Big Pharma--Does it surprise you?

[Dav125]

The article says it all....:(

Here's the heading:


Big Pharma's Brazen Crusade to Push Pills on Little Kids

Drug giants spend billions a year promoting their pills to children. Johnson & Johnson even advertises its latest anti-psychotic on Legos, ignoring evidence that the drug causes early diabetes,  wild weight gain and breast milk in both boys and girls.

Copy and paste link to your address bar for, as Paul Harvey would say "the rest of the story"..

http://www.thefix.com/content/jj-sued-illegal-promotion-drugs-kids

[Rich99]

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2007/09/03/prsb0903.htm

[Rich99]

Sorry to hear that but it's so common.     The pharm companies do the very minimum that government regulations require them to print and give notice of possible side effects within their advertising.    You will hear the word 'dependency' but you won't hear "addiction,  rehab, withdrawals, disruption of brain chemistry" etc in print or within TV ads.     This is the trap because you and your doctor want to make your life more tolerable from pain,  depression and anxiety.    The drugs are what you believe will make life more bearable.    Think again,  the benzo drugs among others depress the central nervous system like pressing down on a spring.    When you attempt to withdrawal from the meds,  the spring pushes the central nervous system back and speeds it up to get it back where it used to be.   That's what the awful withdrawals are about.    Your nervous system popping back from that spring.    It takes time but nobody wants to suffer that nervous system speeding up so you keep taking the drugs.

[ashley788]

My poor husband was one of those that "fell into the trap"  and he suffered for 8 years on oxycontin. I remember being at the PM with him and the doctor telling him "as long as you take them as prescribed you shouln't have a problem. My man now is a (recovering) ADDICT so much for believing your Doc's. Granted no one force the pills down his throat, but he and I was lead to beleive there shouldn't be a problem. Well there is a BIG problem. Just my two cents

[Rich99]

""Nobody holds a gun to our heads to take those pills but a heavy handed advertising network is out there.    You can't watch 30 minutes of TV without seeing at least one Rx drug being shown to us which begs us to ask our doctor about that drug""     Mangee,, you didn't see my previous post because thats what I said up there.     Suffering with pain is the lesser of two evils for those who might want to take pain pills.    My awful fibromyalgia condition is the lesser of two evils after going the drug route and almost losing my life.    You bet I made the decision willingly to start using them but from that experience I am attempting to send out the warning that pharmaceutical companies do not care what happens to you as long as their sales charts are up there.     These chemicals they produce alter the brain's chemistry and disrupt our body's ability to make its own natural chemicals for sleep/fighting pain/ etc.     The brain stops producing your own once it has these drugs circulating in the blood stream.    When you attempt to stop using them,  the brain has a long lag time before it realizes it has to start making its own again.   This lag time is the awful withdrawals you get so you are in such a state you take the pills which brings back something for the brain to use rather have nothing.

[Mangee]

Do not forget that it is those who willingly pay for these products without any thought of what the pills can do, other than cure. All too often we look for excuses as to why we are ingesting the medications and so we blame others rather than ourselves. "It is television advertising that is to blame."  "It is my doctor's fault. He didn't tell me of the medication's other possibilities."  Did you ask? " My friend said it was okay," etc.etc. etc. The pharmaceutical companies rely on the fact that we are easilly swayed and that we follow others like sheep. You may be somewhat put out at being called sheep and that being told that we are easily swayed but if you take the time to think about it you can only come to one conclusion, which I have been guilty of , and  that is how easily we jump when we think there is a panacea out there. It took me many years before I stopped letting others think for me and got around to doing my own thinking. It is not stupidity that puts people like you or me into a," Follow the leader, "mindset, it is the hope that this or that medicine is the possible cure and so we reach out to grab whatever is extended towards us. Pain can do unbelievable things to the mind as can addiction. One (pain) can easilly lead to the other (addiction) and so we, as I said ,"Reach out for a possible ending to our problem."

[dominosarah]

I agree with you Rich, now how do we get everyone else to see this?

[Rich99]

" They know damn good and well the he!! that is waiting for those who fall into that trap."   I hear you but again,  no one forces these pills down our throat,   we begin using them just like some people begin smoking,  begin drinking alcohol,  etc.    It is up to everyone to really take a long hard look at the spokes in this big wheel that turns the economy as far as Rx drugs are concerned.      These drugs are dangerous and can leave you in a condition that is much worse than the condition you were in when you made the decision to take the pills.     Thats why we all have to take a long hard look at how pharmaceutical companies and the FDA operate.

[quitinoxys]

Yes Sara they got a 125 million dollar fine for the oxy BS so lets do the math 500 billion divided  by 125 million = we can afford it so lets keep going. The bigger problem is the doctors being educated by the big pharma reps as to the effects of all of the "miracle drugs". In the case of oxys when I was first prescribed them I was told (and my doctor firmly believed) if you take the as prescrbed you won't become addicted. Their should be a big push for the Doc's to educate themselves about these drugs before prescribing them or better yet they should be mandated to take them so they know the pain they are inflicting on people. Whatever happened to do no harm I guess that went out the window when the cash starts flying in.

[dominosarah]

They paint such a pretty picture dont they?  They know damn good and well the he!! that is waiting for those who fall into that trap.  I always think about oxycontin....they knew the addictiveness of that pill and yet they went forward with it anyway.  They got a big fine but that was just a tax write off anyways.  I am so glad i am no longer contributing to their yachts and summer homes on some island.  I am now my own advocate.

[Rich99]

Of course.     Do you think the CEO and other executives down the chain ever say to themselves "are people going into rehab to get off our products?"     At their meetings,   they must show their graphs of sales and income and how shareholders might be reacting.     We who got addicted are not at the top of the list.         Nobody holds a gun to our heads to take those pills but a heavy handed advertising network is out there.    You can't watch 30 minutes of TV without seeing at least one Rx drug being shown to us which begs us to ask our doctor about that drug.     And when you listen carefully to that ad,  it does speak of possible awful side effects and reports of fatal incidents too yet it doesn't sink in for some reason.    Since so many doctors now practice on automatic pilot due to financial and other pressures,  the Rx pad comes out quickly.      It is up to us to not go that route,  to find another way to resolve our issues.     Many times,  we end up in much worse shape having taken these drugs than the shape we were in at the time we decided to begin using them.       While in the midst of my own Rx addiction,   I used to beg to just get back to the way I felt before using them.      

[dominosarah]

The Big Pharms are way past caring about people, more pills+more addicts=money in their pocket.

[Rich99]

""Substance Abuse forum is for direct issues about addiction - withdrawal, relapse, detox, treatment, etc.""
Yes it is.    And also it is about how easily you can find yourself in that awful process being discussed in that forum if you insist on taking that drug that you saw on TV or in print because you do not 'feel well' today.      
How many Heath Ledgers,   Michael Jacksons,   Dana Platos,  Anna Nicole Smiths does it take to show what addiction to the 'legal' drugs can do?       But I agree why lecture to the already addicted posters in that forum,   they now have to attempt to save their lives.     And if anyone who isn't addicted was reading in that forum,  well they'll have to check for warnings elsewhere,  maybe right here.    

[ImDONENoMore]

Well said!!

[Punkinhead75]

I understand that the pharmaceutical co's and "Big Business" can be difficult to get around and that there are many situations where prescription drugs may be necessary however I do have the right to look for other options.  There are many places to find good information on how to manage pain as well as live healthier lives.  I know lots of folks that want the quick fix instead of putting in the effort to make lifestyle changes that benefit their health.  In certain areas of my life I am one of those people.  However I recognize that is my choice.  I like what you said about the labels on ads.  Whenever I get a script it comes with a big pamphlet that explains side effects.  Sometimes I read it. Sometimes I don't.  In the end I still have to weigh my options and make a decision as to what I put in my body.  Cigarettes have had warning labels on them for years.  It didn't stop me from picking up a pack and it certainly  didn't influence my decision to stop.

I read the article mentioned above and I agree that what the pharma's are doing isn't right.  It is still my responsibilty to choose a dr. wisely and examine all options before surrendering to the will of "Big Business".

[Emily_MHManager]

Hi Rich -

We aren't disagreeing with your opinions and thoughts, just that the Substance Abuse forum is for direct issues about addiction - withdrawal, relapse, detox, treatment, etc.  Policy and "big pharma" issues are more appropriate on the Social side.

Emily

[Mangee]

This is a problem that cannot be solved in the near future. As long as governments the world over kowtow to the big money, we willnever stop the actions of big business. It is not only the pharmaceutical companies that are preying on the public purse, it is big business in general. One of the biggest problems is the lobbyists who are paid handsomely to push politicians etc. to turn the other way. Almost evety drug that is constantly advertised alsohas a death warning.
Without proper testing many people will die from these drugs and the companies will not shed a single tear as they walk to the bank. They should be ordered to find other drugs that do not cause fatalities. Drugs are needed to combat the side effects and more drugs to combat the side effects of the side effects etc. etc. etc. It is almost certain that many of the side effects of some drugs are placed there purposely to gain more money. When you think of the CEOs of the big companies giving themselves millions of dollars in bonuses you can well understand why they don't give a damn about the people with health problems. Health problems are a big money maker for these bcompanies. In a related scenario look at companies that put out products for diabetics. You pay twice as much for half as much in candies and other needed products as the regular products. WHY??? The big business idea is, "Get as much as you can from those who are suffering health issues. They have to pay it because we have them by the throats."

[Rich99]

Thank you for your reply but I respectfully disagree.    Doctors today seem to be practicing on 'automatic pilot' by over-prescribing drugs which in turn does lead to many people's 'addiction' problems.        And the enormous sums spent by the big pharmaceutical companies to advertise their product in the media,  these ads are directed to individuals who cannot even buy these drugs by themselves.       The FDA should make it mandatory that these ads also say 'addiction' is a serious problem and not just that dependency could be an issue.       Those addicted to these drugs need to know how the 'system' works.     When Ambien first came out around 1990 or so,   that company all but announced that this pill is not addicting.     Well I guess they must have said,  ooops,  we were wrong about that but the executives and shareholders proclaimed damn it's a big seller for us.      That's why those addicted need to read this.

[Emily_MHManager]

Hi Rich -

No, we moved it to the Social side as it isn't directly related to addiction.  

I hope that helps clarify things.

Emily

[Rich99]

It's amazing how this topic thread was moved to this forum from the more active addiction forum as if site owners were nervous that their sponsors would be upset.  

[vicki595]

Big Pharma has it's grubby little hands all over this web site...

The FDA and The pharm companies are definitely in bed together. It's unbelievable the amount of time it takes to get a drug that can help people approved!!    Decades!!

Thanks Dave!  LOL

[Rich99]

I see nothing that surprises me.    I've often posted that the biggest drug pushers are not found on dark desolate urban street corners.    They are the giant pharamaceutical companies who send out a stampede of sales reps going from doctor office to doctor office flooding them with samples.    It doesn't end there.    They spend a fortune on TV and media print ads asking you to ask your doctor about the drug they want to sell you.      The FDA and pharmaceutical companies must be in bed together.      

[Dav125]

Here,,,copy and paste this :):)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O69L2mO9y-4&feature=related

[vicki595]

It used to be that you couldn't even give a kid a diagnosis until 16 or 18!  Now,they're on meds by the time they're potty trained it seems!

I'll tell you...there was a little kid I worked with in a school and he was a fun kid and very "busy" all the time It was so hard for him to sit quietly and do work. His parents wanted him on meds...not their fault. We asked the kid one day what HE thought would keep him calm and help during quiet times...He said if he had some gum it would help a lot!!   And that was his medicine!!  A pack of gum.  It's not always that simple but it's great when it is!!

I'm not liking this new "not enough chemo" either. That's just sick!!  Since when??? Since people started getting well...Big Pharma likes to keep them sick!  Ever wonder WHY there's no cure for cancer?  Big Pharma doesn't want it and being that they're sleeping with the government, researchers don't get grants/money/support!!!

Now you've got me going...I need to calm down!!

[Dav125]

No Kidding Vicki..It is disgusting...When I was in the elementary school realm with my kids, it seems to me at least 40% were on something from what I picked up in conversation in the mornings walking my kids to class and interacting with other parents ..Attention deficit disorder, anti depressant,,something...

I believe this article is just the tip of an iceburg thats been floating around for quite some time. At least someone is finally taking notice..From a moral and legal aspect...