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by Tony Romanoi, NHP

Have you noticed the number of TV commercials in recent years, encouraging you to "talk to your doctor about…" drugs that cure everything from baldness and bladder incontinence to headaches and heartburn?

Prescription drug advertising is a fairly new phenomenon. At one time, pharmaceutical companies promoted their products only to doctors and hospitals. In 1997, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) lifted certain restrictions to allow drug makers to advertise their wares to the public through the media using the specific product names along with the conditions they treat.

This is called direct-to-consumer, or DTC, advertising. Since the advent of DTC advertising, drug manufacturers have spent billions of dollars on ads prompting consumers to inquire about and to demand their products in particular.

Citing a 1998 study, Prevention magazine reported that DTC ads "encouraged a projected 21.2 million consumers to talk to their doctors about a medical condition…they had never talked about before seeing the advertising."

Dr. Maureen Reed, medical director of HealthPartners (a group of nonprofit health care organizations), points out the danger of DTC ads: They "can cause patients to have an unrealistic expectation of prescription drugs, without understanding the risks, side effects or other alternatives."

The FDA does not require a fair balance statement in every drug ad. That is where the advertiser mentions any bloating, bleeding, nausea, etc. as potential side effects. However, there is no law preventing advertisers from running these statements in small print or showing them quickly on TV.

Prescription drugs are the fastest-growing cost factor in all health care. From 1999 to 2000, gross retail sales on prescriptions rose almost 19 percent – from $111.1 billion to $131.9 billion.

Merck-Medco, which is Nationwide Health Plan’s pharmacy benefit manager, published a report in 2000 indicating the rise in overall heath care costs is due in part to a greater volume of drug use and a trend toward prescriptions for expensive, newer drugs.

Next time you see a drug commercial on TV, watch it closely. Does the medication treat a problem you actually have? What other drugs are available for your condition? How is this medication better or different from other treatments?

Asking your doctor or pharmacist those kinds of questions will give you much more knowledge and insight as you seek proper treatment for what ails you.

Getting to know and work comfortably with your pharmacist also provides you with an excellent resource for information about your medical care in terms of prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications.