# What's  Up With All The New Meds?



## Lon (Apr 4, 2017)

I keep seeing one after another NEW meds being advertised on TV for every imaginable and unimaginable health condition.

Of Course, consult your doctor about it. The drug companies are popping out these new drugs on a daily basis it seems
Thoughts of suicide are one of the possible side effects of many of them. That's what happens when you hear the price of the drug.


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## SeaBreeze (Apr 4, 2017)

I think they create a new med and then dream up a condition that they might be able to push it for.  I agree, just on TV commercials the new names pop up everyday with side effects of suicide, depression, liver disease and even death.


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## Ruth n Jersey (Apr 4, 2017)

So true Lon. All those side effects are scary. They read the list so fast you can't understand them. Sometimes they don't even say what the drug is for,but you are still suppose to ask the doctor  if it is right for you,as they say in the commercial.


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## tnthomas (Apr 4, 2017)

Lon said:


> What's Up With All The New Meds?
> .



Huge profits, not enough FCC intervention.


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## Don M. (Apr 4, 2017)

As research improves, drug companies find a chemical compound that can "mask" the symptoms better than previous formulas...Note, I said Mask, not Cure.  Also, as some of the older drugs begin to reach their patent limits, and the generics can be sold for a fraction of the cost of the originals, the drug companies must find new ways to keep their huge cash flows intact.  

Keep in mind that all this TV advertising costs billions of dollars per year....and is passed along to the people who are induced into taking these drugs.


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## Butterfly (Apr 5, 2017)

Lon said:


> I keep seeing one after another NEW meds being advertised on TV for every imaginable and unimaginable health condition.
> 
> Of Course, consult your doctor about it. The drug companies are popping out these new drugs on a daily basis it seems
> Thoughts of suicide are one of the possible side effects of many of them.* That's what happens when you hear the price of the drug*.



HAHA.  True.


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## Butterfly (Apr 5, 2017)

I'm really not too interested in taking a drug  where one of the listed side effects is death.  Let's see -- arthritis or death?  I think I'll take the arthritis, thank you.


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## dpwspringer (Apr 5, 2017)

Lon said:


> I keep seeing one after another NEW meds being advertised on TV for every imaginable and unimaginable health condition.
> 
> Of Course, consult your doctor about it. The drug companies are popping out these new drugs on a daily basis it seems
> Thoughts of suicide are one of the possible side effects of many of them. That's what happens when you hear the price of the drug.


Even scarier is that many doctors seem to enthusiastically push these drugs on to their patients with a "more the merrier" attitude.


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## Aunt Bea (Apr 5, 2017)

It's about money.

It was a sad day when the the Health Care Profession became the Health Care Industry.

The one thing that I really like about my PCP is that he tends to prescribe generic drugs that have been around for many, many, years and have a proven track record.  I worry about the long term effects of some of these new wonder drugs with flashy marketing and big prices.  

IMO prescription drugs should not be advertised like soda pop and candy bars.


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## Butterfly (Apr 5, 2017)

I agree.  We shouldn't be taking the pill of the month just because it's there.


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## Tabitha (Apr 5, 2017)

We don't have ads for prescription drugs on television. I am amazed that it is allowed in the USA.


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## nvtribefan (Apr 6, 2017)

I'm curious about why there seems to be so much enmity on this forum toward prescription drugs. They save lives, improve quality of life, and often newer drugs to treat ailments are much safer and more effective than older rugs.  Eliquis or Xarelto instead of warfarin, for example.


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## Marie5656 (Apr 6, 2017)

*Definitely a lot.   The side effects are something.  Other ads make no sense...one I saw, forget the name says "Do not give to children uder age 6, not to be take by children from 6 to 10." Why not just say do not give to children under 10???*


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## Lon (Apr 6, 2017)

nvtribefan said:


> I'm curious about why there seems to be so much enmity on this forum toward prescription drugs. They save lives, improve quality of life, and often newer drugs to treat ailments are much safer and more effective than older rugs.  Eliquis or Xarelto instead of warfarin, for example.



No enmity on my part. My post was more about the advertised POTENTIAL side effects with many of the new advertised drugs.
The enmity I believe is generated by liberals who continually BITCH & MOAN about corporate profits, particularly DRUG COMPANIES.
I am alive today thanks to some of these wonderful drugs.


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## Marie5656 (Apr 6, 2017)

*I think at bigger issue is the cost attached to the medications.  I mean, I just heard of a new injection med for exzema that costs about $35,000 a year for patients.  And look at the Epi pens.  They say it is about the research and production costs.  But how much of that goes for the continual advertising?*


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## Aunt Bea (Apr 6, 2017)

No enmity on my part, I love corporate profits and I'm sure that the mutual funds that I own contain several drug companies.

I still feel it is all about money and has little to do with easing suffering or extending life.  

I worry that many drugs are being released and advertised before much if anything is known about the long term effects.  It is all to common to see advertisements for class action law suits on yesterday's wonder drugs.

I'll stick with the TNT drugs that have a proven track record until I get to the point where it really won't matter either way.


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## nvtribefan (Apr 6, 2017)

Lon said:


> No enmity on my part. My post was more about the advertised POTENTIAL side effects with many of the new advertised drugs.
> The enmity I believe is generated by liberals who continually BITCH & MOAN about corporate profits, particularly DRUG COMPANIES.



Sorry to shoot down your theory, Lon, but I'm about as liberal as they come.


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## RadishRose (Apr 6, 2017)

Maybe it's because many retired seniors can't afford them.


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## debodun (Apr 7, 2017)

Of course, most ads for these "supplements" play to people's vanity (e.g. you're fat and people don't like you for that; or you're a dud in bed; or have depression? - this will perk you up). Men got along without "performance" enhancers for eons. Why do they suddenly need them now? My concern is what will this do to people down the road. Will these cause birth defects in children, or cancer, or heart disease? Listen to all the disclaimers even for legitimate drugs - it seems the side effects are worse than the original problem!


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## JaniceM (Jul 29, 2017)

Lon said:


> I keep seeing one after another NEW meds being advertised on TV for every imaginable and unimaginable health condition.
> 
> Of Course, consult your doctor about it. The drug companies are popping out these new drugs on a daily basis it seems
> Thoughts of suicide are one of the possible side effects of many of them. That's what happens when you hear the price of the drug.



http://www.thehealthculture.com/2008/11/selling-drugs-like-chewing-gum/

In 1976, the chief executive of Merck told Fortune magazine that he  dreamed of marketing drugs the way Wrigley’s markets chewing gum: to as  large a market as possible. The real problem with drug companies is  their attempt to convince as many people as possible that they need  drugs. This is disease mongering: expanding markets by convincing  healthy people that they’re sick. Health has come to mean that feeling  fine is an illusion easily shattered by the next news cycle or by the  next prescription drug you’re encouraged to “ask your doctor about.”


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## JaniceM (Jul 29, 2017)

SeaBreeze said:


> I think *they create a new med and then dream up a condition that they might be able to push it for.*  I agree, just on TV commercials the new names pop up everyday with side effects of suicide, depression, liver disease and even death.



I can't place which of the many books I've read recently says this, but it does reflect your statement.


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## Katybug (Jul 29, 2017)

Butterfly said:


> I'm really not too interested in taking a drug  where one of the listed side effects is death.  Let's see -- arthritis or death?  I think I'll take the arthritis, thank you.



It's so true!  The side effects they mention appear to be worse than any condition you may taking the med for.


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## Butterfly (Jul 29, 2017)

JaniceM said:


> I can't place which of the many books I've read recently says this, but it does reflect your statement.



I actually had a doctor tell me this about those drugs they push for osteopenia.  He said osteopenia wasn't even there -- I mean wasn't called a disease or condition -- until they came up with those drugs that might or might not help osteoporosis while causing all sorts of other problems, and then osteopenia was everywhere and everyone was prescribing those drugs.  I refused to take them because they made me feel lousy, anyway.


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## JaniceM (Jul 29, 2017)

Butterfly said:


> I actually had a doctor tell me this about those drugs they push for osteopenia.  He said osteopenia wasn't even there -- I mean wasn't called a disease or condition -- until they came up with those drugs that might or might not help osteoporosis while causing all sorts of other problems, and then osteopenia was everywhere and everyone was prescribing those drugs.  I refused to take them because they made me feel lousy, anyway.



Naturally I had to go look-  it's called SELLING SICKNESS:  how the world's biggest pharmaceutical companies are turning us all into patients.  
It's very interesting and informative.


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## Camper6 (Jul 30, 2017)

Butterfly said:


> I agree.  We shouldn't be taking the pill of the month just because it's there.


Some people will take anything because they are desperate.


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## Camper6 (Jul 30, 2017)

Katybug said:


> It's so true!  The side effects they mention appear to be worse than any condition you may taking the med for.


The side effects they mention are an attempt to avoid being sued for damages. Have you never seen the ads by lawyers about a drug you may have taken?


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