What is Digg?102 Comments
- inactive, on 04/03/2009, -3/+47"In a program broadcast on Sept. 20, 2005, Dr. Goodwin warned that children with bipolar disorder who are left untreated could suffer brain damage, a controversial view. 'But as we’ll be hearing today,' Dr. Goodwin reassured his audience, 'modern treatments — mood stabilizers in particular — have been proven both safe and effective in bipolar children.' That very day, GlaxoSmithKline paid Dr. Goodwin $2,500 to give a promotional lecture for its mood stabilizer drug, Lamictal, at the Ritz Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, Fla. Indeed, Glaxo paid Dr. Goodwin more than $329,000 that year for promoting Lamictal, records given Congressional investigators show."
This is absolutely disgusting -- a doctor scaring people into buying products that he's secretly being paid to promote. - PrettyBoyFloyd, on 11/21/2008, -2/+39Note that this isn't some Dr. Laura Schlessinger right-wing AM radio call-in talk show, but a long-running and highly respected NPR program that has been honored with several awards. You'd think that Public Radio would be doing more to protect its image, since it depends in large measure on the donations of listeners who expect a higher level of ethical conduct from their staff. Kudos to Margaret Low Smith, NPR Vice President, for immediately cancelling the show upon learning about this conflict of interest.
- duggtodeath, on 11/21/2008, -1/+31Oy, stories like this give me a headache. I'm a train operator. Thank goodness for extra-strength Tylenol. Nothing cures my symptoms and gets me back on track like this fast-acting over-the-counter drug.
- inactive, on 11/22/2008, -0/+21Ah, the over-medicating of the public.
Drug companies make me laugh. Especially with their commercials. "Do you find yourself feeling tired occassionally, after a hard day's work? Do you sometimes have the urge to urinate after drinking 7 glasses of water? Have you ever found yourself having sharp pains in your finger after slamming it in a door? If so now there's a solution: Dexidaritol, only $500 for a one-month's prescription. Side effects can include headache, nausea, vomiting, heart attack, stroke, paralysis, Hep-C, cancer, and anal leakage." - inactive, on 11/21/2008, -0/+20This makes me sick. Preying on those so vulnerable... don't doctors take oaths?
- MommaLu, on 11/21/2008, -6/+25Every shrink I've ever met in RL has always been a pompous ass.
- Khast, on 11/22/2008, -0/+17Personally, I think doctor prescribed drugs should not be advertised on TV or Radio. Drug companies should not be allowed to "pay" doctors to over promote the drug.
If you see a doctor, and you have symptoms requiring a prescription. The doctor should know what you need, and shouldn't be told by the patient what they think they need. (Ask your doctor if ....... is right for you.)
What have we become, a bunch of ***** hypochondriacs? - chas46, on 11/21/2008, -0/+17 And this surprises who.....?
- 610dean, on 11/21/2008, -0/+15Whats next? Frasier Crane was bought out too?
- lebondarken, on 11/22/2008, -1/+12The Drug Companies are out of control in this country. America is one of only two countries in the world that allow big pharmacy to push pills on TV. This ***** makes me sick!
I digress...
Perhaps I should channel surf until I find a pill I can tell my doctor I need. Is medical school just a place where they teach you how to write scripts? - inactive, on 04/03/2009, -1/+9Well put. All media outlets make mistakes, but most of them either defend those mistakes, and look ridiculous in the process, or they rely entirely on public opinion to dictate their actions.
- inactive, on 11/22/2008, -0/+7"I'm a doctor I'm special" most people are stupid enough to believe that.
- allowners, on 11/22/2008, -0/+6There are big profits in numbing the mind of the consumer and their offspring.
- grapesofbaath, on 11/22/2008, -0/+6Wow. That article is eye-opening in the breadth of corruption it exposes. Kudos to Senator Grassley for his great work.
- ShittyPunGuy, on 11/22/2008, -4/+10Here comes the scientologists...
- lokai, on 11/22/2008, -0/+6Well, being the bipolar person that I am, I have to say that having a good mood stabilizer in my medication regime has helped ME out tremendously. Then again, I am not a bipolar CHILD so I can't really speak from experience on how safe/unsafe treatments that work for me, an adult, are going to be for a child with bipolar disorder.
I still think it's pretty crummy that this guy promoted Lamictol because he was paid to do it. Why promote one specific mood stabilizer when there are many out there, and maybe the one you are promoting isn't going to work for every person? Oh yeah. Greed.
As for the bipolar brain damage thing, I've come into contact with several psychiatrists lately who are big proponents of that idea, and going off of my own case history, the longer I went without medications the worse my manic phases got. It's sort of a cumulative thing and for each untreated manic phase I did get progressively worse. That's just me, though. I was told that each time I lapsed into mania my brain may have become 'rewired' to the point where, now, if I go manic, I am pretty much way out on planet Pluto, totally out of touch with reality. I cannot function without my medications.
It hurts to see that an influential guy like this, able to bring so much accurate information to the populace, to maybe lessen the stigma about mental illness, only cares about dollar signs. That's just wrong and I'm glad he was found out, and I'm glad they're doing something to stop more of the same! - jojopumpkin, on 11/22/2008, -0/+6Dugg for scummy.
- bicyclethief, on 11/22/2008, -0/+6Do psychiatrists take the Hippocratic Oath?
This guy's sense of ethics is *****. - NotYourProdigy, on 11/22/2008, -2/+7How did corruption get into the Food & Drug Administration? Side effects of capitalism, or the unwanted child from the rape of the United States of America?
- gaqua, on 11/22/2008, -0/+5Which is weird because a lot of my conservative friends think NPR is "the hippie channel" or something.
Glad they canceled the program and fired the guy. - myklee, on 11/22/2008, -0/+5yes, by the 23 flavors of Dr. Pepper.
- Jareth86, on 11/22/2008, -1/+6Vaxadrin may cause: Dry mouth, Phantom Hand Syndrome, Mild heart explosion, Vivid dreams of self-cannibalism, Late onset albinoism, Testicular cranberrying, Brain tooth, Rectal hallucinations, and Reemergence of the umbilical cord.
- VitriolAndAngst, on 11/22/2008, -0/+5LOL.
- thegrantman, on 11/22/2008, -0/+4 Dexidaritol made my penis bigger.
- ktk1336, on 11/22/2008, -0/+4It is about ***** time.
I am a begrudging frequent flyer of the medical, pharmaceutical, & insurance industries. As a type 1 diabetic for 33 of my 36 years. I approach every medical transaction with cautious cynicism. I believe that the higher you get on the medical industrial ladder, the less we are viewed and treated as real people and the more we are viewed simply as cash sources.
I have a positive opinion of general practitioners, as I have had positive experiences with several of them; however, I question the ethics of drug companies that supress information which is vital to the patient's overall health. I used Lantus insulin for many years. There is a possibility that Lantus may contibute to the proliferation of cancer cells. Independent doctors have requested further studies on this issue, but the manufacturer has failed to comply. Since a higher cancer risk has not been proven, the manufacturer is not required to list this as a side effect.
I used Depo-Provera for 8 years, from 1996 until 2004. In 2006, I broke my femur in a (seemingly) unrelated incident. Last year, I heard an ancedote on the news about this drug being related to diminished bone denisty with long term use. From the NIH in 2002:
"A new study confirms earlier reports that Depo-Provera, an injectable contraceptive popular among young and low-income American women, is strongly associated with bone density loss."
I was never informed of this newfound side effect. Breaking my leg was the most painful, long term, excruciating experience of my life, and I put the blame squarely on Depo-Provera.
Then there is the financial side. The medications and supplies that I use to 1.Keep myself alive, and 2.Maintain a decent quality of life are appaulingly expensive, even with health insurance. I'm on a budget just like almost everyone else, and every penny I spend on this comes out of my disposable income. As an unwilling participant in the game, I feel resentful and used.
Bottom line is that I have learned that Big Pharma is a business like any other, similar to Big Oil. They want to maximize their profit, and in doing so they minimize the value & dignity of their fellow human beings.
Oh, and does anyone else love the Januvia commercial as much as I do?
~~~ A LOVELY DAY!!!!!~~~ - mecharabbit, on 11/22/2008, -0/+4"I'm listening...and taking bribes."
- sigg14, on 11/22/2008, -0/+4I keep looking for a commercial for vicodan so I can go to the doctors and tell him to write me a perscription for it
- maximilen, on 11/22/2008, -0/+4By pushing ***** FOOD into your system that makes you sick over the long-term, then when you're all beat, give you DRUGS that only cure the symptoms (of all the problems the ***** food gave you in the first place) but have side affects that make you need even more drugs later. That's the corruption -- it's a viscous circle and it ***** makes me sick.
Preventive medicine for the win.. Why fix something when you can avoid breaking it in the first place... - Ellipsys, on 11/22/2008, -0/+4Just for reference, in some states (including mine) doctors are prohibited from taking anything more from big pharma than a free dinner and a mug. I'm not sure if the difference was that he was a psychiatrist (unlikely), or that he was directly employed by the pharmaceutical companies (most likely), but realize that if your average hospital-working doctor was to do this, they would likely be censured, set up for review, fined, and possibly have their license suspended.
Please don't go about thinking all doctors are out there being pushed by pharmacutical companies to push meds on you. Most doctors do not receive any financial compensation for prescribing anything, at all. A free mug isn't going to change what your doctor thinks is in your best interest. My IV ampicillin mug keeps my tea nice and warm, but if doxycyline or azithromycin is what you need, that's what you'll get. Your family doctor is a ton more reliable and under more scrutiny than shills who "sell out" and work as "experts" for pharmaceutical and insurance companies. - inactive, on 11/22/2008, -0/+4"What have we become"
A major source of revenue. - jdpugsle, on 11/22/2008, -0/+4I believe the problem is the drug companies have too much power. People have also in this country are too dependant on doctors & drugs. This is where the government needs to step up. Especially, when it comes to the FDA. They have also got too much power. Until these things change, I don't see things getting much better, unfornately!
jdpugsle - gobbleplex, on 11/22/2008, -0/+4People don't generally expect this of NPR.
- Dawggoneit, on 11/22/2008, -4/+7*****! I knew those Scientologists were onto something!
- inactive, on 11/22/2008, -0/+3Classic pusher / addict relationship, right in front of everyone, but not too many see it.
- KellyFL, on 11/22/2008, -0/+3If a disk jockey does this it is payola. If a politician does it it is graft and bribery. I just tonight made a reservation for a company Christmas party at the best restaurant in my city. The manager told me that a major drug company hosts monthly dinners there for doctors. They arrive, have drinks, then dinner with a lecture. "Some stick around for two hour open bar but many just want the free gourmet dinner so they eat and leave." This is a five star establishment with a typical check without drinks running about $100 per person. Drinks are about $9.00 each for wine and well drinks. A two hour open bar plus drinks at dinner run the individual check plus tip and group service charge to about $225 each and there are 40 doctors present.
This whole country is going to Hell. No one has any sense of honesty or shame. We need a department of consumer affairs with its own prosecutor that seeks out and corrects corruption at all levels against consumers. We need bigger and better jails. - Hush, on 11/22/2008, -0/+3Wrong, some physicians refuse anything from drug companies as a matter of principal.
Look around, they are out there. - v0ider, on 11/22/2008, -0/+3You win the internet.
- KingGorilla, on 11/22/2008, -0/+3I think everyone should just chill out and take some Soma. Remember a gram is better than a damn
- sigg14, on 11/22/2008, -0/+3all of the above?
- inactive, on 11/22/2008, -2/+5Totally. All it will take is tens of thousands of children being over-medicated, then the market will somehow magically "correct" itself. It's nature's way.
Economic Conservatism 101: Conflict of interests don't exist. - acliffhang3r, on 11/22/2008, -0/+3Losing his radio gig must leave our good "doctor" feeling blue. Therefore it is highly recommended that he and his family be immediately put on a long course of Prozac, Paxil, Effexor, Zoloft and a smattering of Zyklon B.
- 91z4me, on 11/22/2008, -0/+3Well they do learn anatomy and a LOT of biochemistry also.
- kingofinternet, on 11/22/2008, -1/+4the infinite mind was one of the ***** shows on npr.
- Youreallinsane, on 11/22/2008, -0/+3Why set the minimum to $500...all payments to doctors should be reported.
- inactive, on 11/22/2008, -0/+3The natural result of a situation giving one mind dominion over other minds.
- DyceFreak, on 11/22/2008, -0/+3< care >
America, where the black market is the legitimate market.
< /care > - SignOfHope, on 11/22/2008, -0/+3npr gives public anything a bad name
- RationalFacts, on 11/22/2008, -1/+3If this makes you sick to your stomach... Try TUMS ! Tums, Quenches Queasyness Quickly !
- goodinohio, on 11/22/2008, -1/+3You're glib!
***** scientologists - sigg14, on 11/22/2008, -0/+2i thought that was pretty damn funny.
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