The reformist website Sick Of Lawsuits points out an unpleasant side-effect of the typical lawyers’ ad campaign seeking to drum up lawsuits over side effects of prescription drugs, namely that it may cause patients to go off medications that are a good bet for them:
“* Twenty-five percent of patients said they would immediately stop taking a prescribed drug if they saw an ad for a lawsuit involving that drug. (Pharmaceutical Liability Survey, Harris Interactive, July 15, 2003)“* Nine mental health patients in South Mississippi stopped taking their prescribed medications after seeing personal injury lawyer advertising regarding Zyprexa and Risperdal - drugs used to treat patients with schizophrenia and bipolar mania. ‘People see these ads and they think that they’re bad for them, so they quit taking them,’ said Teri Breister, executive director of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in Mississippi. ‘But these patients’ lives have come apart again. Every time they stop taking their medications, the episodes become worse.’ (’Tort Advertisements Worry Some Health Advocates,’ Biloxi Sun Herald, March 21, 2004)”
More: Prof. Childs.
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In chasing clients; Mississippi; product liability
Lawyer Ads Scaring Patients?
Overlawyered has the details of a survey indicating that perhaps a quarter of patients would stop taking a drug if they saw an ad for a lawsuit involving it, and quotes the executive director of the National Alliance for the
Well said,i applaud your blog, mental health consumers are the least capable of self advocacy,my doctors made me take zyprexa for 4 years which was ineffective for my symptoms.I now have a victims support page against Eli Lilly for it’s Zyprexa product causing my diabetes.–Daniel Haszard http://www.zyprexa-victims.com
{instead of relying on a law firm i have my own informational page)
Must be time to file a class action against the Attorneys?
GAWD one can only hope!