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Overprescribing Research Paper

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EVIDENCE OF OVERPRESCRIBING IN TODAY’S HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
Prescription medication is one of the most common methods used to treat various physical and psychological ailments. As the pharmaceutical industry grows in the wake of successful pharmacological treatments, there is also growing concern regarding the overuse of medication. Evidence of overprescribing is supported by the increase of reported negative side effects associated with prolonged overuse of medication. In addition, overprescribing is also supported by the growing rate of deliberate medication misuse in the United States for purposes of abuse and profit. Similarly, the rise in funds allocated for direct-to-consumer and physician-focused advertising reinforce the perception …show more content…

For example, medication-overuse headache (MOH), also known as a rebound headache, is commonly caused by the overuse of pain relief medication. In Europe, North America, and Asia, 1% of the population is diagnosed with MOH, a condition likely preventable through vigilant medication management. Similarly, serotonin syndrome occurs when there is excess serotonin in the brain. Serotonin syndrome is a life-threatening drug reaction attributed to the use of antidepressants and can be an adverse side effect of multiple drug interactions. In an era where medications are overprescribed, negative side effects, such as MOH and serotonin syndrome, are likely to increase in correlation to the growing use of prescription …show more content…

Advertising companies have capitalized on people’s desire for expedient and effective results by changing their sales strategies in order to increase profit. Consumers and physicians are specifically targeted in direct-to-consumer advertising strategies, such as ads on television, magazines, and other physician-focused promotions. Studies that assess the effect of advertising show an increase in prescribing practices as well as an increase on the demand for prescription medication. Because prescription medications are perceived as valuable for health maintenance, economic theorists predict changes in marketing costs are not likely to impact pharmaceutical sales further demonstrating the strong relationship between physicians’ willingness to prescribe and patients’ need to consume medications. The cyclical relationship of advertising companies, to physicians, and to consumers reveals the significant influence money can have on prescribing practices, which may have strong implications for overprescribing

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