Something fishy about advertisment for medication.

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There is an ad running for Nexium on TV aimed at senior citizens. Each time I see it something seems not right. It starts with ordinary looking older couple. He says "she worries all the time". What does she worry about? Getting ulcers from her arthritis medication. The ad promotes Nexium as the treatment to prevent stomach ulcers from NSAIDS. I thought that Nexium was invented to TREAT GI irritation by our own stomach acid. I don't know if it would prevent irritation caused by a medication. I can't even remember anyone ever promoting it as a drug to prevent symptoms, everyone I know including myself who takes Nexium has symptoms. Even if it did prevent stomach ulcers would it not make more sense to prescribe Maalox in a person who was asymptomatic and needed to take arthritis medication? Did anyone else see it? What did you think?:uhoh21:

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.
There is an ad running for Nexium on TV aimed at senior citizens. Each time I see it something seems not right. It starts with ordinary looking older couple. He says "she worries all the time". What does she worry about? Getting ulcers from her arthritis medication. The ad promotes Nexium as the treatment to prevent stomach ulcers from NSAIDS. I thought that Nexium was invented to TREAT GI irritation by our own stomach acid. I don't know if it would prevent irritation caused by a medication. I can't even remember anyone ever promoting it as a drug to prevent symptoms, everyone I know including myself who takes Nexium has symptoms. Even if it did prevent stomach ulcers would it not make more sense to prescribe Maalox in a person who was asymptomatic and needed to take arthritis medication? Did anyone else see it? What did you think?:uhoh21:

A big reason seniors are on a lot of medication is because, they are on a lot of medication... this is the same with people that take pain killers, many pain killers cause depression resulting in the patient having to take anti-depressants which can cause weight gain, then the patient wants to go on Fastin...is a vicious cycle :uhoh3:

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Specializes in PeriOp, ICU, PICU, NICU.

Yes, I have seen it and it does seem to be targeted towards senior citizens. Like the previous post mentions it is a viscious cycle. I don't agree with much of the prescription ad's anyhow. They have a cure-all for everything. They start off sweet and almost make it seem like it's okay to have such and such (like the valtrex commercial) etc.

Anyhow, that is just what I think. :)

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I don't like ads for medications. They aren't even allowed in Canada.

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I don't like ads for medications. They aren't even allowed in Canada.
Three cheers for Canada!
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These ads have everybody thinking they 'need' these meds...my doc tells me they come in everyday wanting that pill they saw on TV...from Nexium to Zyrtec to the...er...'libido' meds.

Too many docs just sigh and give in to patient demands for more drugs.

I don't believe these ads should be allowed either.

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I don't like ads for medications. They aren't even allowed in Canada.

Three cheers for Canada!

HIP HIP HOORAY!!

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Even if it did prevent stomach ulcers would it not make more sense to prescribe Maalox in a person who was asymptomatic and needed to take arthritis medication? Did anyone else see it? What did you think?:uhoh21:

Actually how about some saltines and milk with those NSAIDS?! We're so fixated on pills but we don't pay any attention to how they should be taken.

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Big Pharma increases their profits by convincing people that they "need" to take their pills, whether it's really medically indicated or not. The senior population is a popular target for this kind of advertising because so many of them are seriously concerned about their health (whether that is justified or not) and many are not v. well informed ... Ok, so the newer pain meds turned out to have serious problems (that's a whole 'nother conversation, isn't it? :rolleyes: ) Ok, so a lot of people have stomach problems with the NSAIDS (and do you notice that the ad helpfully points out that your NSAIDS may be causing stomach bleeding even if you don't feel anything???) The Nexium people see this as a golden opportunity to get a whole lot more people taking Nexium regularly. There have always been some people who had gastric distress with ASA or NSAIDS -- the advice used to be to take the meds with some food. Maybe Tums or Rolaids. Big Pharma wants you to believe that the answer is an expensive Rx drug ...

This is another example of what I think of as "indication creep" -- a drug is originally developed to treat one problem, and then, over time, the drug company thinks of many other groups of people to whom they can rationalize marketing the drug and advertises to them, too. Zelnorm is another perfect example of this:

Zelnorm was first advertised heavily on TV, a year or two ago, as being specifically (and only) for people with IBS with chronic constipation -- in fact, it was advertised as being a big breakthrough in treating that specific sub-type of IBS. Now I notice that Zelnorm is being advertised heavily on TV for anyone with frequent or chronic constipation who is not getting good enough results from the usual OTC laxatives and fiber supplements. What do you want to bet that, by next year or so, they will be advertising it for people who just don't particularly like the taste or "feel" of Metamucil??? I'm sure the Zelnorm people would love to have everyone in the country who was ever constipated taking their expensive, Rx drug. :chuckle

I, too, do not believe that the pharmaceutical companies should be allowed to market Rx drugs to the general public. They talk alot about "education," and how this has helped a lot of people, but I don't really buy it. They're doing it because it increases their profits, and that's the only reason.

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Specializes in Cardiac.
Actually how about some saltines and milk with those NSAIDS?! We're so fixated on pills but we don't pay any attention to how they should be taken.

Saltines and Milk are going to protect my stomach cells from the 1.8 g of ibuprofen taken daily on long term therapy? It's not the digestion of the pills that is the problem, it is the reduction of the prostaglandins that maintain and protect the mucosal lining of the stomach that is the problem. Unless one has to eat crackers all day, then tums or even something like an h2 antagonist or a proton pump inhibitor may be necessary.

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.
I don't like ads for medications. They aren't even allowed in Canada.

Thats probably why their medication is so much more affordable. You are paying for medications advertising if you think about it, they just figure it all into the cost to the consumer... :angryfire

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

I hate medication ads, period. The way they are BS'ed, it always sounds like a cure-all drug.

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