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Local doctors talk about pill obsession
Published Sunday, August 26, 2007
Computer-animated bumblebees and glowing green butterflies flit across the television screen, targeting adults rather than children with their products.
The bumblebee — voiced by Antonio Banderas — has a passion for flowers and the nasal spray Nasonex, and the butterfly is presumably peaceful enough to convince insomniacs to try sleep aid Lunesta.
Those are only two examples of an ever-growing industry dedicated to convincing Americans they need treatment for whatever ails them, from depression and sexual dysfunction to less-than-attractive toenails.
Natchez pharmacist Frank Ernst said he thought advertising greatly affected consumers.
“It familiarizes them with the drug,” Ernst said. “For example, you can’t turn on the TV without seeing a commercial for Claritin. Then, when a patient goes to the doctor with the hay fever he suffers every summer, his tendency is to mention it.”
Dr. Kenneth Stubbs of Internal Medicine and Associates in Natchez, said he has mixed feelings about the drug industry’s advertising efforts.
“Informing the public on health issues is good, but the industry tends to promote the latest and greatest drugs, when an older product may work just fine,” he said.
By doing just that, the industry can actually misinform the public, Stubbs said.
“The advertising can be misleading,” he said. “It can paint an incomplete picture.”
For example, some of the studies touting a new product’s benefits are actually conducted by the pharmaceutical company, Stubbs said.
“The drug industry has abused their trust by limiting negative studies,” he said. “Regardless of what we think, if a researcher works for the pharmaceutical company, you’re going to get more positive studies.”
Overmedication.
One of the problems stemming from greater public drug awareness is patients may come to a doctor asking for a certain medication even if it may not be the best course of treatment — all they know is it is the latest in a long line of treatments, and it is supposedly better.
“Sometimes, we’re put into the position of having to dissuade somebody a product they’re enthused about in favor of a more mundane product,” Dr. Lee England, an internal medicine specialist, said.
“Personally, I’m not in favor of advertising to the general public,” he said. “It contributes to a culture of expecting the drugs to do more than people should expect them to do.”
Jerry Brown of Fayette said now and then he’ll see a commercial that lists symptoms that might match his. But he’s never asked his doctor for a specific brand name, he said.
Most of the time, he just ignores them.
“I don’t really have that much wrong with me,” he said.
Prescription commercials don’t catch her eye much, but over-the-counter drug commercials sometimes point Tammy McCurley of Vicksburg toward a medicine she can use, she said.
McCurley said she’d try medicine for coughs or aches, “especially for kids, if it has a good flavor to it. I have two boys, and they need to have flavor.”
And after seeing a commercial for a migraine headache medicine, she tried it.
“I teach, so I need something, and it works,” McCurley said.
According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 18 percent of the population is on at least three prescription drugs during any given month.
Pharmacist Liz Farmer said most of the people she sees on multiple medications are on the ends of the age spectrum.
“They’re either pediatric or geriatric patients,” she said. “They’re either really sick or are on medications for ailments older people face like heart disease.”
Even over the counter medicine sales tend to follow that pattern, Farmer said.
In some instances, it may be common for someone — a diabetic, for example — to be on three prescriptions to treat that single disease.
“If they also have high blood pressure, that adds another two or three (pills) and before you know it, you’re at 10,” he said.
Stubbs said he always tries to eliminate at least one prescription from a patient’s pill regimen if he can.
“The problem is, I can usually justify all of them,” he said.
A medication-happy culture?
Though Stubbs said some people look to medication desperate in the instance of a devastating disease, many prescriptions could be done away with with simple lifestyle modifications.
“People don’t modify lifestyles to treat diseases anymore,” he said. “If we do some things better, illnesses won’t occur.”
Statistics say the most commonly prescribed drugs in are antidepressants, Stubbs said.
“People want a pill now when they’re sad, happy or can’t sleep,” he said. “Everybody wants to get fixed.”
England agreed.
“If you stand back and look at a lot of commercials, it gives people the sense that the easiest thing to do is take a pill,” he said.
Buying a cure.
On the one side, patients are pushing doctors to place them on new medications, and on the other side drug company representatives are pushing them to use a certain brand-name drug.
England said such representatives could be useful if their comments are taken with a grain of salt.
“I try not to let it have an influence on me,” England said. “I try to read (about new drugs) from medical journals, too. On the other hand, a drug rep might be able to inform a doctor about dose strength and other information.”
Doctors have to bear in mind that drug company representatives are salesmen, England said.
“They’re obligated to tell you about some of the reactions to the drug, but they are salesmen and they try to emphasize the good,” he said.
At one time, it was a common practice for drug representatives to fly a doctor to a desirable location — such as Florida — and to pay for their hotel rooms and meals as long as the doctor would attend a conference where a speaker would talk about a disease and whatever new drug was supposed to treat it, Stubbs said.
Though that is not a common practice anymore, it is still routine practice for drug representatives to sponsor a nice dinner and a speaker, he said.
A blessing and a curse.
Despite some of its flaws, the pharmaceutical industry should deserves a lot of praise, Stubbs said.
“They have developed drugs that are nothing short of miraculous,” he said.
“Overall, the U.S. (drug market) should be grateful for the pharmaceutical industry,” he said. “Most new drugs are out of the U.S.”
The bottom line when it comes to drugs is for patients to trust their physician to treat them well.
“People should rely on their doctor to treat them soundly,” Stubbs said.
Comments
Posted by concrnd2 (anonymous) on August 26, 2007 at 8:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Pill whether over the counter or prescribed have become a way of life. I have found this out in myself and others around me. Right now I am taking a couple of prescribed medications. My objective is to lose weight. I want to do it without pills. I am changing my eating habits and exercising. I've also made it a practice not to go to my doctor for every little ailment I encounter because if I tell the doctor, a pill will be prescribed. I also go online under medical advice and seek information concerning my ailment. Thenn, I follow some of the suggetions to combat the problem. If my problem persists where I can't bear the pain or stop the fever; then, I will seek the advice of a doctor. There is not jut one bill you recieve from your doctor, there are lab bills, hospital bills, and other related bills, all for one ailment. Oh and let me us not forget the prescription bill. They all are eating away at our finances, even after the insurance pay their part. Thank God for insurance. There is no more one doctor who takes care of you. Now they send you to others and they send you to others. It's just a big rip off. Not only is the commercials taking our money, so are the doctors. I glad I still believe in miracles. So I pray for a cure, a change in my health, a change in others health and for those doctors/medical fields who are running up our bills because of simple ailments such as athlete feet or a cramp in your leg.
Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on August 26, 2007 at 6:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The butterfly in the Lunestra commercial is actually a Luna moth. Get it? Luna - Lunestra? Moths fly at night. Just so we can keep things straight.
Posted by c_8512 (anonymous) on August 26, 2007 at 8:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It seems like these days that most of the "wonder drugs" usually wind up involved in a lawsuit for killing or further damaging almost as many people as they help. By the time all of the negative feedback results in these drugs being taken off of the market, thousands or millions of people are hooked on them. These are people who follow and trust the advice of physicians who receive their information from a salesman trying to make a commission for a sale. I am not placing blame on anyone, business is business.
This situation reminds me of the old song, "In The Year 2525," by Zager and Evans. The second verse states: "In the year 3535 Ain't gonna need to tell the truth, tell no lies. Everything you think, do and say, is in the pill you took today."
This song hit the charts in 1969; maybe these predictions are coming true a lot sooner than anyone imagined almost 40 years ago.
Posted by gemccull (Gary McCullars) on August 26, 2007 at 8:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
No absolutely consistent characteristics exist for separating butterflies and moths. Butterflies generally have scaleless, threadlike antennae with a club on the end. Wings are often brightly colored, and the wing color and pattern play a key role in mate recognition and courtship. Nearly all butterflies fly during daylight, but some tropical species fly at dawn or dusk, and a few are nocturnal. About 18,000 species are known worldwide. The largest butterflies (bird wings of Melanesia) have wingspans of up to 25 cm (10 in); the smallest (pygmy blues) may barely exceed 1 cm (0.4 in).
Moths have a wide variety of antennae forms, often feathery in appearance. Although many moths, especially day-flying ones, are brightly colored, most are dull shades of brown. Males are often attracted to females by a powerful chemical signal ( see Pheromone ) that the females release from special glands. Most moths fly at night, although many also fly during the day, especially in colder climates where evening temperatures often drop to freezing. (Their apparent attraction to a light source at night is a reflex; wing motion on the side struck by the light is reduced, causing them to turn in that direction.) More than 130,000 moth species have been named, and many more probably exist. The largest moths ( Attacus of Asia) may exceed 30 cm (12 in) in wingspan; the wings of the smallest (Microlepidoptera) may span only a number of millimeters.
Posted by ZEROTOLERANCE (anonymous) on August 27, 2007 at 10:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
we have excellent doctors at Internal Medicine Associates!
when i see my doctor, i discuss my ailment and ask him what can we do to better my health other than take a lot of prescriptions. he respects my wishes and we explore other avenues when we can. TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR. most will listen. however, we have some doctors in natchez that write prescriptions like giving out candy. i have seen many many times prescriptions written from some doctors for lorcet for as many as 150 pills in one 2 week supply script! a particular doctor ( A.R.) writes scripts for lorcet without much discretion. the lorcet is then sold pill by pill on the streets. i have a neighbor that is selling their lorcets right next door to lots of people/drug traffic. it's scary. then in roselawn on LITTLE STREET (just to name a few of the drug infested streets in roselawn) their are drug (lorcets, etc) deals going on constantly. i have it on video! i will be going forward with video and evidence in hopes to get natchez drug situation cleaned up and out of here forever.
Posted by rahnia (anonymous) on August 27, 2007 at 1:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I think it is dangerous to rely on your physician to know everything. A very notable doctor, Jon Abramson, wrote an excellent book called Overdosed America about this very subject. A little elbow grease and your own research can help the discussion with your doctor about what kind of drugs you are and should be taking.
I think it is also dangerous to be making recommendations like this in a supposedly objective article. This wasn't in the editorial section. Doctors aren't the authority on exactly what a drug is for and EXACTLY how it works as it becomes metabolized in your system...pharmacists are. A good first step is doing some research before you talk to your doctor about getting a drug. A good second step is talking to your pharmacist. We all need to be informed patients.
Posted by gemccull (Gary McCullars) on August 27, 2007 at 6:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
beachbum, you had a fifty percent chance of getting the gender right but no cigar.
I should have credited the write up to InfoPedia, a CD with dictionary, thesaurus, almanac, encyclopedia, etc.
Posted by Teach4Peace (anonymous) on August 28, 2007 at 9:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Although physicians are a staple in society and needed, I don't think we should regard EVERYTHING told to us, as gospel. I know for a fact, when I saw the commercial on "restless leg syndrome" I knew we had gone over the deep end! Who has NOT had their leg to "fall asleep?" We all have, but now, there is a medication for it. When I was little girl, if I sat on my leg for too long, it would create those same symptoms noted in the commercial. Good grief, and the hypochondriac, is a doctor's dream. I had to go to the doctor, and as another poster said, it's no longer important for you to check your network to see if your doctor is in your insurance network, but you had better check the lab, the specialist and others, you will almost always be sent to, for so much as a cough even!
Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on August 28, 2007 at 6:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Gosh gemccull, I thought I knew quite a bit about bugs and such! I'm glad to hear it came from InfoPedia - you had me going there for a bit. I really should have said, "generally speaking, moths fly at night", and of course, the Luna Moth is one of the most recognizable ones because of the trailers and coloration. Thanks for the education.
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