Am I the only one here wondering if there is not a connection between the brutally high costs of prescription medicines and the amount of prime-time television advertising bought by drug companies to bypass physicians and go directly to the consumer?
Their blandishments range from pills for erectile dysfunction to incredibly serious ailments such as manic/depressive states and even to life threatening conditions including heart disease, high-blood pressure and diabetes. And...
Some include cautionary warnings that the drug might result in or induce: compulsive gambling, unnatural sexual cravings, hallucinations, heart palpitations, heart attack and/or stroke, erections of longer than four hours and chasing cars, biting hub caps and baying at the moon. OK, OK, I exaggerated a little there with that moon-barking thing, but, the rest of it I hear coming from my TV on a daily, almost hourly basis, whether I'm watching a drama, comedy, news or sports event.
Frankly, I really do not know many lay people who are sufficiently qualified to self-diagnose and self-prescribe. No strike that! I do not know anyone, except for my physician!
Aside from the obvious strain and dense fog in communication this sort of thing must create between patients and their physicians, isn't it an unnecessary cost which could be best spent in reducing the cost of prescriptions drugs; particularly for older Americans who all too many must make daily decisions between their meds and eating a balanced meal.
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