Recently, I've noticed quite a few advertisements for prescription drugs that treat depression. It got me thinking about whom these ads are targeting. It couldn't be targeted at me since I don't have the slightest clue of what's in these drugs, or what they really do. I also can't simply walk into a drug store and just pick them up; I need a prescription from my doctor. According to what the ad says, these drugs will help me feel less sad. But what do I know?

According to a survey published in a recent issue of Consumer Reports, doctors often accommodated patient requests for drugs they have seen in advertisements. That survey questioned 335 doctors and 39,090 residents. Of those surveyed, 78% said they got requests from patients for drugs they've seen advertised, and 67% of doctors said they sometimes granted the requests. In addition, 41% said they thought patients were not adequately informed.

To verify this survey myself, I asked a few of my doctor friends what they thought about these advertisements. Not one of them was happy about these direct-to-customer advertisements. They felt that it was their job to evaluate their patients first, and then prescribe drugs they felt were appropriate. Because some of their patients pressure them to prescribe a specific brand they've seen advertised, these doctors often felt they had not choice but to accommodate their patients' demands.

Those that died from Vioxx, and their loved ones, will understand why this troubles me. Vioxx was one of the most prescribed and widely used pain management drugs on the market. Patients that suffered pain requested Vioxx by name. But it soon became apparent that those on the drug were more likely to suffer cardiovascular problems such as heart attacks, strokes and other serious cardiovascular events. As the link between cardiovascular incidences and Vioxx became more apparent, a class action suit was filed against its maker, Merck. It's great that we can sue a pharmaceutical company for defective products, but it's too late for those who already died.

So, are Wellbutrin, Zoloft, and Lexapro right for you? Will you experience side effects? Will they help you feel less depressed? I have no idea. But the fact that we know these drugs by name and what they're supposed to do is a little disturbing. The pharmaceutical companies want us to pressure our doctors to prescribe their drugs to us. So what are we to do? I propose we should just forget we ever saw those ads, and let our doctors do their jobs.

Learn more about this author, Alfred Tom.
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