Prescription Drugs – You Should Be Concerned
I initially watched this comical break down on prescription drugs by John Oliver, and laughed so hard I cried.Laughter is Great Medicine
I initially watched this video and just enjoyed the comedy, but after the laughter settled, I was somewhat disturbed. Mainly because I know so many people who are very sick, and they are being pushed the wrong message from their doctors. I think that most people can relate to this video on some level, and delivering a good message through comedy is awesome. If this video made you happy and mad at the same time, please share it.Here are some of the concerning highlights of the this video:
- 70% of Americans take at least one prescription drug
- 50% take at least two
- more than 4 billion prescriptions were written in 2011
- 330 billion dollars were spent on prescriptions in 2013 ($1000 dollars per person in the US)
- Make sure you watch 3:04 to 4:18 Your blood pressure will go up
- Doctors are asking pharmaceutical reps how to treat patients.
- Pharmaceutical reps are undereducated and many have no medical background at all.
- Pharma companies keep very detailed statistics about doctor prescription patterns and use them to influence doctor clinical decision making.
- Drug reps ask doctors to prescribe medications for non approved use.
- Doctors are payed to speak as “experts” for different drugs, but the doctors being paid are simply using scripts provided by the pharmaceutical company.