Drug Commercials: How to Scare You Well

I totally understand the need to be fully aware of what you're taking when you start taking new medication.  However, do we really need all the possible side effects read in the same friendly-announcer voice?  I saw one commercial last night listing possible side effects of a medication that included tuberculosis and leukemia.

Seriously.

That seems like a big gamble to me.  I don't know, maybe I'm crazy.  I mean, I take a few prescription drugs.  For each of them, I made the mistake of Googling possible side effects before I went on them.  And I've Googled the possible side effects of weaning off of them.  I'm afraid to go on, and once they are helping me, I'm afraid to go off.

And all this talk about side effects is part of the problem.

Not talking about them?  Not exactly the solution.

Generally speaking, we hope that doctors know enough about our health history to protect us from ourselves and not even offer us drugs that might trigger, oh, leukemia, but realistically speaking the minute our health insurance changes, then suddenly our old doctor isn't covered anymore, and we go to a new doctor.  And then that new doctor doesn't know anything at all about us, and really, don't we only spend about ten minutes with this person?

My OB-GYN is my favorite doctor in the whole world.  I've been seeing him since I was pregnant with the little angel. I'd say sum total we've spent about two hours together, including childbirth. He showed up for the final twenty minutes of actual pushing.  The last time I saw him, he repeated three times that I should take calcium because I'm "fair and slender."  It was almost as though he forgot he already told me that, or he was reciting the script the way I used to recite it when I worked as a telemarketer.

I'm not bagging on my doc -- I adore this man. He's the first doctor I've had that I felt really did listen to my concerns, and he does, but how well does he really know me?  Does he know my cheeks get really red after I exercise?  Does he know about my gastointestinal upset every time I eat Italian seasoning?  Does any of that matter to the prescription he is writing?  Who knows?

Who knows?

But is it really safer to stay completely drug-free?  What if something is wrong?

But the side effects. THE SIDE EFFECTS.  And really, the treatment is just another side effect.  We just don't think of it that way.

It's scary to realize how much of a gamble health really is. 

For example, the possible side effects of Viagra include:

Body as a whole: face edema, photosensitivity reaction, shock, asthenia, pain, chills, accidental fall, abdominal pain, allergic reaction, chest pain, accidental injury.

Cardiovascular: angina pectoris, AV block, migraine, syncope, tachycardia, palpitation, hypotension, postural hypotension, myocardial ischemia, cerebral thrombosis, cardiac arrest, heart failure, abnormal electrocardiogram, cardiomyopathy.

Digestive: vomiting, glossitis, colitis, dysphagia, gastritis, gastroenteritis, esophagitis, stomatitis, dry mouth, liver function tests abnormal, rectal hemorrhage, gingivitis.

Hemic and Lymphatic: anemia and leukopenia.

Metabolic and Nutritional: thirst, edema, gout, unstable diabetes, hyperglycemia, peripheral edema, hyperuricemia, hypoglycemic reaction, hypernatremia.

Musculoskeletal: arthritis, arthrosis, myalgia, tendon rupture, tenosynovitis, bone pain, myasthenia, synovitis.

Nervous: ataxia, hypertonia, neuralgia, neuropathy, paresthesia, tremor, vertigo, depression, insomnia, somnolence, abnormal dreams, reflexes decreased, hypesthesia.

Respiratory: asthma, dyspnea, laryngitis, pharyngitis, sinusitis, bronchitis, sputum increased, cough increased.

Skin and Appendages: urticaria, herpes simplex, pruritus, sweating, skin ulcer, contact dermatitis, exfoliative dermatitis.

Special Senses: sudden decrease or loss of hearing, mydriasis, conjunctivitis, photophobia, tinnitus, eye pain, ear pain, eye hemorrhage, cataract, dry eyes.

Urogenital: cystitis, nocturia, urinary frequency, breast enlargement, urinary incontinence, abnormal ejaculation, genital edema and anorgasmia.

Think about the pills you do need?  And some pills, like those that control hypertension or blood pressure or migraines, we really DO NEED.

God, it's scary.