Farkin hell, Americans and prescription drugs

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Farkin hell, Americans and prescription drugs

Post by Aliya » 10th Mar, '08, 13:39

No offence to our resident Americans but just been looking at a particular health website and the drugs that people are taking for the most commonest of things like colds, runny noses, allergies, by the sound of it some people are taking stuff to stop their noses running then taking stuff to stop their nose from drying out and a plethora of other sorts of drugs for things that seem mainstream to me, none of the people on that board were taking any less than about 3 types of drugs.

People were dicsussing them like they were doctors, lots of self dosing, am I just being anti drug or have no idea about stuff like this? I get colds and a bit of allergies but apart from Symbicort dont take anything when I am ill, these people were popping pills like no tomorrow, am quite horrified!

Is this an American thing because the only people i know personally who pop pills like this are Americans...
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Re: Farkin hell, Americans and prescription drugs

Post by slinky » 10th Mar, '08, 13:43

Either I never discussed other people's pill taking habits with them or it isn't as mainstream as you think it is because I don't recall it being so common. The only thing I know there is an issue with is over-use of antibiotics. Seems like there is a significant portion of the population who tend to 'demand' an antibiotic from their doctor when they have a cold or flu. Can't figure out why the docs give it when it's clear the person has a virus.

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Re: Farkin hell, Americans and prescription drugs

Post by Bender » 10th Mar, '08, 19:41

Watched a show called 'The Medicated Child' on TV the other night. In the US, kids as young as 2 are being diagnosed with all manner of mental illnesses (bipolar is hugely on the rise, apparently), and there are kids on 'cocktails' of up to 8 strong drugs per day by the time they're 6. Truly worrying. :shock:
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Re: Farkin hell, Americans and prescription drugs

Post by slinky » 10th Mar, '08, 20:09

How in the world could you really tell if a 2 year old is bipolar or not?? :shock: Besides, I don't think that kind of illness manifests itself in a child so young. Guess I'd have to look it up, but, seriously, 2 year olds are sort of bipolar by nature aren't they? I mean half the time they run around 'manic' and the other half they are crying about something, no?

Actually, the big one I hear most about these days is ADD or ADHD and I think the number of kids in grade school currently on Ritalin or something like it is shocking. I wonder how many of those kids would be 'cured' by major diet changes coupled with consistency in their daily life - i.e. fairly regular bedtimes, meal times, etc. - basically a serious cut-down on a chaotic lifestyle.

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Re: Farkin hell, Americans and prescription drugs

Post by Joy » 10th Mar, '08, 21:11

Slinky, I don't know how long you have been away, however my experience is that people take all sorts of drugs for everything. I am friends with some of the people in the dog park and most of them take on a regular basis Ambien CR, Prozac as well as a plethora of other medications depending on what they think their condition is. I remember when I went to the doctor and he did a blood panel and my cholesterol was borderline he was already ready to give me a medication against that. WTF? First of all, for a cholesterol panel to be correct you have to do the test on an empty stomach, second of all I am 32!!!! Thirdly, it was BORDERLINE.

Most doctors are bought out by pharmaceutical companies, so they push the drugs like there's no tomorrow.

As much as surgeons and specialty doctors are absolutely fantastic here, the overmedication is EVERYWHERE. Just watch TV at night, there's guaranteed to be at least two to three medication commercials per BREAK. Very scary in my opinion.

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Re: Farkin hell, Americans and prescription drugs

Post by Pinklepurr » 10th Mar, '08, 21:41

Have to admit that the advertising on US TV for meds of all sorts is amazing. I was used to only seeing things like ads for paracetamol and cold/flu tablets etc and so the amount and type of ads in the US was mindblowing. I don't recall seeing ads like that anywhere else.
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Re: Farkin hell, Americans and prescription drugs

Post by Fat Bob » 10th Mar, '08, 21:43

slinky wrote:How in the world could you really tell if a 2 year old is bipolar or not??
Float it in a bucket full of water and see if it aligns with the earth's magnetic field.
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Re: Farkin hell, Americans and prescription drugs

Post by sundaymorningstaple » 10th Mar, '08, 23:45

Guess I be a Farkin Merkin!

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Re: Farkin hell, Americans and prescription drugs

Post by canuck » 11th Mar, '08, 07:34

pinkle: reason you see drugs advertised in the US more so than Britian is because you pay for your meds, so they want you to buy their brand. In the UK you get a prescription and the doctor choses the brand, depending on who's courted the doctor depends on the brand you get, or the doctors opinion, sometimes you just get generic cause it is the cheapest.

although I do think American advertising for drugs has gotten out of hand, they have some sort of quick fix for almost any malady lately. Not sure which is worse tho, prescription meds cure alls or over the counter cure alls. I think the whole flu/cold medicine thing should be yanked.

As for ADHD I think it is perhaps not a disease and kids should be put on meds but a different wiring of the brain. Imagine if Edison were alive now, he didn't speak until he was 3, he'd have been schwacked on meds and probably have ended up hangin around the mall.

I also heard a story on the news the other week out of North America, a famous ballet dancer went through the whole. 'I think your child has problems because she has no focus in school' issue, but luckily her family found out, she had a need to move and her love of dance. They helped channel her energies into that, and she has become one of the best. No drugs required.

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Re: Farkin hell, Americans and prescription drugs

Post by Fat Bob » 11th Mar, '08, 10:58

Errr....no, the reason why prescription drugs aren't advertised in the UK is because it's illegal.
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Re: Farkin hell, Americans and prescription drugs

Post by Pinklepurr » 11th Mar, '08, 17:59

Yes, same in Aus (NZ too I think), not allowed to advertise prescription meds at all. Like doctors and the like, they can't advertise their services either (although I notice there are ways around it now). That is why it was so in my face so to speak on US TV.

ADHD/ADD is not a disease but it is a real medical condition, it is not curable, but is treatable. Meds are not the answer all the time and are now way too readily handed out to anyone and everyone it seems, scary stuff too when you look at what they can do to you.

Anti biotics, argh, if I wanted I could have a cupboard full of them here (I think my maid really does :shock: ) as every time I take one of the boys to the doctor they try to give them to me, and only stop when I question the reason for taking them.
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Re: Farkin hell, Americans and prescription drugs

Post by slinky » 11th Mar, '08, 18:06

Seems to me drug advertising in the US has gotten really overwhelming since they made it illegal to advertise cigarettes - can't recall if they are still allowed to advertise alcohol or not. The ads are pretty ridiculous too because by law they have to state all the possible side effects and they tend to rip though the list really fast in an announcer-type voice [smilie=gnigni.gif]

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Re: Farkin hell, Americans and prescription drugs

Post by baloo » 11th Mar, '08, 18:08

I always wondered whether ADHD/ADD were just made up conditions to help sell more drugs. I don't remember ADHD/ADD being too common 15/20 years ago.

I wonder if it's something to do with kids being brought up in a TV/Video game world where things keep moving and changing.
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Re: Farkin hell, Americans and prescription drugs

Post by slinky » 11th Mar, '08, 18:18

I'm sure that could well have something to do with it, baloo. I've also read that there are some medical people or researchers who are of the opinion that kids who don't get enough sleep as infants are more prone to it.

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Re: Farkin hell, Americans and prescription drugs

Post by Pinklepurr » 11th Mar, '08, 18:23

Perahps the reason they didn't get enough sleep is because of the condition???

It's not a made up condition. There may be more now (or excuses as well, many are not real), but I can look back now and recognise kids from my classes at school who certainly showed all the signs and symptoms, quite often the ones who were always in trouble and being sent to the office or whatever.

Not sure about the tv/video game side of things...there may be some merit in that idea...
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Re: Farkin hell, Americans and prescription drugs

Post by Bender » 11th Mar, '08, 19:39

Pinklepurr wrote:Yes, same in Aus (NZ too I think), not allowed to advertise prescription meds at all
...but they do, in more subtle ways, such as ads that play on people's desire to lose weight, never mentioning the name of the drug, and advising people to 'see their doctor'. The ads are usually presented as 'public health information'.
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Re: Farkin hell, Americans and prescription drugs

Post by Fat Bob » 12th Mar, '08, 07:24

They need to do those ads in Australia though. Bunch of fatties down there!
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