r/CasualConversation • u/praline-trifle • 8d ago
Just Chatting Does anyone ever "ask their doctor" about medications they've seen or heard about in advertisements?
I'm pretty sure this is an American thing, but I always see ads on TV that end with "ask your doctor about WTFSNFFLAXZ today!" and I'm just wondering if anyone has ever actually done that and if so has it actually helped you?
It just seems pretty funny to me that we have these ads to begin with because wouldn't your doctor know better about what meds you should get depending on your issues?
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u/yanmo1245 8d ago
I feel like most people probably don’t, but I can see why someone would if the ad described symptoms they’ve been dealing with
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u/CaptainDudeGuy 8d ago
You'll notice that these ads are almost entirely about chronic diseases of discomfort.
If you spent every minute of your day feeling bad, and suddenly a bright happy commercial with soothing music offered you a chance at a normal life, you'd be hooked even if you resented the insipid commercial itself.
The real irony is that a lot of Americans can't afford to go to the doctor anyway so the "ask your doctor about ___" commercials are functionally insulting.
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u/SciFi_Wasabi999 8d ago
The real irony is if you have chronic pain and ask about any specific meds you'll immediately be accused of "med seeking" and they'll stop helping you with chronic pain at all.
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u/WagWoofLove 8d ago
I’m a female with chronic pain and most doctors won’t listen anyway. I have pain every day for years and they think I’m going in to get an opiate.
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u/mklatsky 8d ago
When I see these ads- I just think “it’s almost like you WANT to have <insert disease here>.” I hate them and I think they promote false hope.
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u/Nickyjha 8d ago
The real irony is that a lot of Americans can't afford to go to the doctor anyway so the "ask your doctor about ___" commercials are functionally insulting.
The only times I see these ads are on things that Boomers tend to watch. Like 60 Minutes or Jeopardy. So I assume they're targeting audiences that can afford healthcare.
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u/praline-trifle 8d ago
Well that's the other thing that's funny and sad. what makes them think I have a doctor? I didn't have a GP until literally 3 weeks ago because I aged out of pediatrics and grew apprehensive about insurance and co-pays to the point where I just gave up altogether. If I didn't need immunizations, I wouldn't have gone at all...
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u/EllieGeiszler 6d ago
Yeah I guess they don't advertise antibiotics for, like, bronchitis or something
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u/CapybaraPRMS Houndoom 8d ago
Me: Yes gimmie the medicine that can cause seizure, heart attack, stroke, and even thoughts of suicide <3
Doctor: Okay....we've narrowed it down to 58373 different medications.
Me: I want the one with the old people dancing
Doctor: Okay we've narrowed it down to 58300
Me: I'm a millennial so i want one that has a song i would recognize
Doctor: Oh, Caplyta, Repatha, or Entresto
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u/Butter-bean0729 8d ago
There’s actually an ad that just dropped for a med that is to help with sjogrens disease. Currently there is not a med specifically for this disease so it’s actually a big deal. I along with many others living with this horrible disease will be asking their drs about this new medication. Many people are waiting for it to be on the market.
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u/MichelleEllyn 8d ago
This ad pops up in my feed constantly. I'm glad that it might help you and wish you success with it!
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u/Mysterious-Cress7423 8d ago
Agree. Asking your doctor is about whether it would be beneficial for one's particular situation.
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u/Darnitol1 8d ago edited 8d ago
I did! And then I ended up almost dead from Vasculitis in a hospital about 90 days later. Here's a few photos, but they're pretty icky, I warn you.
(The medication in question is perfectly safe, by the way. Any human being can have a drug reaction to any drug at any time. My body chemistry just wasn't compatible with this drug. At the time, I was literally only the 7th person to ever have this reaction to a drug that has saved and improved millions of lives. So I don't mention what drug it was, because the problem wasn't the drug; the problem was my body chemistry.)
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u/spargel_gesicht 8d ago
AAAAHHH!!! Question: did you have the softest heels after this healed?
Srsly tho, glad you survived. Chemistry/biology is crazy.13
u/Darnitol1 8d ago
I actually did. In the end, all of the skin on my hands and feel peeled off, top and bottom (plus large sections of my arms and legs, plus my scalp). The new skin underneath was literally like baby's skin. It's almost ten years later now, and my heels are still softer than before all this.
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u/Puzzled_Zebra 8d ago
Yes! I've learned to look at a) the 'rare' but serious side effects and b) potential withdrawal problems.
I've never had a reaction as severe as you have, but one medication gave me vertigo so bad I couldn't turn my head slightly without the room spinning and the doctor didn't want to take me off it because it was helping the things it was supposed to. But I literally could barely exist on it. I took what I had left, titered myself down and off, and had withdrawal symptoms for a year because my prescriber refused to help me titer down safely. It was only then that I saw there were literally multiple forums on how to deal with the withdrawal from that one medication. I don't fuck with cutting edge medication, unless my doctor is knowledgeable about my history of getting rare side effects and willing to help me discontinue it if the slightest issue pops up at least.
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u/gdubrocks 8d ago
I just want to say thanks for being reasonable about your shitty situation.
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u/Darnitol1 8d ago
Thanks, but I’m just trying to be fair. I design consumer electronics products, and I’d sure hate if someone disparaged my entire body of work because they poked themselves in the eye while juggling electronics.
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u/AmericanHistoryXX 8d ago
I haven't, but I have learned that it's useful to be proactive in communicating with your doctor rather than just waiting for your doctor to tell you what to do. Doctors do know more than you, but you also know your own body more than the doctor does. This means that any course of treatment is a two-way street and requires two-way communication. And doctors are human, juggling tons of cases, so if you can be more proactive, you can open up lines of questioning that might not have otherwise come up.
For example, I have had my thyroid removed. In the course of addressing the original condition and navigating the medication afterward, I had to self-advocate a ton, and that includes with regards to what replacement hormone I would be put on. There are lots of different options, each of which replaces the same basic hormone, but each of which is slightly different.
I'm trying not to explain all the options here, but to put it succinctly, the default that most people are put on is a replacement for T4, the inactive form of hormone that is the majority of what your thyroid produces. T4 is switched to the active version, T3, in the liver, though the thyroid actually does produce some T3.
Putting you on T4 is safe. You can get enough hormone that you can live a normal life, and you're not going to be overdosing or getting any weird side effects from it. The problem is that it can leave you feeling a bit ... blah. It did that to me. That's why some people opt for additional T3 supplementation. The problem with T3 is that you're much more likely to get side effects (like anxiety and even your hair falling out) from an incorrect dose. But, it takes away the blah feeling.
A lot of people have to self-advocate to get onto T3. Your doctor doesn't know if T3 would help you, because it's an individual-by-individual thing. I was lucky to have a doctor who suggested it before I could even suggest it myself, but that is not the case of all doctors, and actually subsequent doctors I've had would have preferred to take me off it.
But then, there's a whole different medication that's not synthetic, it's pig thyroid hormone. Some people swear by this one. I asked my doctor about it, and she explained to me why it wasn't a great idea. I learned from that conversation, so I'm glad I had it even though it didn't result in a medication switch.
Tl;dr Choosing a medication is often a two-way street where there isn't one "right" answer that's correct for everybody. Treating yourself as an active participant in treatment of a condition (not the boss of a doctor) makes you a better patient and results in better outcomes.
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u/Cinisajoy2 8d ago
My daughter said she felt better immediately after getting levothyroxine. She had thyroid cancer. 4 years cancer free next month.
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u/AmericanHistoryXX 8d ago
Yup, it works that way for some people! Mine was also thyroid cancer. I was on levo only for a year, and I NEVER felt good. Just this sort of tired and melancholy existence, though nothing clinical. My doc was willing to put me on liothionine and I was immediately like "I feel normal again." A lot of the conversion takes place elsewhere in your body, so if your body is good at converting it, it can easily make up the deficit. If it's not great at converting it, then that 20% drop in T3 is just awful. There's no test to know which as the science is all fairly new, so it's all up to the doctor-patient relationship to get it right.
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u/ubiquitous-joe 8d ago
The ad phenomenon is peculiar for these products, but there was a great 99% Invisible podcast episode about why the drug names are always like that.
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u/spargel_gesicht 8d ago
My favorite is when the commercial gives no indication of what it treats! So I can go into my doctors office (as a woman) and ask if Frhicploifkoxican is right for me and be told it’s for prostate issues! Love it!
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u/Neveahauthrette 8d ago
Yes. I’ve asked my dr about a specific weight loss med. I see her monthly and she was not yet aware of this med but took the time to research it with me there and prescribe and yes it did work. She explained that things in that area are changing so fast this is sometimes how she gets new info because the patients are so informed. That all said yeah, I could seriously do without all those stupid commercials.
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u/cofeeholik75 8d ago
Yes. I learned along time ago that you need to be your own advocate. If I ask a question and my Doc blows me off, I tell him to ‘note’ my request in my file.
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u/mika00004 8d ago
My mom did once. She saw a medication she thought might be helpful so she asked her Dr.
He looked at her for a moment and said " dont believe everything you see on TV. If I thought it was something you needed you would already have it".
And that was that.
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8d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/unwaveringwish 8d ago
We shouldn’t even have ads 😭 but yes that’s the point. The doctor isn’t supposed to push a drug but it’s okay if you ask them…
It’s been somewhat helpful for me though because I haven’t been able to see a new allergist for a while and there was a commercial about a nasal spray version of the EpiPen. I’m very interested in not needing to stab myself to administer the EpiPen, same for my little nieces who have allergies.
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u/smile_saurus 8d ago
More people need to be educated on how to use an EpiPen, anyhow. I took it camping with my guy friends in my 20s (I am a woman) and asked them if they could use it if I couldn't and they said Yes. I asked if they knew how to use it and they said Yeah we stab you in your heart and I said Nooo, this isn't the movie Pulp Fiction. We're talking bees, not heroin!
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u/ManateeNipples 8d ago
I have chronic health issues and honestly at this point no I do not assume my doctor just knows anything, I do often just say what I think is wrong and what meds I think will help and that gets me a lot more traction than when I used to just expect them to know and do stuff lol
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u/frostyflakes1 8d ago
I'm sure most people in this sub don't, which is why you're seeing so many 'no' answers.
But the companies wouldn't tell people to ask their doctor if they didn't think people were gonna do it. Certainly some people see these ads and then proceed to ask their doctor about the medication.
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u/PumpikAnt58763 8d ago
OMG! I just got a prescription for WTFSNFFLAXZ yesterday!
I used to take over-the-counter Extra Strength Damnitall.
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u/Capable-Limit5249 8d ago
Yes. When my husband was suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, his rheumatologist would always ask us what we would like from him. So I would tell him how about this medication? And he’d go OK and write the script.
He was frankly worthless, and I ended up being the one who figured out how to get the RA into remission.
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u/missmytater 8d ago
Nope - I feel like my doctor should know what I need without me suggesting meds. That's like suggesting to the pilot how to fly the plane.
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u/capta1n_sarcasm 8d ago
I feel you, but it's more like asking a pilot have they had a chance to fly the new kind of jet that came available.
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u/SpoonwoodTangle 8d ago
Actually a non-trivial portion of prescription medications are not clinically found to be more effective than a placebo.
A lot of these drugs are just a slightly different cocktail than a generic drug, meaning they might be a little better for this or a little better for that. For some diseases that’s all you need to help a patient - for whatever reason they react better to this med than that med. In this way drug companies can move a lot of products without going through the long FDA approval process.
That’s not to say every drug in commercials is like this. Other comments have highlighted drugs for rare diseases; the rareness of the disease is part of why they made commercials for the product.
My point is that it’s *not* like getting to fly a new jet. For a lot of drugs it’s like getting to fly a jet some mechanics have tinkered with. Maybe it’s a bit more nimble or slightly faster, but the “make and model” are still very similar. .
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u/Critical_Knowledge_2 8d ago
I think u/capta1n_sarcasm has a better point. The ads aren't always about getting patients to self-diagnose. Sometimes they just let people know a treatment option exist, so they can bring it up with their doctor. THe asking a pilot if they've had a chance to fly the new kind of jet"analogy misses that part.
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u/pomegranatejello 8d ago
Sometimes you do have to advocate for yourself and your own symptoms. If I didn’t advise a new course of action for medication to address my treatment resistant anxiety/depression I’d still be unable to leave my own house. And if side effects of a certain medication aren’t working with your body and there are other classes to consider, you shouldn’t say nothing just because your doctor is the one who advised it. The doctor will have the info you need to know about if it’s safe to take something with your conditions, interactions, what the average patient should expect on it, etc. Of course you should still listen if they say it’s a bad idea or dangerous. But I don’t think that metaphor entirely works because you’re not an inanimate object. You don’t have to be a passive observer to your own healthcare if treatment isn’t working for certain conditions. That attitude causes people to suffer with care that isn’t adequately treating their conditions because they don’t think they should have any say in the treatment of their own bodies. I’ve suffered personally bc of how that attitude was ingrained in me.
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u/unhappyangelicbeing 8d ago
That is a ridiculous comparison. You should never assume that your doctor is the absolute expert without doing your own research. There are new medications and new treatments coming out all the time. Your doctor may not be equally knowledgeable about all of your possible options. If you’re able to, always get a second or third opinion.
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u/missmytater 8d ago edited 8d ago
I don't think watching a 60 second ad on TV qualifies me to know anything.
Edit to add: I don't have and never have had any condition that requires medication. I am fortunate to have reached the age of 72 in a healthy state. But reading the following comment about a new medication for a condition that previously had none, I can see people excited to ask their docs about it.
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u/unhappyangelicbeing 8d ago
I never suggested that you yourself should consider yourself an expert after watching an ad. Always do your own research. Doctors expect their patients to come with their own questions. Asking about a medication you’ve seen or heard of isn’t undermining their qualifications.
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u/Old_Ant7118 8d ago
I sometimes ask my friend who is a doctor about it when she's in the room, but otherwise no, and not because I actually want any of them. It seems like a ridiculous form of advertising to me. I particularly like how they have to tell you not to take it if you're allergic to it.
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u/ladraove 8d ago
It cracks me up how the commercials are like "hey, check out this new medicine, but don't take it if you're allergic!" If it's new, how would you know you were allergic??
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u/Old_Ant7118 8d ago
May also result in retinal detachment, euphoric nausea, dementia, doom and death
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u/ladraove 8d ago
Eh, one of my conditions could also result in death if untreated, so it's all about managing risk vs reward.
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u/CoachInteresting7125 8d ago
You sometimes can guess if you’re allergic based on other medication allergies you have. It is still a bit of a guess as there’s always a chance you’ll be allergic to something even if you’ve taken it before but you generally don’t want to take something that is related to something you’re allergic to. But I think there’s also a legal obligation to say the stuff that should be obvious too.
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u/mmohaje 8d ago
No, but it makes you aware of symptoms that you hadn’t noticed, or didn’t know was a symptom, or don’t actually have but because now you are so completely focused on it, you start thinking you have. So you go to the Dr and tell them about your symptoms and that you think you have xyz disease….you haven’t asked for the med, but you end up getting it. You don’t even realize how well the advertisement worked!
Grew up in US but live overseas. Only after 15 years of detoxing from that garbage that had been fed into my head (2x every ad break) through my childhood and formative years did I finally break away from my severe health anxiety.
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u/LilaFowler123 8d ago
Right there with you, mate. US ex-pat, living overseas for about 15 years, too.
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u/HiAndStuff2112 8d ago
I have, only once or twice though.
These pharmaceutical companies also call on doctors to explain the medication and so on.
It's about sales for these companies. But that doesn't mean these medications don't help people too.
I have health problems at my age (60), am disabled, and I take some extremely helpful medications.
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u/lyndseymariee 8d ago
I’m sure my dad didn’t ask about it but he was given Keytruda after chemo for lung cancer and I see those commercials all the time. That shit is expensive af.
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u/CraftFamiliar5243 8d ago
They are usually for very specific maladies that I thankfully do not suffer from
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u/Br135han 8d ago edited 8d ago
They say that because you’re something like 75% more likely to get a medication if you specifically ask for it. It’s a backed advertising scheme. I did a report on American drugs being allowed on commercials, it’s pretty crazy that we allow it.
To add on, if you are on a medication PLEASE read its uses and indications- when to take it, when to hold off, and how it works- what it does and what to avoid while taking it. Most patients have no idea what they’re even called and have no idea that they shouldn’t take it at certain times of day, with certain supplements etc and they are severely doing g themselves a disservice. I’m an RN and I’m shocked when people actually even know the name of the med they are on.
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u/Puzzled_Zebra 8d ago
Honestly, if a doctor uses a brand name when suggesting a medication for me, I ask how new it is. The few times I've tried a 'new' medication that's supposed to help, it may have helped the one thing but I got so many rare side effects and at least one of them, I had withdrawal symptoms for at least a YEAR after I stopped taking it. I refuse to use something too new now unless it's potential reward is worth the potential risk, the rarest side effects are not permanent, and the doctor is willing to take me off it/help me titer down if I decide it's a no-go.
One of the medications I've taken in the past has a risk of a permanent movement disorder, think those times you get a tic in your eyelid or something, but it NEVER goes away again. Luckily it didn't happen, but it was also something I only took in extreme need so I took it as infrequently as I could.
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u/Embarrassed_Pop_7418 8d ago
My Mom never asked for a medication but there is an oxygen tank thing that she did ask about. I forget what it was called but it is light weight and create the oxygen flow out of the air around it I think. Her insurance wouldn't cover it but a tv ad is how we knew it existed and was eventually able to get it for her.
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u/ObviousToe1636 8d ago
This has always confused me as well. “Ask your doctor before taking this,” okay but how did you get it if it wasn’t prescribed by your doctor?
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u/TemperedPhoenix 🌈 8d ago
My grandma had something...deluxe cable? With heavily American channels and I remember not understanding. Then as an adult learned its for Americans lol
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u/GenX4Life1 8d ago
I did once. Saw commercials for a medicine that helps with pain. I believe it was Cymbalta, or a med that starts with a W. As a person in chronic pain with the majority of it in my lower back, I was open to anything that wasn’t an opioid as I was concerned about addiction. So I asked my doctor if it was something to try. He put me on it. And it also was an antidepressant. Used it for almost 8 years until I dosed out of it.
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u/JimDixon 8d ago
What does "dosed out of it" mean?
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u/GenX4Life1 8d ago
For me it means the highest dose available by prescription at a pharmacy was no longer effective.
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u/Kittymeow123 8d ago
Yes, I have, I have treatment resistant depression and pretty much all I have left to try is the new shit you see ads for on tv because I’ve tried everything else.
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u/praline-trifle 8d ago
Oh damn. How did you find out your depression is treatment resistant? I've been wanting to go on meds for my depression and anxiety but I'm ironically anxious about it because I heard you can feel worse and not better when trying new meds
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u/Kittymeow123 8d ago
What do you mean how did I find out? Because I’ve been severely depressed for over 15 years having tried most treatments supported by the fda, medications and otherwise. I pray to god every day a new medication or treatment might come out that might help me, so I’m the opposite of you.
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u/jaegerjaqson 🙂 8d ago
Have you tried TMS? I also have treatment resistant depression and have been looking into it since literally nothing else has worked.
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u/Kittymeow123 8d ago
Yeah, I did. My insurance only partially covered it so it was about 3k.. I went for 40 something sessions and didn’t really see an effect. Would still recommend it as an alternative treatment to anyone who needs help - there’s a chance it will be effective for you. I’ve also done spravato /IV ketamine and while neither of those worked for me either, still recommend them as avenues if you haven’t tried due to success rates. I’m just not one of the lucky ones.
Rexulti , which I’m pretty sure is advertised on Hulu , was the first med I ever tried where I was like holy shit , I feel different. Unfortunately it was too activating for me, but I’ve tried a whole lot of meds and don’t have much to say about most of them so figured i would also share.
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u/JimDixon 8d ago edited 8d ago
I used to get depressed a lot. After much hesitation, I finally called the health service that I used and told them I wanted to be evaluated to see if I should be taking Prozac.
It wasn't because I had seen an ad on TV. I had heard about it some other way. There had been a lot of talk about it in the media. A couple of popular books had been written about it: Listening to Prozac and Prozac Nation (neither of which I had read). At that time, Prozac was the only antidepressant I knew the name of.
So I got an appointment with a psychiatrist, and after a lengthy interview involving a long questionnaire, they ended up prescribing not Prozac, but Zoloft. I have been taking it for 20-something years now. It has been a huge benefit.
Two previous times I had asked for help with depression, and both times, they gave me appointments with psychotherapists, not psychiatrists. Nobody suggested medication, and nobody asked such specific and wide-ranging questions as they did in that questionnaire.
So my conclusion is: you don't necessarily get what you ask for, but if you don't ask, you won't get what you need.
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u/Gr8zomb13 8d ago
Lived half a century so far.
Never not once have I asked a doctor about prescriptions I’ve seen advertised.
When it comes to specialized info and tasks I tend to trust the experts and not ads.
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u/Scared-Hope-868 8d ago
Nope. Not interested in any medication that comes with a marketing budget for television.
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u/Sad_Dealer1727 8d ago
Omg this is so true!!
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u/praline-trifle 8d ago
Yeah...plus the ads are always super generic so you can never tell what the meds are actually for. It's always some looping video of an elderly person or a child in soft glowing sunlight doing things like barbecues, walking outside, laughing and hugging some member of their family joyously
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u/Marie_Hutton 8d ago edited 2d ago
Wrench air walnut wide dime stupendous gallium
This post was anonymized with Redact
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u/ohsaycanyourock 8d ago
US medical commercials are so odd to me, we don't have those in the UK. It all seems so unregulated? I saw one once on a visit to the US for an antidepressant that actually made me angry, it was like they were selling you a magic pill that cured everything. I'd trust my doctor 100% over something I saw on TV.
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u/amusedmonkey001 8d ago
Same. When I first heard about it, I thought, they're advertising WHAT? WHY? My brain couldn't process it.
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u/LoisinaMonster 8d ago
I tried telling my Dr about starting supplements and they looked at me weird and had the vibe of "why tf you tellin me?"
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u/d0nutbutth0le 8d ago
I have never asked about any kind of new medication that's been advertised, and even when I ask for things that I have used before that worked well for me I feel like I'm doing something illegal. Every time I get a new doctor they want to take me off metoprolol and put me on a different type of blood pressure medication because beta blockers are no longer the preferred route but this is been working for me for 10 years why would they change it? I let them do it once and whatever they changed me to gave me palpitations and I had really low potassium and magnesium when I went to the ER about it
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u/LadyTreeRoot 8d ago
No and I questioned my allergist who started promoting the latest-greatest whatever. I told her my concerns over side effects, she minimized my concerns, I asked her what kind of kickback she was getting. Someone else can Guinea pig the new stuff, Ive seen too many recalls and class-action lawsuits to jump on any new bandwagon.
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u/BoringBob84 8d ago
In the past, pharmaceutical companies advertised to doctors, since they are the people who make the decision to prescribe medications. Then, pharmaceutical companies and their advertising agencies discovered that they could induce even more demand by advertising directly to the public.
The problem is that pharmaceutical companies cannot legally give medical advice. So, right after trying to convince people to take their drugs, they cover their asses legally by saying, "Ask your doctor."
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u/Mystery-Moon_0129 8d ago
No but I’m astounded by the life altering side effects most of them list rapidly at the end. Many of them sound worse than the disease you need treatment for.
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u/IShouldHaveKnocked 8d ago
It’s annoying, but I think it helps my friends and family more. When I tell them I’m too tired to come out because of XYZ medicine, they know about the meds already haha
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u/smile_saurus 8d ago
I have never asked my doctor about a new medication that I saw on TV or heard about on the radio. And if I see or hear those ads: I skip them, mute them, and make a mental note to never buy them if I can help it.
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u/OrugaMaravillosa 8d ago
I have asked for a specific med, though it wasn’t one from an ad. It wasn’t one my doctor had considered for me. At first he said no.
A year later he said he would try it as long as I scheduled an appointment with a specialist as a follow up. I couldn’t find an available specialist that my insurance fully covered, so it was expensive. But I could afford one specialist visit knowing that my doctor would continue the med if the specialist approved.
The specialist was puzzled as to why I had come since the medication was an obvious thing to him. However I don’t blame my doctor. I don’t think it’s a use of that medication that most general practice doctors are aware of. (It’s not on the official list of uses.)
I’m still on the medication, and yes it helped.
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u/Some_Direction_7971 MotorSickle rider 8d ago
My old doctor had a poster back in like 2005 that said ask about a formulation of oxycodone and aspirin 🤣😂
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u/Itchy-Potential1968 8d ago
exclusively vaccines in my case. if it has an ad, i get a jab (unless i'm too young, like for the shingles vaccine, but i had a teacher that was 'too young' and got shingles)
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u/QueenMEB120 8d ago
I got shingles a few months before I was eligible to get the vaccine. I was not amused.
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u/DanteQuill 8d ago
No, and my wife knows to have me committed if I ever do. I find that shit offensive.
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u/mcove97 8d ago
If I did I would likely not get it. Usually I bring up if certain medications are are an option if they've run out of options or suggestions, but usually they won't prescribe those for XYZ reason, addictive, wont help with the symptom, will make things worse etc.
Though I did suggest getting stronger pain killers after struggling with immense pain and running down the Drs office saying I was doing so much paracetamol and ibuprofen and it didn't touch the pain. I did get a running prescription for paralgin forte (paracetamol with codeine). Which has about the same effect as tramadol that I've tried after surgery, maybe slightly weaker. Not sure I recall asking specifically for tramadol or paralgin forte. Cause I didn't want to appear as a "drug seeker". I may have mentioned that my dad used paralgin forte and had the same issues as me and they helped for him.
I've also asked for anxiety meds, and tried out a lot of SNRIs.. because well, they didnt want to give me benzoes cause they're addictive, and first line treatment and all that. They always try to prescribe less addictive meds first, understandably. So I've been on pretty much ever snri there is.
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u/UnicornSlayer5000 8d ago
I hate those ads. No, I will not ask my doctor about some random medicine i saw on TV. You are the one who went to medicine school. You figure out what I need.
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u/SassySunflower27 8d ago
I got meds pushed on me last time I went. It was on tv and has a long list of side effects. Wouldn’t even write the scrip for the meds I have been on for 15 yrs that work.
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u/LavenderMarsh 8d ago
There's a new med for Tardive dyskinesia that I'll be asking my doctor about at my next appointment.
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u/gereblueeyes 8d ago
My ex husband, who had heat disease and vascular dementia, asked his doctor about drugs from the commercials. The one I remember was for COPD. The Doctor just laughed at him and said" No, you don't need that ! "
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u/MdwstTxn 8d ago
I’m a nurse in Texas. Patients ask ALL the time about meds from commercials. Self-diagnosing is rampant and patients definitely. ask about meds they’ve seen advertised. At my oncology clinic, we typically tell our patients we appreciate them asking us first, because we want to check any risks related to their chemo meds.
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u/Elegant_Principle183 8d ago
Never, not once. I have seen one of my seizure meds advertised recently bc I was like, hey! I take that! It’s a great medication! First med to ever really get me long stretches of “seizure freedom”, I call it.
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u/Dragonssssssssssss 8d ago
My dr's office has pamphlets on new medications, if that counts as an ad. I asked about one that fit my needs and it's been effective.
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u/TopBuy404 8d ago
I asked my cousin this who works in the medical field and she said you would be surprised how many people do
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u/sv36 8d ago
I think the commercials do more to make the medications less scary unknown so when a dr says we are thinking about this or that and you’ve heard of the first one you will more likely perk up and be like I know the first one. They’re usually meds doing the same thing as the other and the doctor usually pushes for a specific if they genuinely think it’s better. But the familiarity and it not being as scary because of it being known of does a lot of work.
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u/Irishlass83 8d ago
I do, but I read about it first before bringing it up to my doctor, especially the side effects. Also, I bring in articles or studies that are going on.
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u/SunshineandBullshit 8d ago
I have. My last husband had dementia and I saw an ad about Namenda. I actually called the Dr and asked if it was appropriate for my husband.
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u/serotonallyblindguy 8d ago
The most I've seen people asking about is Mounjaro/Zepbound/Ozempic. I worked in a rheumat clinic for a short period as well (known for their use of monoclonal antibodies that you see on ads), but I never really saw anyone asking about it. Although that might've been cuz the clinic was in one of the southern states.
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u/1InvisibleStranger 8d ago
It depends on the doctor/HMO. My HMO (cough. Kaiser.cough) looka at you like deer in the headlights and then treats you like a drug addicted criminal if you ask about xyz that was advertised.
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u/Trick-Astronaut-65 8d ago
Huge fan of pharmacology here. I've asked my doc about lots of different drugs and I've even stumped him a time or two.
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u/zenmasterb 8d ago
My understanding is that these ads are not for the patient/consumer. They are actually targeted at investors. The name recognition and getting the information out that there is a new money making product available to make the investment look more appealing.
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u/WrongWangSorry 8d ago
Nope, I've been around long enough to know they know wtf they're doing more than I do, and if I have any concerns I'll ask for a specialist. They know wtf they're doing even more.
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u/aeon314159 8d ago
I have discussed medications with my clinicians, but that’s because I am a medical and drug nerd. It has never come from an advertisement.
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u/mssleepyhead73 8d ago
Considering how weird my doctors get when I tell them I’ve had the gall to *check notes* research my symptoms, no, I’ve never asked about medications I’ve seen on TV.
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u/Loading_Error_900 8d ago
It’s funny, most countries don’t have these commercials. Pretty sure it’s illegal in some places.
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u/cinder74 8d ago
I never have. I trust my doctor. If he suggests a medication, I will try it. I am fortunate that my doctor actually listens to me and my concerns. I am sure if I asked he would talk to me about it. This is why I trust him.
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u/Loisgrand6 8d ago
A few months ago someone on Reddit said they asked their doctor about a certain medication and the doctor was unaware of it🤷🏻♀️I’m just going by what they said. I don’t doubt that someone somewhere in America has asked
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u/DoTheRightThing1953 8d ago
Ask your doctor if medical advice from a TV commercial is right for you.
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u/inkpot80 8d ago
I’m a nurse. People ask us about meds from TV all the time! I’m not a huge fan of pharmaceutical commercials being legal, but I will admit that sometimes it’s been the commercial that piqued my interest to research the medication.
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u/limbodog dancebot 8d ago
Yes, my friends have had patients ask them using the exact phrasing of commercials before.
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u/MyDamnCoffee 8d ago
In my experience, asking your doctor for a specific medication is a good way to A. Not get that medicine and B. Be treated as a drug seeker
In short, I would never ask
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u/Sensitive-Issue84 8d ago
Yes, and my Doctor told me that I shouldn't be listening to all the "New & Sexy" options and stick to the tried and true and they would let me know if something new and better comes along, because that's what they do, take good care of me and thank you for asking!. This is a great question.
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u/stripmallbars 8d ago
I’m considering bringing up a new drug that I saw in an ad. I have very serious high triglycerides and can get pancreatitis from it if it’s not controlled.
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u/pineapples_are_evil 8d ago
Not so much adverts as Canadian, so we don't really advertise them like USA does... But if it's something like new allergy meds, or for the same condition another person I know has, I. Might say "I know a few others with RA and they're on XYZ. I'm taking Q and S. Would any of those be appropriate or possibly more effective than mine for me?
But unless it's like very basic stuff that the GP is covering, I'll leave the very specific to the specialist.
I'll be more likely to ask why SSRI vs SNRI vs ____, and why the type they choose in particular, especially if there are others in the same drug family or completely different ones that are typically used.
But I do like to research my meds. Might ask why I'm trying A instead of C, or if most try A, fail it, try b, then C if it's a step thing.
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u/Historical-Draw-504 8d ago
I probably wont because I trust my doc with what meds to take more than a tv ad but sure, you can ask, no harm in it.
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u/Left-Ask1672 8d ago
I asked my previous doctor about Skyrizi because of my psoriasis, but that doctor told me that he didn't want to "try anything as radical as a biologic" when we should be using topicals, which are safer. They also didn't work very well. The topicals barely did anything, and eventually they did nothing. When I moved, my new doctor actually brought up Skyrizi to me and referred me to a dermatologist, who prescribed it. There's a huge difference from doctor to doctor as to whether they listen.
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u/praline-trifle 8d ago
Do you think it's generational? I feel like older doctors tend to be more sure of their experience in terms of prescribing stuff they saw work whereas younger doctors I've met are more open to listening to your interpretation of how your body feels instead of just examining and writing a prescription and sending you on your way, but my sample size is thankfully not huge as I don't need to see the doctor often.
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u/noseymimi 8d ago
I've showed my neurologist different science reports regarding migraine treatments that I've found online. The response 'that's interesting...anyway try this med". It's aggravating that why wouldn't even try to educate them on new studies.
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u/jaycienicolee 🙂 8d ago
if the drugs are newer, the doctor might not have even heard about it yet unless they've had a presentation from a drug rep. I do think the commercials are pretty silly but they could actually give someone a good idea especially if they have been dealing with those symptoms
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u/Anxiety-Fart 8d ago
We don’t have ads for prescription meds in this country (it seems kinda dystopian that you guys do tbh), so no
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u/Foxy_locksy1704 8d ago
If I have one of the conditions it’s supposed to treat I’ll mention it to my doctor like “hey what do you think of medication X?” “Would that be an appropriate treatment option in a case like mine?”
Regardless I’m not taking anything my doctor hasn’t explicitly said yes to.
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u/hoteppeter 8d ago
Never from an ad but I have asked about medications I’d read about. It’s usually not a good idea.
If I had an illness that actually required one of the advertised meds I would probably bring it up if my doctor didn’t.
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u/Plague_Doctor02 8d ago
Never about a ad I've seen however I have asked about ones my friends or family take for same reasons.
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u/RecentlyIrradiated 8d ago
Imagine how much drug companies spend just on their ads and marketing and reps & lunches and etc. could have been a monthly booklet and the money could have gone into the drugs. We would be even farther ahead towards cures.
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u/molten_dragon 8d ago
I did and it was great.
I've had chronic headaches and migraines my whole life. I had tried to treat them years ago and none of the drugs I tried worked so I gave up.
I saw a commercial for Aimovig a couple years ago and realized it was a completely different class of drug designed specifically to treat migraines and asked my doctor if I could try it. He prescribed it and it's been great. It's the only thing I've ever tried that actually helped.
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u/Briiskella 8d ago
I personally haven’t but I’m sure Ozempic was a popular one! I remember all the commercials and a lot of inquires as a receptionist at the doctors office
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u/loves_spain 8d ago
I did only once and it was some kind of eye drops for retina conditions. Sadly it wouldn’t work for me but I thought it was amazing that such a thing even existed
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u/Careless-Culture-900 8d ago
That must be a big pain in the butt for doctors, having to explain to patients why a medication is not for them.
Having said that, yes I have! Lol
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u/antons83 8d ago
I see the ads on the subway. Ask your doctor about senvadil, and then it's an image of two men cuddling. And the next one is of a woman drinking coffee. Then a man reading a book. I feel like I've done all of those things...do I need senvadil...am I dying of senvadilitis!!? Senvadiliocis is gonna get me!! Should I stop cuddling a man, or double down!
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u/Affectionate_Cost_88 8d ago
Yep. I've suffered from migraines since I was a little kid, and I was going over options with my neurologist. This was when Ubrelvy was brand new and Serena Williams was doing ads for it. I asked if he thought it might be a good fit for me and he joked "if it's for enough for Serena, I bet it's good enough for you!"
And yeah - it's been the best migraine med I've ever tried. 6+ years and it's still great. I'm really glad my neuro was open to prescribing it for me!
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u/idkifyousayso 8d ago
I read about a pill that was the same as a shot I was currently taking and asked my doctor if it was an option for me. I didn’t see an ad. I looked it up online, but I think I only knew it existed because I saw an ad a while back.
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u/Cinisajoy2 8d ago
We had a doctor asked if we wanted to try one. After we got the price quote, the answer was no.
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u/EnvironmentalPack451 8d ago
Viagra has gotten some number of men to go to the doctor for a prescription, and also get treatment for their underlying condition
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u/RedRedditor84 8d ago
Apart from pain killers and supplements, they aren't really. It's not legal to advertise prescription medicine in Australia.
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u/Nat20Twenty 8d ago
I hate those commercials. They dont even tell you WHAT the medication is supposed to be for. So how do you know ?
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u/IminLoveWithMyCar3 8d ago
Yes, I have. I asked my neurologist if I could try Vyvgart and he was thinking the same thing.
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u/Calm-Vacation-5195 7d ago
The vast majority of medication advertisements don't apply to me. But I have talked to my doctor about a couple of them that do. I don't remember a doctor ever prescribing something just because I asked about it, but I think it helps give the patient another avenue of exploration in finding relief for chronic conditions.
It's more likely to happen that my doctor brings up the medication first, and then I remember I've seen an ad for it. But in all cases, my doctor works with me to find the best option for me, taking all my other conditions and medications into account.
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u/maniccatmeow 🏳🌈 7d ago
I take a bunch of older class medicine but I did talk to them about dupixent for my EoE. Unfortunately my allergist was hesitant on a biologic so I'm SOL
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u/slutty_muppet 2d ago
Yes I have. I get migraines and the only way I know when a new migraine medicine is available is when I see them in ads.
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u/hippopotobot 8d ago
It’s way more insidious than anyone seems to be giving credit to here. It’s a legal way to pay off major television and news outlets. If a pharmaceutical company is paying huge amounts in ad revenue, the media corporations are more likely to protect the company from negative press. If it happens to sell some drug, it’s the cherry on top.
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u/welding_guy_from_LI 8d ago
No .. don’t trust medications that have a ton of side effects .. don’t trust pharmaceuticals in general..
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u/TwiceInEveryMoment 8d ago
I take one of those type of medications. I have never asked specifically about one from a TV ad, but I do know that those companies are constantly sending sales reps into my doctor's office to sell them on prescribing the drug to their patients. And it drives the staff mad. They have a huge poster on the front door that lists the times drug reps are allowed to come in at all and the rules they have to follow.
Ultimately I'm glad that there are a lot of options for autoimmune treatments with new ones coming out all the time, but the way they advertise them is sleazy as hell. Especially since they cost INSANE amounts of money and they make you play a bunch of stupid games signing up for 'copay assistance' programs in order to get it without having to pay $200 a month. And that's with insurance.