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We’ve all seen them, TV commercials advertising prescription and over-the-counter medications designed to cure every sneeze, cough, pain, desire, emotion, hunger, lack of energy, and sleep irregularities. It seems every time I watch TV or check my email I’m being told I may have some disease, irregularity, or condition which should be treated through chemicals.

While I understand companies must turn profits to survive and that there are many medical conditions where medicine is needed for treatment, I’m troubled by the means these companies are using to accomplish their goals.

How often have you seen a commercial which tells you that you may have a condition known as (fill in the blank) and that you should ask your doctor about the drug being advertised? Does this seem a little over the top to anyone else? If I called my doctor every time I felt out of my element or somewhat ill he would prescribe me Xanax (anti-anxiety medication).

What really bothers me is that these companies take advantage of individual’s insecurities in order to make a buck. People are already self-conscious about their looks, weight, and social skills; telling everyone they have serious (but treatable) medical conditions is unnecessary and unwanted.

Speaking of unwanted, have you listened to the side effects of some of these medications? Taking a pill to battle mild depression shouldn’t give you dry mouth, diarrhea, sleeplessness, and sexual side effects, nor should it force you to take them for the rest of your life because if you go off them you would fall into an even worse depression than when you started. Sexual side effects alone sound depressing, so I hope those pills work as promised.

What’s also depressing is the speed at which doctors seem to prescribe medication to their patients. For every condition, it seems to be the first, and sometimes only, line of defense. Everything from depression, to eating disorders, to erectile dysfunction seems to have a chemical cure which is the first resort. I’m sure there are many cases where the problem IS a chemical imbalance, but this can’t be the case for all of them. I feel like a lot of the problems we face daily could be addressed by simply listening to someone and being a friend.

Depression can be caused by many factors including loneliness, poor diet, and a lack of sleep. Taking Paxil may make you feel a lot better, but it sure isn’t getting at the root of your problems. Similarly, it is quite possible a man isn’t able to get an erection due to circulation problems; but there’s also the possibility that he is uncomfortable with all issues regarding his sexuality because of his strict upbringing, religious beliefs, or a negative self-image. Perhaps he is just not as comfortable with his partner as he would like to be.

I also feel like using medication for treatment removes the responsibility from the patient on occasion. When one is told that the thing bothering them is a medical condition, this can make them feel like a victim; not exactly an empowering feeling. If you are irritable and depressed because you don’t get enough sleep you may try to stop drinking caffeinated drinks (at least at night). Caffeine is known to cause anxiety, restlessness, and increase blood pressure; for some more than others. <irony>haha, an Effexor commercial just came on, how ironic</irony>I am highly sensitive to caffeine for anyone who doesn’t know, and when I am able to kick the habit I do notice that I sleep better and generally feel healthier.

I am sure you can see what I am getting at here, whether you agree or not is entirely up to you of course. Just thinking about all of this is making me depressed and giving me an upset stomach; excuse me while I go call my doctor.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 27th, 2004 at 1:56 am and is filed under Random, Thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.