Insomnia? I just heard on AAR that pharmas are gearing up to

[katinmn]

launch three or four new "sleeping medications" this year.
We can expect a tremendous onslaught of new commercials.

Great.

When we progressive Dems are in power we can just ban direct-to-consumer advertising, like almost every other country.

[displacedtexan]

1. Watch for CNN's Gupta to jump on the bandwagon!

He's always Johnny-On-The-Spot with "reports" on the latest BigPharma news.

IMHO, Gupta is CNN's resident "Time Waster."

[htuttle]

2. Expect a slew of Video News Releases on your local news, too

Watch for that previously-unknown 'Special Health Correspondent' to make an appearance with a short, lively feature story about how some pharmacuetical companies have developed some 'exciting new treatments for insomnia'.

Remember, toxic sludge is good for you!

[ananda]

3. Oh dear...

If there's a problem, don't look at parenting, society, government, and neofascism.

Just throw a dangerous, addictive pill at it...

Sue

[TexasBushwhacker]

4. How did they ban commercials for liquor?

Beer and wine can be advertised on TV, but hard liquor can't. How did that come about? By law? By "gentlemen's agreement"? Just curious.

I think the direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs is just wrong on so many levels. I don't have a problem with pharmaceutical companies advertising using general information about certain conditions with a "There are medications that might help. See your doctor. Sponsored by Pfizer." for example, I DO have a problem with them mentioning specific NEW drugs. That's a decision for a doctor to make, not a patient. There are often older generic drugs that at the very least have stood the test of time in terms of their safety. How many Vioxx nightmares do we need to see that direct-to-consumer advertising is dangerous?

[riverwalker]

5. their conscience keeps them awake

I remember when Powell said everyone in DC takes Ambien.

[davsand]

7. If they are all on Ambian I understand now why we are so screwed.

I took Ambian for three nights and on the fourth day began having crying jags and wave after wave of panic attacks. Doc says, "Oh, I've never had anyone respond to it that way." Online resources say it is a lot more common than you might think...

If they are all as messed up as I was with that crap we have every reason to be very afraid.


Laura

[HuckleB]

8. That's a bad doc.

No practitioner should ever deny possible side effects to any medication. Ambien does work wonders for many people, allowing them to live life with clear heads after good nights of sleep. But it doesn't mix well with others.

Still, it only works if used intermittently or for a short period of time if used nightly.

[AllyCat]

9. This happened to my brother!

He was great for a few days and then started having uncontrollable fits of crying and later panic attacks. After discussing his reaction with the unbelieving doc, he threw the Ambien down the drain.

[davsand]

11. You can tell him he's not alone.

I have found other people who had similar experiences.

I am happy that they are working to provide help for people with sleep disorders, but I would be worried about taking anything after my experience.


Laura

[HuckleB]

6. Yes, here's a recent piece on the soon-to-be-released meds.

Waking Up The Insomnia Market

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_03/b3916092.htm

" If Americans have become jittery about popping pills to treat their everyday ills, you would hardly know it from the optimism surrounding Sepracor (SEPR ) Inc. On Dec. 16, the Marlborough (Mass.) company won approval from the Food & Drug Administration to market Lunesta, a new sleep aid.


Giddy investors pushed Sepracor's stock up 16%, to $60, in the two weeks following the news, as the tiny, still-unprofitable company announced a $60 million campaign to market the drug directly to consumers. Sepracor's ads, set to begin airing in February, will try to convince the bleary-eyed masses that they can safely take a pill every night to help them sleep.

There are plenty of customers, but it couldn't be a worse time to hit the airwaves with bold safety claims about a prescription drug. Recent revelations that painkillers Vioxx and Celebrex may raise the risk of cardiac disease have consumer groups howling that drug companies are abusing their right to market products directly to consumers. Critics who charge that Vioxx was overprescribed to people who would have done fine on aspirin say most insomnia cases can be treated with safer nondrug alternatives such as psychotherapy and meditation. Still, the drug companies, seduced by the wallets of 82 million Americans who battle insomnia, stand ready to entice restless sleepers with big ad campaigns that rival those of the sidelined painkillers.

Drug industry critics may be emboldened by Sepracor's ambitious plans for Lunesta. The market for drugs that treat insomnia is expected to double, to $5 billion, by 2010, and this year alone could see even more new insomnia fighters from the likes of Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America and Sanofi-Aventis. Analysts predict Lunesta will drive Sepracor's revenues up 66% in 2005, to $617.4 million. But Sepracor and some of its industry rivals are already looking to broaden the base of potential customers. Those companies hope someday to sell the drugs to patients with other illnesses, such as depression, for which insomnia is merely a symptom. "It's research and development, but it's really marketing," admits David P. Southwell, chief financial officer at Sepracor. "We think we can link into whole new markets for this drug."

..."

[AllyCat]

10. Some people really have insomnia. The rest of the world should

get some freakin' exercise, cut down on the junk food, and spend time with those they care about. Exercise, nutrition, and socialization...best remedy for most people.