Hacker News Reader

Comment by zython | Hacker News Reader

This make me think: Could this behaviour be influenced by US-american pharma corporations being allowed to run (TV-)ads on prescription medications ?

View on HN

Pharma ads play a role but hardly explain this behavior. I believe a primary aspect is simply that Americans (including myself) expect and are expected to fill every waking moment with productivity or similar, rather than having flexibility to take a few hours/days/etc off to allow for healing and/or exploration of causalities; we instead use coping strategies and even with lackluster results continue down that road, seeking more alleviation of symptoms - initial, and consequential side effects from treatments for initial - rather than examination of root causes (which are complex and individualized to a large degree).

It doesn't help when others influence by saying "just take ... for that." I can't begin to explain why others do so, except that people generally have good intentions and are empathetic?

TLDR: Americans often don't invest the time and resources to identify and eliminate behaviors/conditions that are the cause of their ailments, and instead cope with any "quick fix" drug/product/strategy that never eliminates the cause of symptoms and often introduces new issues.

Last two thoughts: Many in modern society are very averse to discomfort - understandably, but regardless of degree/origin - and many doctors are happy to feed into this behavior instead of educating the patient that pain is sometimes a part of the process.

Many in modern society lack (or do not have the energy for) self-awareness and/or critical thinking to examine root causes of ailments/symptoms, and instead trust that taking ... will help without understanding the actual mechanisms/effectiveness of the treatment.

I think a lot of this behaviour can be attributed to how the US treats sick leave - unpaid.

However, the quality and quantity of medication ads in the US has truly amazed me when I visited. I wouldn't want to be a hypochondriac over the big pond, because the TV ads were so suggestive.

Today I was walking around SF and saw a billboard for a medication, and it didn't say anywhere what the medication was for. Drug advertising in the US is simply baffling to me, and I'm American, even.

I think it has more to do with how readily available medication is in the US (Supermarket).

I'm not sure it's a valid point since I can just enter in one of the 3 pharmacies near me and buy a box of aspirins for 2€. We don't have medications in supermarket but we have a LOT of pharmacies here (France).

It's still different. Needing to go to a specialized store with trained personnel to buy painkillers has a completely different appeal than just tossing bottles of painkillers into your cart next to milk and candy.

I think that's the point the parent is making, there's a lot more friction involved, you'd have to get out of your way to get large amount of drugs (amount in one box in the US is just way more than what you'd get in e.g. France).

E.g. the box of aspirin from the supermarket may have 500 pills: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Equate-Pain-Relief-Aspirin-Coated...

But can you buy a box of 1000 aspirin tablets? That would be $23 in the US: https://www.cvs.com/shop/cvs-health-ibuprofen-tablets-200mg-...

That link is for ibuprofen, not aspirin.

Aspirin is dirt cheap in the U.S.

the deal isn't the price, but the quantity: if you need 1,000 pills of any medication, you should be under medical supervision/follow-ups, not buying them like they were groceries.

Generally, sure. As for aspirin, though, if you're a couple on a common low-dose daily regimen, that's 730 pills in just 1 year without a single head or body ache.

Ibuprofen and the like are also available from the supermarket in most of Europe. Codeine and the like are not, as they're prescription only but it's not a big trip to go to a pharmacy anywhere.

I live in Europe now, but lived in the US before. The difference is that buying medications is part of weekly grocery shopping in the US more or less. It is also how it is advertised all over the place. Besides, many medications that are prescription here (or are just smaller doses) are available in large doses in the US in grocery stores.

That's bizarre and not at all a part of my experience in the US. I go to the supermarket when I need things. If one of those things happens to be a medication (because I have an immediate need for it), then I'll buy it. Otherwise, I won't.

By the standards of many places in the world, medicine in the US is quite prudently distributed.

For instance I can buy antibiotics, or things like prozac at most any pharmacy. Pharmacies being a bit different than in the US. In many places prescriptions are not filled at pharmacies, but at the hospital itself. Pharmacies are often stores that sell only drugs, usually without prescription, as opposed to the US thing where you have a general goods store with a pharmacist filling prescriptions in the back.

And all the regular stuff acetaminophen/ibuprofen/etc are also of course available, though there is a difference that generally it is sold in blister packs rather than in the huge bottles of it you can buy in America.

I think this is probably quite accurate. Looking at tv in various countries, they just don't have the pill advertisements like America does. ask your doctor about...

> ask your doctor about...

That freaks me out. The doctor is supposed to tell me what to assume, not the other way around.

Also, I have seen too many stories of drug representative sellers with no background in medical sciences convincing doctors to prescribe a drug with many, more-or-less honest arguments.

The other bizarre and ludicrous thing about the constant "ask your doctor" refrain: how many US adults have a personal physician whom they see regularly enough to even be able to call the person "their doctor"?

I'm willing to bet most people have a more substantial relationship with the barista at their local Starbucks than whoever happens to be on duty when they need to go to the doctor.

When I was a kid we all (including my parents) had regular doctors that we had a relationship with. These days a doctor visit for me is rare (once every couple years), so I wouldn't say I have a strong relationship with my doctor, but I do go to the same doctor every time.

I think this is pretty normal; many insurance plans in the US have the concept of a "primary physician" who you nominate as your go-to doc for general issues. (It's easy to change, though.)

I do have more of a relationship with some bartenders at my favorite bars, though; you're right about that.

I think so.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com