Why do they have commercials advertising prescription medications? Doesn't my doctor already have this info?

Question

they advertise these commercials and say TELL YOUR DOCTOR. I am not medically trained!...besides, all these commericals sure do list a whole bunch of SIDE EFFECTS......example ~ this pill will help you sleep...HOWEVER, the side effects could be heart attack, stroke and liver failure!!! what's up with these commercials?

starting over ~~~~all i have to say is HAHAHAHAHA

Answer 1

They are trying to sell it to you, so you will ask your doctor about it.

Almost all drugs have side effects.

I love the ambien side effect - may cause drowsiness! I would hope so.

Answer 2

They want YOU to pester your doc to prescribe this new medication for you. A pretty neat trick, huh? Get patients recruited to increase profits for the big pharma corporations.

There are enough doctors out there who will write the prescription if the patient demands it and the drug is in the same class as what s/he would've prescribed anyway--but the catch is that there might be an older drug or a generic that would work just as well.

On one hand, it's good to have the information out there--but on the other, the ads make it look like every user will be a success story. The real statistics for many of the newest meds are not so great. And although the potential side effects have to be disclosed, most people have quit listening by the end of the ad and are just focusing on remembering the name of the medication.

Answer 3

Business,business!. But how much benefit they will gain out of paying huge sum for commercial ads of prescription drugs? I doubt if it really gets much influence. Doctors have their own "businesses" too. A patient may tell the doctor of what was advertised but the doctor also had being "advertised" by drug agents/dealers. Who knows better and who prescribes the medication? Definitely, the doctor! Ads on prescribed drugs just won't work that much, let them "deal" with doctors and it will be much better. "Advertise" a pajero with the doctor for instance and that will make a business keep moving.(It is not applicable to all doctors but it is true, sorry to say this.)

Answer 4

Of course your doctor knows -- but they want you to know about the drugs, too. Drug companies want to convince you that you need medication for something, and more specifically that you need THEIR medication. Many problems are difficult to diagnose and there is a lot of "gray area." People might not go to the doctor at all (because they don't need to!) until they see some commerical. Then the doctor diagnoses them and they prescribe that very medication! A very nice way to make money for the drug companies. It's the same reason they give doctors all sorts of free gifts.

Answer 5

I'll start with the side effects. Our litigious-obsessed society forces companies to make such statements.

The commercials are so that you will ask your MD if the drug that caught your attention is one that will benefit you. There are many drugs that do the same thing with different side effects and different degrees of effectiveness. Each drug company, reasonably, wants you to ask for their drug.

Yes, your doctor knows about the drugs and which ones are right for you, but sometimes their first choice is hindered by your insurance coverage. You don't need to be medically trained; you're MD will know whether the drug you request is appropriate for you, or not.

Answer 6

I look at this way and use your instincts. Drug Companies want your money period. They don't give a rats rear end about any of us, and our health. It is the doctor and his staff of Technicians, to tell us what is going on with our health. If there are medications or treatments needed, then they tell us. It is not the place of drug companies, to tell us to ask our doctor. We are not medically trained. Right there is the red warning flag. We are being told to ask our doctor by a commercial. I think the Medical Community should have stepped in long ago, about this method of drug sales. It is wrong, it is a disgrace, and I shut them off immediately. The doctor is being paid for my health care. I am not falling for the abuse the drug companies are causing, for their own profits.

Answer 7

Yeah, your doctor has the info, but the drug companies are hoping you will go and ask for this drug you saw on t.v. A good doctor will do what he/she thinks is best for you, but some doctors are pressured into writing prescriptions when patients come in and demand a medication they saw on t.v. It's all about the money. The drug companies want increased sales.

Answer 8

They are trying to educate the general public about their medications because some doctors won't push medications, but if a patient asks for it, they doctor is more likely to write the prescription and in turn give the pharmeceutical company a profit.

Answer 9

they are trying to convince you that there is something wrong with you. They have a pill for everything now, and the commerical actually makes you think for a minute that you do have those symptoms. the doctors and the drug companies work hand in hand. if there are 2 rx for you particular problem, they doctor usually does not ask you which one you would like to try. he writes you a rx for the one he wants you to take. the drug compant gives a cut back to doctors for using their drugs. next time you are in the waiting room look to see how many sales people from those companys come in pulling their little suitcases and leaving all those pens and samples. ask yourself why.

Answer 10

What they are doing is telling you to speak to your doctor about that particular med(if you have the symptoms it's prescribed for).This is how they spread popularity of that medication.
They must also issue the disclaimer about side effects because they are required to by law.Also,if you have liver problems,history of heart disease etc.They're simply informing you their medication may not be for you.