Prescription drug comercials

What is up with society and congress? About a decade ago the drug companies were called to congress about all the commercials and advertising to the public. The companies said they were not advertising to the public, but educating doctors. All the commercials i see now all say ask your doctor. What does that tell you? They are advertising to the public. Yet congress or the public do not care anymore. All this is is tax avoidance. That money should be taxed not spent on more advertising than they need. Why would they do this To market and sell more products to people that may not need them. To make more money. To avoid taxation? Do they own the agencies that advertise or get a kickback of some kind somewhere? I think more people should call their congressmen and woman and complain.

a reply to: roth1

They are all in bed together.

It is all about the $$$$

None of our so called elected officials give a rats ass about us peons.

When I do watch TV, there are drug commercials on every channel and listening to the side effects of most of them is extremely concerning.

Do not take recprocockal (eliminababab) if you suffer from being alive. Side affects include nausea, diarrhea, paralysis, loss of limbs and suicidal thoughts (all the while people are smiling and having a really fun time barbecuing).

"May cause swelling of the face, hands, or eyes. In some cases, a rare but serious blood condition develops.

Yellowing of the skin and eyes.

[Insert drug name here] increases the chance of stroke and heart attack. Do not take [ insert drug name again] if you have a weakened immune system from conditions such as HIV."

And it goes on, and on, and on....

Horrifying, indeed! Have any of you been seeing the more and more frequent commercials for medicines that cause crazy negative effects and these law firms have class action suits? One was for a medicine that caused boys/men to develop female breasts. Pharmies are so sketch but people take them without hesitation as doctors prescribe more and more.... what in the world will it be next, pharmaceutical grade COMMON SENSE would be a good one! a reply to: InTheLight

a reply to: FamCore

I know, it is very horrifying, but how can people sue these drug companies when the drug companies are coming clean with all the side effects?

It's crazy. Like seriously demented. Who watches a commercial like that and then thinks it would be a good idea to get on some freaking maintenance drug?

This is the kind of thing where Huxley got it right.....

a reply to: kosmicjack

I have taken a lot of different medications in the last 14 years and I haven't had many side effects, they do list them all to avoid lawsuits, but a very small percentage of people experience any of the side effects.

I can't stand these commercials. I love how on almost every one, the side effects are worse than whatever you're treating. Sometimes the side effects are the exact same symptoms that the damn disease they're treating gives.

"STOP YOUR DEPRESSION NOW! " (Warning: May cause suicidal thoughts) ....WHAT

And of course every time you see a new drug getting pushed in these commercials, a few months later you start seeing the

"IF YOU HAVE TAKEN X AND DIED, PLEASE CALL OUR LAW FIRM. YOU MAY HAVE A CASE" commercials.

a reply to: catt3

I'm sure they say that about Tylenol and aspartame too. Sometimes the effects aren't fully recognized until later.

We on the receiving end of the "medications" need to by law ban medications with risks of causing side effects like death, organ failure, rash, behavior, tardive diskonesia, dystonia, and all detrimental others.

originally posted by: Charizard

And of course every time you see a new drug getting pushed in these commercials, a few months later you start seeing the

"IF YOU HAVE TAKEN X AND DIED, PLEASE CALL OUR LAW FIRM. YOU MAY HAVE A CASE" commercials.

It reeeally makes you wonder doesn't it?

Big Pharma and lawyers, 2 out of the 4 things seriously wrong with healthcare....the other two being insurers and the doctors themselves. LoL!

At least people seem to be overcoming their naive 'Reader's Digest' outlook on doctors in general.
They don't trust doctors because they know the drs are out to make $$$ and don't care about their
patients.

Those commercials always have the line "Ask your doctor if XYZ is right for you."
How the hell does the doctor know?
I guess if you die, it wasn't right for you.

a reply to: sanitizedinfo

Agreed, unless the only alternative to non-treatment is death.

Don't drugs with these outrageous side effects violate the Hippocratic Oath, "First do no harm."?

I listen to the list of possible side effects of those commercials, many of which are worse than what you are being treated for, and wonder why they bother advertising. I feel they are trying to make us think that these side effects are the only side effects and that they are trying to get us to ignore them, making us think that the government is making them tell us this. In actuality, by them telling us of them we are responsible to tell the doctor if these things happen and they get less liability because it is our responsibility. Those are real side effects and they are just the ones that they know of already. They will take the drug off the market in three years when the lists get big then hire a class action lawsuit firm to advertise for people to join in their suit in the least common problem so there are few people to collect.

This is all a big scam to shift our focus away from the truth, but this is just my opinion, just a conspiracy theory which I will not provide any evidence about so their lawyers don't start hassling me. Sort of a fictional account of things.

a reply to: kosmicjack
I don't think doctors even take the oath anymore, they mixed 2 meds with me and I got dystonia and neck disk degeneration due to medical blackmail between my group home and psych ward psychiatrist.

Once my Doctor asked me if I'd like to try a certain med. I said, "You mean the one that causes, this, this, this and even death? Oh yeah give me some of that! " She laughed. I didn't take it, but all my meds have some pretty scary side affects.

a reply to: rickymouse

These are the side effects for paracetamol:

As well as its needed effects, acetaminophen (the active ingredient contained in Paracetamol) may cause unwanted side effects that require medical attention.

If any of the following side effects occur while taking acetaminophen, check with your doctor immediately:

Rare
Bloody or black, tarry stools
bloody or cloudy urine
fever with or without chills (not present before treatment and not caused by the condition being treated)
pain in the lower back and/or side (severe and/or sharp)
pinpoint red spots on the skin
skin rash, hives, or itching
sore throat (not present before treatment and not caused by the condition being treated)
sores, ulcers, or white spots on the lips or in the mouth
sudden decrease in the amount of urine
unusual bleeding or bruising
unusual tiredness or weakness
yellow eyes or skin
If any of the following symptoms of overdose occur while taking acetaminophen, get emergency help immediately:

Symptoms of overdose
Diarrhea
increased sweating
loss of appetite
nausea or vomiting
stomach cramps or pain
swelling, pain, or tenderness in the upper abdomen or stomach area

www.drugs.com...

The overwhelming majority of people won't experience any of these. They still have to be listed, though.

all of the meds advertised on tv have side effects primarily to the liver kidney heart lungs brain tastebuds hearing aka erectiledysfunction acidindigestion headaches sorejoints drymouth anxiety sleep loss etc

originally posted by: kosmicjack
a reply to: sanitizedinfo

Agreed, unless the only alternative to non-treatment is death.

Don't drugs with these outrageous side effects violate the Hippocratic Oath, "First do no harm."?

That's exactly what I thought, then came across a page that said that doctors, could advise patients on correct dietary procedures to cure and eliminate most of the diseases. The doctors excuse was most of my patients would not change their diets. But Mere MDs are down the pecking order, and if they stopped supplying all the cattle for Angioplasties etc. they would not be to popular with those higher up the food chain. Thus a comfortable middle class income could be forfeit. The joke is that if your on medication most of it will require another lot of medication down the line with the side effect syndrome getting so bad that you are either dead or broke.