I can remember as a child wondering what the far off future would hold - if you watched Sci-fi flicks, you might wonder will we take pills instead of food someday? Mmmm, to a kid's imagination, the possibilities were endless!!!
Well, it seems to me we are a pill-driven society now. Watch TV for just a few hours and you will see ads for Averil (to curb your appetite), etc. Heck I don't even know the names of all these medications, but if you want a pill for depression, here's one. If you want to lose some weight or get back into your wedding dress (the ad shows a woman in her 40s zipping into her wedding dress again), pop a pill! I just look at my family and shake my head, declaring - if we fall for all of these ads, you'd be taking a pill to lose weight, not to be depressed, to sleep better, for improved memory skills, etc. Geez, who needs food, just pop pills all day long? I know I'm being extreme here. Just wondering if anyone else is disturbed by this new pop-a-pill and feel better trend. Did the no-carb diet craze which started right after xmas prompt all of this?
I was with my mom last year in the pre-op room prior to her angiogram. The nurse asked her a slew of questions. What meds are you taking, etc. When my mom began rattling off supplements, the nurse looked quite skeptical - why are taking that? Did your doctor recommend you take it? No, was the answer of course. Because my mom's friend swear by some herbal supplement, she takes it now. The nurse shook her head. I did too!!!
Mary
Pet Peeve anyone needs to vent about...
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Miss Mary
Pet Peeve anyone needs to vent about...
Last edited by Miss Mary on Mon Jul 26, 2004 10:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Drug companies making money, that's what it all about Miss Mary.
Plain and simply... drug company profits. Their collusion with congress and doctors too.
THAT's my opinion
No one likes to deal with pain. So whatever makes it better. popping a pill is the easy way.
Plain and simply... drug company profits. Their collusion with congress and doctors too.
Pharmaceutical companies are part of an industry that is quite lucrative. They state that they can spend $500 million researching a particular drug before it is ready for the market. This is the cost of innovation, as the public has seen a rise in new medications in recent years. These same pharmaceutical companies are against having Congress expand prescription coverage to Medicare because the reimbursement that would be paid would be far less than what they would receive in an open market. Medicare regulates the prices and this would decrease their profits.
Employed with a home health care agency and home infusion company, a Director of Pharmacy was describing how much influence many pharmaceutical companies had in establishing their prices and prohibiting competition. “The prices are initially high to recoup the costs of research and development, but after a certain time period, the profit begins to soar.” This is interesting, knowing that you and other taxpayers help finance a pharmaceutical’s innovation, but you are still required to pay their high drug costs. In the 1980s, when the United States was competing with Japan for innovative products, the government was willing to give money to these new products and many drug companies have taken advantage of this giving.
...
Prescription drug coverage is a hot topic in the Presidential Arena. Both sides differ on how this coverage will be provided to Medicare beneficiaries, on whether to expand the Medicare insurance program or to provide subsidies to private health plans to offer drug coverage. But, whichever candidate is chosen and whichever plan is presented, the key is, that something is likely to occur and some form of help may be on the way.
http://www.healthsymphony.com/MedicareInfo.htm
THAT's my opinion
No one likes to deal with pain. So whatever makes it better. popping a pill is the easy way.
White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane
One pill makes you larger
And one pill makes you small,
And the ones that mother gives you
Don't do anything at all.
Go ask Alice
When she's ten feet tall.
And if you go chasing rabbits
And you know you're going to fall,
Tell 'em a hookah smoking caterpillar
Has given you the call.
Call Alice
When she was just small.
When the men on the chessboard
Get up and tell you where to go
And you've just had some kind of mushroom
And your mind is moving low.
Go ask Alice
I think she'll know.
When logic and proportion
Have fallen sloppy dead,
And the White Knight is talking backwards
And the Red Queen's "off with her head!"
Remember what the dormouse said:
"Feed your head. Feed your head. Feed your head"
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Miss Mary
Well, my original post had nothing with patients in real need - I'm a cancer survivor and believe me, I know what pain is! I'm just talking about these ads running on TV, to treat weight loss, depression, get your energy back, feel young again, retain your memory, etc. Whatever happened to a sensible diet, exercise and moderation? That's what I'm talking about. It seems people want to eat huge portions, never exercise and then pop a pill to correct all of that.
Gee, I guess I was hoping someone out there would be as disturbed by this - let's just pop a pill - instead of going to your doctor, seeing if you have such a need in the first place, going on a diet, exericising, etc, as I am. But I do respect your opinion Kiko, it's just not exactly the point I was trying to make. The point is probably that I wish the American public would be smart enough to recognize these ads push products we may not even need in the first place!
Mary
Gee, I guess I was hoping someone out there would be as disturbed by this - let's just pop a pill - instead of going to your doctor, seeing if you have such a need in the first place, going on a diet, exericising, etc, as I am. But I do respect your opinion Kiko, it's just not exactly the point I was trying to make. The point is probably that I wish the American public would be smart enough to recognize these ads push products we may not even need in the first place!
Mary
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azskyman
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Mary, I have not been happy about mainstream marketing for drugs...and became even more disappointed when the advertising seems to trivialize the sickness/symptom/disease itself.
For example, I have been taking the "purple pill" Nexium since it was first introduced into this country as Prilosec, then Prevacid, and now Nexium.
Well the television ads portray them as medications that eliminate your need to worry about what you eat, when you eat, or how much you eat when, in fact, for those of us who use them it is a regimen about which long term effects are still unclear.
Not to mention that the costs of medication in this country are way out of line...and for drug companies to pay millions, maybe billions, in advertising and then fly around in blimps with their name on them or sponsor huge sporting events in their name...well, that is a terrible injustice to those of us who need the medication to live a normal life.
Now..do you feel better? You found an ally in your pet=peave department. (Actually, you and I have been allies on many topics for a long time anyways!)
For example, I have been taking the "purple pill" Nexium since it was first introduced into this country as Prilosec, then Prevacid, and now Nexium.
Well the television ads portray them as medications that eliminate your need to worry about what you eat, when you eat, or how much you eat when, in fact, for those of us who use them it is a regimen about which long term effects are still unclear.
Not to mention that the costs of medication in this country are way out of line...and for drug companies to pay millions, maybe billions, in advertising and then fly around in blimps with their name on them or sponsor huge sporting events in their name...well, that is a terrible injustice to those of us who need the medication to live a normal life.
Now..do you feel better? You found an ally in your pet=peave department. (Actually, you and I have been allies on many topics for a long time anyways!)
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Stephanie
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I am bothered by the advertisements that suggest a pill to cure whatever. I kind of had the same thought as Kiko though, but more along the lines of "Mother's Little Helper" from the Rolling Stones. If mom was stressed out, take a valium or whatever. I view today's problems as an evolvement from back then. The only thing is now we've gotten more advanced with the drugs. The diet pills are no different, except in the chemical makeup, from the dexatrim's of old, which are still out there. There are more choices and more ways of informing people of what is available. As far as diet goes, the new "fads" come and go but what we always learn is that the healthiest way to lose weight is what we eat, how much and exercise. Perhaps it is a sign of the times that we want something to occur NOW and that is the reason for all of these pills?
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Josephine96
Actually, this isn't a new trend, at all - it's been
going on for several decades, now. But, as
Americans become more and more impatient in
their search for "quick-cures", we just have a
broader smorgasboard of drugs to choose from.
It is becoming increasingly obvious that the days
of having patience and tackling our dietary and
cosmetic problems in a safer, more long-term way,
are over. In most instances, it took a long time
to get ourselves in the medical conditions that we
are in, and, they won't be cured, overnight.
Most medications (and, I said MOST)
can be prescribed in a short-term regimen IF the
proper dietary and excercise routines are also
followed to help encourage the pill's effects. Most
of us do tend to fall short when the ball is thrown
back in our court, so to speak, to do something
else besides swallow the pill (*throwing my hand
in the air - GUILTY!!). I do agree, Miss Mary. It's
like Kiko's "White Rabbit", and, Steph's "Mother's
Little Helper", in too many ways!
(Just a note - my pet peave is the commercials
of lawyers who encourage people to sue - but,
that's another topic, kept for another time!)
going on for several decades, now. But, as
Americans become more and more impatient in
their search for "quick-cures", we just have a
broader smorgasboard of drugs to choose from.
It is becoming increasingly obvious that the days
of having patience and tackling our dietary and
cosmetic problems in a safer, more long-term way,
are over. In most instances, it took a long time
to get ourselves in the medical conditions that we
are in, and, they won't be cured, overnight.
Most medications (and, I said MOST)
can be prescribed in a short-term regimen IF the
proper dietary and excercise routines are also
followed to help encourage the pill's effects. Most
of us do tend to fall short when the ball is thrown
back in our court, so to speak, to do something
else besides swallow the pill (*throwing my hand
in the air - GUILTY!!). I do agree, Miss Mary. It's
like Kiko's "White Rabbit", and, Steph's "Mother's
Little Helper", in too many ways!
(Just a note - my pet peave is the commercials
of lawyers who encourage people to sue - but,
that's another topic, kept for another time!)
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wx247
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I also agree. Too many people get sucked into it the easy way. Then once they think that they can drop the pills then they go back to the way they were before. The key is changing lifestyle through assistance of a qualified professional... not calling someone for a pill.
The low-carb thing, however, is my big pet peeve, but I won't get started on that either or ya'll will never hear the end of it.
The low-carb thing, however, is my big pet peeve, but I won't get started on that either or ya'll will never hear the end of it.
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Josephine96
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I hear you Miss Mary. The pill craze drives me absolutely nuts. The thing to keep in mind about all these supplements and "miracle" diet drugs is that they are NOT regulated by the FDA. So who knows what it is that you are really taking? Who knows what the potential side effects are, short and long term? Taking a supplement is taking a BIG gamble with your health. Not worth it to me. Eat sensibly, exercise regularly, and get your annual check-up with your doctor. And leave the drug ordering up to your trusted, medically trained doctor, not some marketing corporation. Just my 2cents.
...Jennifer..
...Jennifer..
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I too have been concerned about this pill popping craze for quite a while.
You know what's really scary? If someone is taking a lot of different medications, how would he know how they would react with each other? It's pretty easy when it's only two or even three taken together but more than that taken in combination and it's virtually impossible to know what might happen.
I heard recently that in medical journals more space is used for ads than articles! If this is true, things have really got out of control!
You know what's really scary? If someone is taking a lot of different medications, how would he know how they would react with each other? It's pretty easy when it's only two or even three taken together but more than that taken in combination and it's virtually impossible to know what might happen.
I heard recently that in medical journals more space is used for ads than articles! If this is true, things have really got out of control!
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streetsoldier
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- Location: Under the rainbow
I don't agree with the marketing directly to consumers. "Ask your doctor if this is right for you"
Our doctor is good about giving out "samples." There have been times when we needed a prescription and she went to the closet and GAVE us the complete course of medication from the samples provided as promotions. Of course these promotions and advertising adds to the overall costs of medicine.
Right now, my back is acting up. Rather than get a pain killer, it's nature's way to tell me to take it easy!
Our doctor is good about giving out "samples." There have been times when we needed a prescription and she went to the closet and GAVE us the complete course of medication from the samples provided as promotions. Of course these promotions and advertising adds to the overall costs of medicine.
Right now, my back is acting up. Rather than get a pain killer, it's nature's way to tell me to take it easy!
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This space for rent.
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Miss Mary
Thanks to all my allies here, so relieved to see I'm not the only one concerned in this pill craze. And I do realize it's been going on for decades, with the Baby Boomer mothers popping Dexatrim's to the current ads for every ailment or concern you may have, call your doctor, ask about such & such medication. It just may what you need! Even my kids seem to fall for them! The one advertising it's the cure-all for people my age who suddenly feel out of sorts, tired, forgetful, and want to feel like themselves again. I swear if my kids say that's 'my' pill one more time, I'll scream!!! Think I've gone on a bit too much about how tired I am? LOL
I used to work for ENT docs as I've mentioned in past topics. The docs just dreaded having appts. with detail reps - in other words, Pharmacutical Reps. Right mixed in with patients, paying customers, were appts. with these reps. We had to book them, they kept calling! And the docs knew they had to see them, but boy would they make them wait. We felt caught in the middle. Would I want to be a drug company rep? No way!!! All they did was drive around, office to office, sometimes not even being seen, giving sales pitches all day long. We felt sorry for them on one hand, but then had to do what our bosses wanted - book real patients. And oh, in their trunks was always a slew of drugs! We'd see them go out for samples. In today's world I'm not so sure I'd want to driving around with drugs in my trunk. Even if you have a license to give them away, I'd be leeary of robbery.
Got off onto a tangent there....LOL
I see others have pet peeves too, medically speaking, so be my guest to morph this topic into other areas! Garrett, the low carb diet is driving me nuts too - now I see ads for low carb vitamins!!! How many blasted calories are in one vitamin pill anyway?!!!! Crazy! Annette - go at with the lawyer ads!
And oh the diet pill name I had wrong - it's Suveril. Oops. I love the phrase this ad keeps stating - you don't have to do it alone anymore.
Mary
I used to work for ENT docs as I've mentioned in past topics. The docs just dreaded having appts. with detail reps - in other words, Pharmacutical Reps. Right mixed in with patients, paying customers, were appts. with these reps. We had to book them, they kept calling! And the docs knew they had to see them, but boy would they make them wait. We felt caught in the middle. Would I want to be a drug company rep? No way!!! All they did was drive around, office to office, sometimes not even being seen, giving sales pitches all day long. We felt sorry for them on one hand, but then had to do what our bosses wanted - book real patients. And oh, in their trunks was always a slew of drugs! We'd see them go out for samples. In today's world I'm not so sure I'd want to driving around with drugs in my trunk. Even if you have a license to give them away, I'd be leeary of robbery.
Got off onto a tangent there....LOL
I see others have pet peeves too, medically speaking, so be my guest to morph this topic into other areas! Garrett, the low carb diet is driving me nuts too - now I see ads for low carb vitamins!!! How many blasted calories are in one vitamin pill anyway?!!!! Crazy! Annette - go at with the lawyer ads!
And oh the diet pill name I had wrong - it's Suveril. Oops. I love the phrase this ad keeps stating - you don't have to do it alone anymore.
Mary
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Can I morph it to midi's too? 
Here's a cool midi site I found if someone needs a refresher on the White Rabbit tune by Jefferson Airplane, 1967:
http://www.jacquedee63.com/whiterabbit.html
And the midi alone for Mother's Little Helper, Rolling Stones:
http://www.geocities.com/dbut53/music/p ... mother.mid
Here's a cool midi site I found if someone needs a refresher on the White Rabbit tune by Jefferson Airplane, 1967:
http://www.jacquedee63.com/whiterabbit.html
And the midi alone for Mother's Little Helper, Rolling Stones:
http://www.geocities.com/dbut53/music/p ... mother.mid
Rolling Stones - Mother's Little Helper
What a drag it is getting old
"Kids are different today,"
I hear ev'ry mother say
Mother needs something today to calm her down
And though she's not really ill
There's a little yellow pill
She goes running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
And it helps her on her way, gets her through her busy day
"Things are different today,"
I hear ev'ry mother say
Cooking fresh food for a husband's just a drag
So she buys an instant cake and she burns her frozen steak
And goes running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
And two help her on her way, get her through her busy day
Doctor please, some more of these
Outside the door, she took four more
What a drag it is getting old
"Men just aren't the same today"
I hear ev'ry mother say
They just don't appreciate that you get tired
They're so hard to satisfy, You can tranquilize your mind
So go running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
And four help you through the night, help to minimize your
plight
Doctor please, some more of these
Outside the door, she took four more
What a drag it is getting old
"Life's just much too hard today,"
I hear ev'ry mother say
The pusuit of happiness just seems a bore
And if you take more of those, you will get an overdose
No more running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
They just helped you on your way, through your busy dying day
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streetsoldier
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- Location: Under the rainbow
Kiko wrote:Can I morph it to midi's too?
Here's a cool midi site I found if someone needs a refresher on the White Rabbit tune by Jefferson Airplane, 1967:
http://www.jacquedee63.com/whiterabbit.html
And the midi alone for Mother's Little Helper, Rolling Stones:
http://www.geocities.com/dbut53/music/p ... mother.midRolling Stones - Mother's Little Helper
What a drag it is getting old
"Kids are different today,"
I hear ev'ry mother say
Mother needs something today to calm her down
And though she's not really ill
There's a little yellow pill
She goes running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
And it helps her on her way, gets her through her busy day
"Things are different today,"
I hear ev'ry mother say
Cooking fresh food for a husband's just a drag
So she buys an instant cake and she burns her frozen steak
And goes running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
And two help her on her way, get her through her busy day
Doctor please, some more of these
Outside the door, she took four more
What a drag it is getting old
"Men just aren't the same today"
I hear ev'ry mother say
They just don't appreciate that you get tired
They're so hard to satisfy, You can tranquilize your mind
So go running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
And four help you through the night, help to minimize your
plight
Doctor please, some more of these
Outside the door, she took four more
What a drag it is getting old
"Life's just much too hard today,"
I hear ev'ry mother say
The pusuit of happiness just seems a bore
And if you take more of those, you will get an overdose
No more running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
They just helped you on your way, through your busy dying day
LOL, Kiko, don't need the midis - got them cool songs,
tucked away, in my head....
Thanks!
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