The Pros And Cons Of Prescription Drug Advertising

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70% of Americans use drugs every day. Not the hard drugs that come to mind like cocaine or heroin, but prescription drugs. Substances that are controlled, legal, and for the most part very beneficial to our health. The United States is one of the only countries in the world that still allows direct to consumer advertising, and it’s hurting the population. Direct to consumer (DTC) advertising cause consumers to believe that they are capable of making their own decisions regarding what drugs should take and that they should be on more drugs than might be necessary. When consumers mention these ads to their doctor, they feel pressured to prescribe, and to prescribe the expensive brand name. DTC prescription drug advertising is harmful to both patients and doctors, and should be banned from television and print media. …show more content…
Doctors go through approximately ten thousand years of post secondary education to be able to prescribe medication, and pharmacists go through approximately five thousand to know how drugs interact and affect the human body. The average consumer has around 0 years of post secondary education that qualify them to make their own decisions. Drug companies may say that everyone should be free to choose how they wish to treat their afflictions and take what medications they want, but in reality, this isn’t safe. A consumer who is just temporarily sad or anxious may believe that they are depressed and need medication due to an ad they saw on T.V. and then end up on an antidepressant that causes them serious side