Quote:
Originally Posted by La lamy
I find TV ads about prescription drugs quite disturbing. The crazy long list of side effects included in these ads are such a turn off while watching TV. In Canada, direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs is prohibited as a health protection measure. Manufacturers cannot advertise prescription-only drugs directly to the public because of their toxicity and the potential for harm from medically unnecessary or inappropriate use.
For me, I assume my doctor is the professional who will know what meds are appropriate for me. So my question to you is: has anyone ever gone to their doctor and tell them they want a certain drug they saw on TV?
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No, but it was thanks to a Chantix ad on TV that I was finally able to quit smoking years ago after it became widely available.
I didn't tell my doctor that was what I wanted. It was the other way around. He told me he needed me to quit smoking in order to continue to be my doctor, and he would help me do whatever was necessary to accomplish it. He gave me a list of options, from hypnotism (tried it, failed), nicotine gum (tried it, hated it), behavioral modification (homey don't play that), cold turkey, cutting down, antidepressants, some other med, and Chantix.
I had heard about Chantix from the ad on TV, and it was the only one that seemed to fit my needs. It basically deactivates signals to your nicotine receptors and makes your mind forget that it's addicted. You still have a habit to get over, but you can work on the habit with zero nicotine withdrawal symptoms.
I remembered the risks, most of them involved sleep disorders. Since I was already taking prescription sleep meds that ALSO had those side effects, and had never experienced any of them, I was willing to give it a shot.
Two weeks later, I had quit smoking. The end of that second week, I threw the rest of the Chantix in the trash (even though I was supposed to keep taking it for 3 months) That was 12 years ago. I haven't even been tempted to smoke since.