Drug commercials and their warnings

We’ve all heard them, prescription drug commercials telling us what we need. Usually a study is done with paid participants, and some are given the drug while others get a placebo. They then record the results and comments of the participants.

Now I don’t know it’s just coincidence or there is really is someone who experiences gas and diarrhea with every medication they take. I mean no matter which drug they are pushing, there always seems to be the same dozen complications: headaches, cramps, bloating, gas, diarrhea, vomiting, sleepiness, feeling tired, and lasting for more then four hours (ouch!). Are some of these participants conspiring to makes all drugs seems as unpleasant as possible, maybe it’s just some of them are professional test subjects (guinea pigs?) and they usually experience these complications with most medications they take.

Here’s an example of a once such commercial for Levitra:

LEVITRA is a prescription medicine that is used to treat erectile dysfunction (ED). Men taking nitrate drugs, often used to control chest pain (also known as angina), should not take LEVITRA. Such combinations could cause blood pressure to drop to an unsafe level.

As with all ED drugs, there is a rare risk of an erection lasting longer than four hours. To avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical attention. LEVITRA does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases. In rare instances, men taking PDE5 inhibitors (oral erectile dysfunction medicine, including LEVITRA) reported a sudden decrease or loss of vision in one or both eyes. It is not possible to determine whether these events are related directly to these medicines or to other factors. If you experience sudden decrease or loss of vision, stop taking PDE5 inhibitors, including LEVITRA, and call a doctor right away.

Discuss your medical conditions, including heart problems, and medications, including alpha blockers prescribed for prostate problems or high blood pressure, with your doctor to ensure LEVITRA is right for you and that you are healthy enough for sexual activity.

The starting dose of LEVITRA is 10 mg taken no more than once per day. Your doctor will decide the dose that is right for you. In patients taking alpha blockers, your doctor may start you on a lower dose of LEVITRA. In patients taking certain medications such as ritonavir, indinavir, ketoconazole, itraconazole, and erythromycin, lower doses of LEVITRA are recommended, and time between doses of LEVITRA may need to be extended.

In clinical trials, the most commonly reported side effects were headache, flushing, and stuffy or runny nose. LEVITRA is available in 2.5-mg, 5-mg, 10-mg, and 20-mg tablets.

Please see complete Prescribing Information for 2.5-mg, 5-mg, 10-mg, and 20-mg LEVITRA ®

I don’t know about you but possibly being in that 1% that looses their vision doesn’t seem too tempting. Just to note not everyone experiences all of these symptoms. It just seems that way since they do not give the exact statistics of the percent occurrences of all of these symptoms. My guess is it’s probably less then 1% of test subjects who experience complications, but the company covers itself by listing everything they observe during their testing.

If you find any interesting drug complications feel free to mention them.