A grumpy thought brought about by television ads for medications

[xiphias]

One of the reasons why it's A Bad Idea to pay any attention whatsoever to drug company advertisements is that, well, they're trying to sell to the widest possible audience.

So, there are these Prilosec ads on TV now, about how "when you have acid reflux, it's different", showing people talking about food, and someone with acid reflux thinking about how much heartburn that food will cause.

That's not how it works.

When you have acid reflux, you eat whatever you want, because it makes not one fucking bit of difference what you eat. You have heartburn. You have heartburn when you eat spicy, oily greasy food. You have heartburn when you eat plain rice. You have heartburn when you eat nothing but bread and water for several days. You have heartburn on Yom Kippur when you eat and drink nothing for twenty-six hours. It makes no difference.

You occasionally try to modify your diet because people around you tell you that if you eat different stuff, you'll have less heartburn. But it doesn't work. You just plain have heartburn. Constantly.

See, if you have a mental connection between "what I eat" and "heartburn", then you don't have acid reflux.

I had heartburn from when I was sixteen until I went on Prilosec a couple years ago. That doesn't mean "I OCCASIONALLY had heartburn from when I was sixteen", or "I FREQUENTLY had heartburn from when I was sixteen . .. " I mean "I had heartburn from when I was sixteen until I was twenty-six or so." Ten years. Straight. I didn't recognize a state of NOT having heartburn. I didn't mention it to my doctor, because I didn't recognize it as a problem. I did go through a Costco sized bottle of Pepo-Bismol a week, just on times that my heartburn woke me up because it was more severe than usual, but it didn't ever go away. That's what "acid reflux" means. Not "if I eat that, I will get heartburn."

And THAT'S why television advertisements for medications annoy me.

Comments

[ailbhe]

Um, that's a bit like me telling someone that migraine medications don't work just because they never worked for me. For me, acid reflux *is* caused by particular eating patterns more than by others (actually, it has a lot more to do with stodgy, milky food and too much liquid than with spicy food; I *medicate* some of my stomach problems with lamb jalfrezi). For my sister, it's caused by almost anything hot, like black pepper or mild paprika or chicken korma or cinnamon toast. It's still acid reflux.

I *can* sympathise, because shitloads of people told me that my migraines would go away if I got FavouriteBrandTM and it was never true. But my heartburn exists too.

[goljerp]

What I hate are the advertisements for medications which are just entirely too vague.

[pictures of clouds]
Psylorach. It could make all the difference. Psylorach. Talk to your doctor today to see if it's right for you.
[said quickly]
common side effects included loss of appetite, sensitivity to bright light, dry skin, and spontaneous human combustion. Do not take if you are living next door to someone who is pregnant. Psylorach.

[oneironaut.livejournal.com]

I think there was a law in the States, until fairly recently, that prevented advertisers from directly stating what the drugs they're pushing do, at least on television -- those 'woman dancing in a field, child holding a baseball bat, smiling couple on the beach, dire warning, cut' commercials all but disappeared, at least here, maybe a year ago.

Re:

[patgreene.livejournal.com]

I saw the ad for Levitra for about a hundred times (the one with the guy throwing the football through the tire swing) before it dawned on me that the drug was for Erectile Dysfunction. OK, so I'm slow on the uptake, but it was still an incredibly vagues commercial.

[city-glitter.livejournal.com]

Hear, hear. *applause* I might as well eat brain-melting Indian food for the rest of my life, because it won't make a whit of difference in my heartburn if I don't.

[noveldevice.livejournal.com]

I have stress-related acid reflux (runs on my mom's side of the family) so yeah, I know what you mean. There's never anything that I look at and say "If I eat that, I'll have heartburn", because what matters is how stressed I am. If I'm stressed, everything gives me acid reflux, and if I'm not, I can (and do) eat super-hot chili washed down with orange juice and never have a problem.

Are you sure it was heartburn?

[(Anonymous)]

Sorry, but this reminds me way too much of the VERY OLD story that Buddy Hackett told about his early years in the Army. Buddy Hackett went into the Army and several weeks later checked into the infirmary complaining he was sick. Seems that "the fire went out". This was the first time in his life that he didn't have heartburn -- he thought he was dying

True story -- sounds better when told with a Borscht Belt accent (and rimshot)

Re: Are you sure it was heartburn?

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'm familiar with that story.

Very, very familiar.

You couldn't believe how familiar I am with that story.

[mswae.livejournal.com]

My concern has always been with the phrase "call this number for a free brocure to help you talk to your doctor about your symptoms." Most diagnostic procedures are based entirely on how a person describes their symptoms, and what sort of questions a doctor asks, not on lab tests or the like. (As you yourself experienced.) By handing the patient a script to follow, the companies are handicapping the diagnostic procedure, and helping a trend of overdiagnosis and overmedication.

I could tell you stories that would curl your hair. One of them about Prilosec, actually. But it's past my bedtime ...

Warning: TMI ahead

[paganmommy.livejournal.com]

When I was going to the doctor for all those colon tests because of my unacceptable bowel habits (was that veiled enough?), I was given protonix for my GERD. It wasn't until I ran out for a week that I became aware that I even HAD heartburn constantly. It was so bad that I wasn't aware of it unless I was pregnant (when it was constant and unremitting), or if it was extra bad (I guess).
Basically, I am agreeing with you. Drug companies should NOT be allowed to advertise for prescription meds.