute the TV, then our show comes back on we miss it cause the volume is down .

Kinda glad to hear I'm not the only one who's muted the TV over a ad, got distracted and then discovered primary show has been back on...!!! But I did SKIP THAT DRUG AD... again.