Do you think doctors sometimes recieve "kick backs" from drug companies for writing prescriptions (read more)?

Yeah, we’re definitely taking too many meds. I mean, some people actually need them, like antidepressants for severe depression…but otherwise, I think people should be able to deal with colds and the flu and other things like that by themselves. Even non-severe depression can be managed with exercise and a healthy diet! It’s silly how TV and the media makes us think that we need all these things -_-

The sickest one is for the sleep aid Lunesta, with the green butterfly and all the peacefull stuff, then the side effects disclaimer will scare the crap out of ya!!

do u think these things have masive sideeffects cuz its unnatural?

I agree - especially with the anti-depressants. I was reading somewhere that 3/4 of the people on anti-depressants have increased suicidal thoughts and/or have their depression increase. My guess would be because most of them don’t need it. They had a down spot in their lives, ran out got some pills instead of dealing with it. Now they are taking a pill to deal with a chemical imbalance that doesn’t exist. Yah thats going to mess with you. As for sleep aids I think so many people ingest so much sugar and caffeine during the day its no wonder they can’t sleep. I see some people I know drinking coffee from sun up to sun down then complain they can’t sleep. So they grab another chemical to help them sleep…….

Only time I took antibiotics is when I have something semi-serious, like strep throat or pneumonia. Everything else I just grabbed some more vitamins and let me body take care of it.

While it is true that the pharmaceutical industry has produced medications that save and improve the quality of life they are also the most profitable industry in the world. While many defend their high profits based on the profit motive leading to breakthrough medications the truth is that pharma spends more money on marketing than they spend on research and of their research dollars most are spent on developing copies of other company’s products rather than new treatment approaches. While the companies make $trillions they also quickly drop medications that are no longer profitable. Our government has to bribe them to keep producing life saving medications with tax breaks and granting exclusivity on non-patented medications so they can charge more. The result is that some medications that are inexpensive overseas cost many times more here. All this said it is illegal for pharmaceutical companies to write checks to physicians for prescribing their products. Free samples of medications are now the primary marketing method. Pharma also sponsors medical schools and continuing education for doctors always showing their products favorably. Promotional pens, note pads, clipboards, clocks, pill cases, magnets, tissues, key chains, posters, anatomy models, etc. all keep products in the mind of prescribers. Direct to consumer marketing has also been huge for pharma. Can you watch even a single episode of any TV show without ads for an ED medication? These commercials coach patients into describing their symptoms to produce the appropriate diagnosis and encourage patients to doctor shop until they find a physician willing to prescribe the medication the TV ad sold them on.

Have you heard of “drug lunches?” LOL. They are hugely catered meals brought in, for doctors, PAs and Nurse Practitioners, and paid for by pharmaceutical sales people who are there to peddle their products. So, yes, the pharmacy business hard-sells products and it’s highly competitive.

As for side effects, just look up an antibiotic called Cipro (Ciprofloxacin) and see the damage it’s done and the lawsuits…

I had Avelox which is just as bad as Cipro. Both of these antibiotics are supposed to be “last resort” medications. If nothing else works try these. I’ve seen chemo therapy meds with shorter lists of serious side effects than these meds.

Welll not necessarily, I just think that in many cases profit over shadows the interest of helping people and some of the side effects are just written off as an “oh well, as long as we put the disclaimer in there we are free from liability”

Modern antidepressants are quite safe. Tricyclic antidepressants had a narrow therapeutic ratio; a toxic dose is not much higher than the therapeutic dose which makes accidental or intentional overdoses dangerous. MAOIs had a wider therapeutic index but serious and potentially fatal interactions with other medications and even certain foods. Modern antidepressants SSRIs and atypical antidepressants have wide theraputic indexes and do not interact with other foods or medications outside of other serotonin enhancers. As far as suicidal risk is concerned, I believe the increased risk isn’t due to increased ideation but is mainly due to antidepressants increasing volition. By increasing volition patients are more likely to follow through with plans whether they are taking up a new hobby or ending their life. Certainly some doctors over-prescribe antidepressants but at the same time many people who could benefit from them refuse them because of the stigma of taking psychiatric medications. Better living through chemistry.

i would tend to think so, considering when running out of the samples they were given they usually write you a prescription for the same thing.