We’ve taken a detour from being addicted to street drugs to being addicted to prescription drugs. The drug dealer has changed from the guy hanging out on the street corner to the pharmacist in your local drug store. Granted you still need a doctor’s prescription to get these drugs, but that doesn’t solve the problem of addiction.

Our commercials are laden with advertisements by pharmaceutical companies hocking the latest pill to “cure” erectile dysfunction, seasonal allergies and depression. These companies spent close to $5 Billion in advertising in 2006 alone. Studies have shown that people are more likely to ask their doctor for the medications they are more “familiar” with because they saw it on TV.  In 1997, there was a change in the “direct-to-consumer” advertising laws and thus we saw a huge increase in drug ads on television.  By 1999, the average American was exposed to at least 9 drug related commercials per day.  (Overdosed America Dr. John Abramson)

• In 2007 US prescription drug sales were $274.9 billion (up 5.8% from 2005)
• In 2000 US prescription drug sales were just over $100 billion
• The average American spends roughly $350 per year on prescription medications

Drugs and the Elderly

The cost of prescription medications really takes its toll on the elderly.  Here are the top 5 most commonly prescribed drugs:

(Source: “Enough to Make You Sick: Prescription Drug Prices for the Elderly” from Families USA)

Drugs…the cure for everything?

I must say that not all drugs are “bad” per se.  The advent of certain medications such as antibiotics helped us to control diseases such as tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.  You hardly see any of these types of diseases and if you do, they’re pretty isolated.  Pain medications can be really helpful when you’re in acute pain, or if you’ve gone through some type of trauma.

We have the best “emergent care” doctors in the world, but when it comes to managing and treating chronic illness most medical doctors fall short.

That’s because we’re trying to fix a problem with the wrong tool.  Most drugs are only effective for acute care and does nothing to solve the chronic condition.  (We’ll talk about this in another post)

Ask yourself these 4 questions before going on any medication

1. Will this medication “correct” my problem?
2. How long will I need to take this medication?
3. What side effects does this medication have?
4. Will my body function better after taking this medication?

Be cautious of any type of foreign chemical you put into your body.  Get the facts.  Understand what it does and it’s side effects.  Be informed so that you can make a good decision for the future of your health.

Read the complete MedWatch 2008 safety summary, including a link to the FDA News Release, at:
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2008/safety08.htm#TotalBody

Dr. Mike’s comments:

It really bothers me that there are supplement companies out there who do not take adequate quality control measures. I mean come on 200 times the indicated amount of the label!

I’ll write another post about how to choose a good nutritional supplement, because obviously you cannot trust how these companies advertise their products.

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