Would you like to see prescription drug commercials not allowed on TV?

For the most part, I would like to see prescription drug commercials banned from television. One way to slow down the group of people who try and diagnose their own illnesses and go to certain questionable doctors to have them rubberstamp the patients uneducated guesses.

Agreed, ban the stupid things

Cycloptichorn

yeah, ban, that's a great way to demonstrate both democracy and free speech. I say we ban brussels sprouts cause they're icky and stinky. Bozos!

ban, Ban, BAN!

wait... isn't that a deodorant?

Actually, I think we should pass legislation that prevents the use of X or Z in all new formulations. We've got all the Xs and Zs we can handle.

if it wasn't for pharmaceutical ads, i wouldn't know that if i can't get it up, my wife and i only have to sit in individual bathtubs on the beach, or a mountain top or some other random spot there wouldn't be a bathtub

I just marvel that lots of people take most of the hype seriously. Each new drug makes millions, if not billions for the drug companies.

I'm less annoyed with the prescription drug ads than with the other snake-oil being sold.

The other day I saw an ad for some crap that they were "giving away" for a "clinical trial" and all you had to pay was shipping and handling to be one of the lucky few who would be included in the clinical trial. It all sounded very official, but it's just the usual BS that people fall for all the time. I checked the fine print just for laughs and here's the deal: If you use the whole bottle and you don't like it return it within 30 days and they won't charge your ccard. But the bottle they send you is a 60 day supply so by the time you try it all your card has been charged, your trial period is up and they refuse to refund (there were several complaints online about them on "Scam" sites). I was thinking, "what moron actually buys this stuff and is then so surprised that it doesn't work that they actually report it as a scam?"

Late night TV is littered with ads like that. They must be making millions. Makes me want to give up running an honest business and just start selling "magic water" to revitalize your essence.

Ban 'em.

I think they are a bad thing.

I propose that there are only four possible situations:

1. The patient needs the drug, but has an inept doctor, sees the drug on the TV and is astute enough to ask for it, and the doc realizes it would be helpful, so they write the prescription. I would call this a successful outcome, except for the inept doctor part.

2. The patient does not need the drug, but the doctor sees no harm and the patient is demanding so the doc writes the prescription anyway. Not a good outcome.

3. The patient needs the drug but the doctor does not agree and will not write the prescription. This would be clearly a bad outcome and hopefully doesn't happen often. Hopefully the patient would find another doctor.

4. The patient does not need the drug and asks, but the doctor convinces the patient they don't need it. Hopefully, this might happen often.


The commercials must be successful, so #1 and #2 must happen quite a bit. I would be concerned with either situation.

I would be interested in what a family doctor thinks about this.

Another possibility is that whether or not people need these drugs is not as easy as either they need it of not. Is there any gray area?

I recall as a youth my doctor kept up on the latest medicines and he/she made the decisions about what drugs to give the patient. Now I seem to be one of the few who are not taking any prescriptions! Maybe my doctor can give me something that will shake my distrust of pharmaceutical companies.

I also am not on any prescription meds.

Isn't this constant need for having bathtubs everywhere one goes perhaps a major symptom of obsessive compulsive disorder?

This kind of advertising should be directed at doctors, not the general public. It's too dangerous to promote prescription drugs to the public. We don't know enough to be able to determine if a drug would be suitable for our condition(s).

I made the mistake several years ago of asking my doctor for a prescription medication I'd seen advertised. He had to take time away from sick patients to explain to me why I could not use it. I felt like a fool, and honestly, he shouldn't have had to waste his time that way. I will not do that again.

the doctors get a lot better sales pitch than the public.

drug reps are constantly giving the doctors samples, spiffs, and perks to keep them with the program.

Oh, I know. And don't even get me started on the insurance company-drug manufacturers racket. I'm sitting here right now holding a list of prescriptions my insurance company wants me to get my doctor to prescribe for me instead of my existing meds. I can't decide whether to throw the letter away or not.

I can only say I am really quite stunned by the posts on this thread and the implied willingness to advocate censorship (banning t.v adds) of a legitimate industry. I'm hoping the above posts are the result of a knee-jerk response to the pharmaceutical industry rather than a reasoned analytical analysis. Shall we also ban ads by Exxon?

I think we should ban tv...

heretic

well yes of course, and rock n roll music radio stations.