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Misc do you think docs get perks from drug companies? my doc tried to get me on SSRI's...

A

alexthealien

Ex-Bluelighter
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
133
and she mentioned 2 that were brand name with no generic, i doubt those are what works the best for most people. one she mentioned was lexepro for my 'anxiety' that i said i have from time to time, not daily.
 
Yeah in Australia they def do...my old DR was on zoloft and wrote me many many scripts for them...And ive had others also write me scripts....
 
yes ive heard they cant get stuff, depends on the situation.. sometimes it can be vacations or whatever
 
Doubt it, decision should be based on clinical need, may be different in the US though
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^Some would argue even with yer not for profit NHS some drug companies will do what they can to influence providers.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/aug/23/health.pharmaceuticals

There's probably a lot more evidence out there of similar tactics available to anyone who chooses to look for it. I think the requirement to prescribe by generic name rather than brand name only came in in the first place because of suspicions Drs were being unduly influenced by big pharma?
 
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Don't fool yourselves! They get travel, office supplies, whatever they want if they prescribe certain quotas. The most famous recent case is for Oxycontin, like that drug needs anymore negative publicity. Supposedly, doctors got cash bonuses for writing certain amounts of the drug. This is one of the first things that got the drug under the government's scrutiny. I don't know any details but I'm sure they're out there somewhere.

The botton-line is that yes, doctors do get kickbacks from the drug companies.
 
alexthealien said:
and she mentioned 2 that were brand name with no generic, i doubt those are what works the best for most people. one she mentioned was lexepro for my 'anxiety' that i said i have from time to time, not daily.
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Having said the above that's not to say your Doc didn't think the drugs she suggested might be worth consideration. The fact she referred to Lexapro rather than the generic Escitalopram ain't necessarily a sign she's in the pay of big pharma. It's just a common med for anxiety that is perhaps better known by its brand name to some extent than it is by the generic so maybe she thought you'd be more familiar with the brand name as you discussed whether you thought it might prove useful?

What were the others she mentioned, just out of interest?
 
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Sepher said:
Having said the above that's not to say your Doc didn't think the drugs she suggested might be worth consideration. The fact she referred to Lexapro rather than the generic Escitalopram ain't necessarily a sign she's in the pay of big pharma. It's just a common med for anxiety that is perhaps better known by its brand name to some extent than it is by the generic so maybe she thought you'd be more familiar with the brand name as you discussed whether you thought it might prove useful?

What were the others she mentioned, just out of interest?
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i am saying she didn't offer me a drug that had a generic available.....i don't think lexapro has a generic, it's just the brand name on the market right now till their patent or whatever runs out
 
I was on SSRI's for GAD (general anxiety disorder) for about 6 months. I tried 3 different kinds, all of which had a generic. From my research (I literally wrote a college research paper on them) and from my experience, SSRI's are a "guess and check" game for the most part. The doctor will prescribe what he thinks will work best, then change it if it's unsatisfactory. It's kind of like acne medicine; there is no universal prescription, different things work for different people.

With that being said I would be a little suspect of your doctor. Ask her if there is any reason she prescribed Lexapro. The usual response is "I have had the most amount of success with this brand". Then ask if there is a generic you can have instead, unless of course there is significant reasoning behind her original decision.

Good luck with your treatment. SSRI's are reasonably safe and work pretty well. Withdrawal is hell, though, so don't use them lightly!
 
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