Non Sequitur comic
Are you feeling tired, irritable, even downright sick of TV drug advertising? These are troubling symptoms, my friends. Maybe you need to take a pill. Ask your doctor if Sheepdip is right for you.
The other night Jon Stewart hit the nail on the head with a bit about the ad for a new drug for RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome). Should I say, medical breakthrough? Before I go further, let me say that I know how irritating RLS can be. It irritated me for years. I didn't know to call it, and it turns out that Jon has it, too, and he calls it "The Jimmy Legs." So cool, me and Jon Stew... Anyway, it keeps you awake at night and drives you crazy in the car and it's a nuisance. But it isn't life threatening, which is the only way you could get me to take a drug that might have the kind of side effects this one has. "Tell your doctor if you experience increased sexual or gambling urges." The first time I heard this ad, my jaw dropped. I've been waiting for Stewart or Colbert to get hold of it. Stewart had the same reaction I did. He was, like, imitating me.
Take the Jimmy Leg link and come right back.
Are you back? Can you believe it? What kind of drug targets what I used to call itchy muscles in my legs (word smith that I am), sex drive and the urge to gamble? Wouldn't you be more worried about becoming a sex maniac who loves to gamble than losing a little sleep over achy legs? Remember the your-brain-on-drugs ad? So here's a new one: This is Kathleen with Crazy Legs. This is Kathleen on Requip. I know--your imaginations are having a field day.
Okay, I'll say it. I am offended by prescription drug advertising. I looked it up. The drugs most advertised are for depression, impotence, weight loss, high cholesterol, erectile dysfunction, allergies, bladder control, inability to get it up, and now RLS. The ads don't seem particularly educational, although I can see adolescent males tuning in on the warning: "See your doctor if you experience an erection longer than 4 hours." Life-saving? Maybe the one for plain ol' over the counter aspirin.Put these ads together with the public service ad that says that the fastest rising drug problem among teenagers is prescription drugs--the ones they find at home--and it seems to me that it's time to do what we did with cigarette advertising. Get it off TV. The pharm folks will counter with "First Amendment violation!" So did Phillip Morris. I don't think everything should be advertised, especially on TV. This hasn't been going on that long--started in the 90's--and all it does is jack up the cost of prescription drugs. They're spending almost 5 billion dollars a year--up from about a bil in 2000--on these TV ads. And you can't just go out and buy the stuff. All you can do is pester your doctor. I say, let the drug companies deal with the medical community. Leave it to the sales reps.
What do you say?
Oh, yeah, this does have a bit of a connection to my March book. (Let's put those advertising dollars where they'll do the most good. Books!) In Mystic Horseman there's a reference to RLS, and the hero kinda makes a joke of it. (I've had it; I can joke about it.) And that's pre Jimmy Legs.
One more oh yeah. What I didn't know until I researched for this post is that, according to the NYT, Congress is debating the issue as we speak. I watch the news all the time. Why did I not know this? Oh, yeah. That's where I keep seeing these ads.
