Didn't medications used to be for...

[DEEDEE2]

illnesses? I just saw a commercial for perscription medicine...to grow eyelashes! I was like, "What the #@%!?", and then right after that commercial, a Viagra commercial. Remind me why health care costs are out of control again? I mean if we can afford this kind of stuff, why does real medicine need to be so expensive?

Sorry to rant, but this just seems so dumb to me.

Oh well, I'll be much happier after a few hours of dancing.

DeeDee

 

[hiitdogs]

Oh, you didn't get the memo? Drugs are not for curing disease. The purpose of drugs is to make money for the drug companies.

No, it does not need to be that expensive! They were comparing how much a drug (I think it was one of the statin drugs) costs in Canada and Europe. It was $ 1.25 per pill overseas and we are paying $ 5 per pill in the US. Why? Because of a lack of regulation! But some people are still screaming for more deregulation. We all know how well that worked for us with banks

But I guess someone has to pay for the gazillion commercials on tv for prescription drugs. Never mind that we are the only country aside from New Zealand that allows advertising for prescription drugs.

I have always thought that America - whereas preventative health care is really lacking - is the most overdiagnosed and overmedicated nation in the world. You can't go to a doctor without coming out with a prescription. Drugs used to be the last resort, now it's the very first thing you get.

Diseases are "invented" that are really no disease, like restless leg syndrome, overactive bladder, PMDD .... We now have clinical names and treatment guidelines for unhappiness, loneliness and shyness as if it not okay to feel emotions that are a normal part of life.

But the lash-growing pill takes the cake! I know some people here think I have a drug paranoia or phoebia but who on earth would seriously consider taking drugs to grow your lashes without knowing the long-term side effects. Oy vey!

 

[dixiedog6]

I saw that ad on TV the other night. It is sad that many people will buy this product.

 

[DEEDEE2]

I have always thought that America - whereas preventative health care is really lacking - is the most overdiagnosed and overmedicated nation in the world. You can't go to a doctor without coming out with a prescription. Drugs used to be the last resort, now it's the very first thing you get.

Diseases are "invented" that are really no disease, like restless leg syndrome, overactive bladder, PMDD .... We now have clinical names and treatment guidelines for unhappiness, loneliness and shyness as if it not okay to feel emotions that are a normal part of life.

But the lash-growing pill takes the cake! I know some people here think I have a drug paranoia or phoebia but who on earth would seriously consider taking drugs to grow your lashes without knowing the long-term side effects. Oy vey!

Ain't that the truth though?! I think it is irresponsible to even offer drugs that are not for illnesses or pain unless they have real, and I mean REAL mental issues, not this 'My boyfriend cheated on me and I feel so horrible that I'm going to kill myself and take him with me' crap. I get that this happens and some of those drugs are meant to keep this kind of thing from happening, but why aren't we being raised with any kind of coping skills any more? I am so sick of people 'feeling' a certain way and instread of dealing with it they act out which usually involves hurting someone else.

Is it any wonder that people are still waiting for that magic weight loss pill? I mean we now have a magic eyelash pill and a magic erection pill why not a magic weight loss pill. And while we are coming up with all of these useless medications, we have people with real health issues, paying through the nose for insurance just to find out that what ails them is not covered by their insurance.

 

[kEwL]

but who on earth would seriously consider taking drugs to grow your lashes without knowing the long-term side effects. Oy vey!

LauraMax was using it

 

[kathryn]

I don't understand why anyone would want to take these unnecessary drugs after hearing the disclaimers that they always have to put with them (and that's only for the MAJOR side-effects).

 

[nancy324]

I agree that it makes no sense to take a drug to grow eyelashes, and I would never do it. But if they do come up with a drug that "corrects" the brain chemistry to allow the brain to know when you've had enough to eat, or something of that nature, it could save a lot of lives and prevent a lot of diseases (such as Type II diabetes). If my doctor approved such a drug, I would strongly encourage my DH to try it. If he lost weight, his blood pressure would go down, he would probably avoid diabetes and certain kinds of cancers and just be healthier generally. I don't think medications are just about curing illnesses; I think they can be used to prevent them too.

Personally, I MUCH prefer diet and exercise, but I also acknowledge that some people have a much harder time losing weight, and really need medical intervention.

 

[LauraMax]

FWIW, the lash "meds" are not pills. It's topical. It is not covered by insurance & therefore does not effect the rising costs of health care--it is purely a cosmetic procedure. And I don't think it's really considered a drug if you're using it for lash growth, but has to be distributed in a controlled way b/c of the potential side effects, just like you can't purchase botox or collagen injections or laser treatments OTC.

However, it is a glaucoma treatment in which case it is truly medication & is covered by health insurance (and as w/many meds, unrelated side effects were discovered, in this case of enhanced lash growth).

 

[hiitdogs]

I agree that it makes no sense to take a drug to grow eyelashes, and I would never do it. But if they do come up with a drug that "corrects" the brain chemistry to allow the brain to know when you've had enough to eat, or something of that nature, it could save a lot of lives and prevent a lot of diseases (such as Type II diabetes). If my doctor approved such a drug, I would strongly encourage my DH to try it. If he lost weight, his blood pressure would go down, he would probably avoid diabetes and certain kinds of cancers and just be healthier generally. I don't think medications are just about curing illnesses; I think they can be used to prevent them too.

Personally, I MUCH prefer diet and exercise, but I also acknowledge that some people have a much harder time losing weight, and really need medical intervention.

Nance, I agree that there are instances were medical intervention or drugs have to be considered, may be beneficial and outweigh the risk. I just think that our current medical system relies only on chemical intervention, not as a last resort when all other means are exhausted but as the very first line of treatment.

I think were I have a slightly different view than you is that I think that eating right and exercising is the ONLY way to prevent illness without side effects. What good is a pill going to do that keeps your weight down if what you eat is not healthy? I think we oversimplify when we think people will be healthier if they just lost weight.

As someone who has been severely overweight / obese I know how hard it is to lose weight, I struggled with it for years. On a side note, I had never been overweight before I moved to America and my weight problems started after I had been put on various "diets" by health care professionals. It wasn't until I understood that counting calories is NOT going to do the trick but it has to be a complete lifestyle change and feed my body what it actually needs and that has nothing to do with calories that I lost 120 lbs and stopped binge eating.

I don't see that a chemical concuction could do a better job in preventing illness than what you put in your mouth. As we are now finding out statins are not preventing heart disease and have severe side effects.

I think anytime people take medications they should be informed about the long-term side effects of a drug and look at the risk vs. benefit. If the benefit outweighs the risk, by all means I would take the drug. Personally, I would never take a new drug unless things are so bad that this would be a last-ditch-effort. However, what is often forgotten is that what my doctor may consider a benefit may not be a benefit as I look at it.

I think it is a very personal decision and there is no one-size-fits-all.