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Published Letters: 2
Is the argument that 'Big Pharma' should not advertise their drugs or that they should not make them in the first place? Because the way the article is written, I get the impression that the author is demonizing 'Big Pharma' for making a drug that treats symptoms. Personally, if I have symptoms that significantly compromise my quality of life (which I cannot treat by other means), I would like someone (and 'Big Pharma' is the best someone to do this) to make a drug that treats them. It should be the responsibility of your doctor to only prescribe the drugs if you need them. If you go to your doctor and beg for these pills because the commercial said so, then the doctor should treat you for being a hypochondriac and perhaps a bit paranoid, not for fibromyalgia. (On the other hand, if the doctor does give you this pill, it might reduce your anxiety so you won't want to continue pill-popping, and perhaps will actually decrease the number of drugs you ask for, punching a hole in any conspiracy theory one might concoct.) I think pharmaceutical companies get a lot of flack for doctors mis-prescribing their products. It is like getting mad at the paint company because the hardware store sold you the wrong colour.
Not that it was his intention, but being force-fed something can be painful, damaging, and potentially lethal. If I saw someone gagging on some gooey cake that was being forced into their mouth while they were held down, I would consider it to be assault.
