A lot of people use the TV commercials for bathroom breaks or getting a quick snack.  Me?  I actually like watching the commercials too.   Some are so funny but the ones I don’t like are the ones about medicine.  It seems like there’s a medicine for just about everything and some of the so-called diseases or problems are just plain silly.

Take for instance RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome).  I think the drug companies give common problems a name just so they can justify and sell their drugs.  My grandparents are 76 and 85 and still do all the work themselves on their ranch.   Grandpa’s solution for someone with RLS is to get out there and do something like walking around or exercising in some way.  It makes sense that if you just sit or lie around all day that your muscles won’t work as well.  It doesn’t take a scientist to figure that out.

There are lots of drugs that companies are making for different problems.  But have you really listened to one of those commercials?   Just the other day I saw a commercial for a drug called Chantix which is supposed to help people quit smoking.  Quitting smoking is a good thing so everyone should try the best they can, anyway they can . . . but.   As I was watching the commercial where an old guy was talking about how it helped him, the narrator started telling all the side effects the drug could cause.  The commercial seemed to go on a lot longer than most 30-second commercials so I decided to rewind the DVR and time it.  Here is the unbelievable part.

The advertising FOR the drug lasted just 40 seconds and the warnings AGAINST the drug went on for 110 seconds.  It was a 2 1/2 minute commercial.  Those aren’t cheap and the fact that the warnings took longer than the advertisement should make people who might be considering this drug to reconsider.

All drug commercials have warnings about possible side effects but I’d worry when they say taking the drug could cause you to think about suicide but stopping the drug could also make you think about suicide.  Geez! You’re taking a huge risk either way.  I wonder how the FDA can even allow companies to make drugs that could make people think about suicide.  That doesn’t make any sense to me.

My grandpa quit smoking about 30 years ago.  He didn’t use any drugs and wouldn’t have anyway even if they would have been around back then.  He just quit ‘cold turkey’ as he says.

Anyone can do anything they choose if they just set their mind to it.   You don’t need dangerous drugs to do it either.  Of course what do I know?  I’m still 13 and my worst habit is wanting to play video games too much.

From this kid’s point of view, I’m just saying, maybe it’s better to rely on your own will power than to depend on some drug that some company says will work but the side effects could make you worse off than before.

Tweet This Post  Buzz This Post  Delicious This Post  Digg This Post  Reddit This Post  Stumble This Post