Depression Meds

[skcin]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

A side effect of more DTC pharm ads is that there is a heightened sense of awareness about personal health. It can only be a good thing IMO. Sure, there are hypochondriacs. But they were around long before DTC ads came into existence.

See, I don' t think it's only a good thing. I'm sure something like this has happened to you? The following happened at a recent appt. with a young adult patient:

"I need Chantix. I want to quit smoking"
"OK, well there are other drugs that I recommend you try."
"I saw the commercial for Chantix, so I want that."
"There can be severe side effects for some people taking Chatix, so you should really try another med first."
"My uncle took Chantix & he quit. I want it."
"I'm not comfortable prescribing Chantix for you right now. It's honestly not the best drug for your situation - your age, the length of time you have smoked..."
"I don't understand why you won't help me. I want to quit smoking, and I've heard that Chantix is the best med around."

And on & on & on. Not a hypochondriac by any means, but heavily influenced by the ads on TV. Patient ended up agreeing to try another med first, btw. But only after more than 20 minutes of patient education. Docs don't usually have the time for that, nor do their nurses. I fear the only education patients are getting is from TV - it's not exactly unbiased information.