Considering I'm going to school to be a pharmacist, it's a bit ironic
that I'm rather "anti-medication" when it comes to myself. The last
time I took an OTC was maybe two weeks ago...a couple of Advil. I think
I did that twice last year. And the script I needed for a nail
infection, well, I refilled it once, took it pretty regularly, and then
my symptoms improved. The remaining refills are still on the Rx.
Perhaps I'll transfer it to Walgreens and cash in on a $25 giftcard like
the rest of America.
More than half of all insured Americans take medications for chronic
health conditions. American children are 3 times more likely to be on
psychotropic medications (for ADHD or depression) than their European
counterparts. And in 2002, the volume of medications dispensed in
America went up 25%. We are an Rx nation. The fact that drug companies
profit off of their consumers (not patients but consumers) is
unsettling. First they instill a psychological sense of dependence on
their medications (when in reality lifestyle modifications could
ameliorate symptoms of many chronic diseases and other treatment options
besides medications are available but much more time consuming).
Second, with this dependence ingrained, they can raise or lower prices
at will with little competition on the market. Consumers are left to
bend and sway at the command of big pharmaceutical companies.
My aversion to OTCs is equal: what a ploy that Tylenol sells a $12
bottle of APAP when the actual pills are pennies a piece. And then they
market the same bottle with "Arthritis relief" for $2 more, but seeing
that the typical consumer knows no difference, it's an automatic source
of profit.
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