Grab Drug Advertisements By The Pills: Let Them Educate You

Grab Drug Advertisements by the Pills: Part One

We begin the Grab Drug Advertisements by the Pills series by discussing how educational – and how confusing – drug advertisements can be.

Prescription drug advertisements are educational in that they often help people tune into and/or better understand a particular health condition. However, because most of us aren’t doctors, drug advertisements can confuse us. Some of us are out the door and headed to the doctor’s office before the commercial is even finished.

Yes, I want to spend this Patient Safety Awareness Week encouraging you to get more involved with the path your health care takes; however, that doesn’t mean you can’t slow down, educate yourself, explore your options, and allow your doctor to do his/her job.

Because this is Mental Health Notes, let’s use depression as an example. And, let’s revive “Kay” from the first installment of I Must Shave My Legs: The OCD Miniseries.

Poor Kay. Not only does she have obsessive-compulsive disorder, but now she’s been diagnosed with depression, too.

Kay is sad and cries a lot, both for no apparent reason. She’s losing weight and can’t seem to get – or stay – out of bed for very long. She doesn’t go to Bingo anymore (yes, Kay likes to play Bingo, and lots of it) and she avoids phone calls and visits from her friends. Kay’s husband Leroy (haha, Kay and Leroy – get it?) has had to take over her share of household chores, but no matter how spotless he gets the kitchen, he can’t seem to convince Kay to start showering regularly again. And Kay’s poor children, Friedman and Tiffany (honestly, I don’t know why I’m on this jewelry kick), wonder why Mommy doesn’t see them off to school anymore. Have they done something wrong?

No. No one’s done anything wrong. Kay is depressed, but for whatever reason Kay isn’t familiar with depression. Until she sees a commercial for Cymbalta, that is. Encouraged by the miserably sad-looking (and not-so-shower fresh) people who are miraculously much happier-looking (not to mention cleaner and wearing make-up and wrinkle-free clothes) by the end of the commercial, Kay makes an appointment with a doctor to discuss depression.

And Cymbalta.

Over the course of a month or so, Kay is diagnosed with depression, prescribed Cymbalta, and starts to feel like the bed’s worth making, dinner’s worth cooking, her family and friend’s are worth attention, her shower’s worth stepping into, and Bingo is definitely worth playing.

Life is grand.

However, Kay’s health suddenly takes a turn for the worse. Kay discovers she’s having some serious difficulty urinating. Quite frankly, Kay can’t properly pee. When the symptom persists beyond just taking longer than normal in the restroom, Kay visits her doctor who informs her the Cymbalta has caused urethral resistance. The problem has escalated to the point that Kay needs catheterization. Her doctor takes her off Cymbalta.

Can you see how the Cymbalta drug commercial was both educational and confusing? Read on.

The Cymbalta drug commercial was educational in that it brought a condition called depression to Kay’s attention, which gave Kay the encouragement she needed to see a doctor. However, it was confusing in that the side effects listed were spouted out much faster than the rest of the commercial and mostly in medical jargon Kay didn’t really understand.

Rather than concern herself with those measly couple of seconds of gloomy side effects, Kay focused only on the relief the Cymbalta drug commercial promised.

So, what do you – the patient – need to know in order to make sure your story has a happier ending than Kay’s?

• Kay’s scary story shouldn’t have you turning the channel the next time you see a commercial for a prescription medication. Drug advertisements can be extremely beneficial in helping you recognize – and take further action regarding – your symptoms.
• The drug and the drug company’s official Web sites give much more thorough information about the pros and cons of the drug – and it’s in print, which means you can read it at your own pace. Check them out.
• Neither you nor the drug commercial nor the drug’s Web site is a doctor. If the advertisement truly elicits a response from you – if you genuinely feel the commercial describes your health problems – make an appointment with your doctor. Mention the commercial and tell your doctor how it helped you catalog your symptoms. S/he may decide the drug is worth trying after you’re properly diagnosed.
• If your doctor wants to prescribe the drug, make sure you find out everything you can about the side effects and how the drug may interfere with any other medication you’re taking.
• Regularly stay in touch with your doctor and inform him/her of every side effect you experience. Develop a rash? Tell your doctor. Constantly dizzy? Tell your doctor. Can’t pee? Tell your doctor. Don’t feel like a bother – it’s your doctor’s job to provide health care.

Drug advertisements aren’t designed to help you diagnose yourself. Use the information they provide, do a little research on your own, and then approach your doctor for a proper diagnosis and treatment rather than a prescription for the drug in the commercial.

Stay tuned for information about what drug companies do and do not – by law – have to reveal in their advertisements.

In the meantime, does Kay’s story sound similar to yours? Feel free to share in the comments!

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