Medications and Advertising

Of course, this should come as no surprise. I'm sure you all have heard the flippant remarks of "Someone didn't take their Prozac today" when you happen to be in a bad mood. Like taking Prozac once, or missing one pill would change someone's mood that drastically. It wouldn't, and that is the whole point. This is a drug we are talking about, a substance that alters the chemical balance of your brain. So why aren't these medications taken more seriously? Why do we pop pills for every ailment we can think of? Is it because society is so obsessed with finding an easy fix? Must we always expect instant gratification?

The real question is, how is the advertising of medication affecting YOU? Are you choosing your own medications, based on a commercial or magazine ad? Are the pharmaceutical companies forcing you to make this choice by advertising their medications so heavily? And what does your doctor think about all of this? Advertisements don't stop with magazines and newspapers. If you take a look at your doctor's office, you will notice calendars, pens, post-it pads, and even desk lamps with a medication name plastered all over them. Your doctor's shelves are usually stocked with samples of these medications. Doctors are even offered incentive bonuses if they prescribe a certain amount of each medication during a given time. So the next time you are handed that while slip with a prescription on it, you may want to ask yourself exactly why you are taking this drug.

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