Generation Rx

The book of the month for December is Generation Rx by Greg Critser. This book discusses how prescription drugs have come to control American citizens' lives.

This book discusses how the government and drug companies have been working together to create "generation rx." This mentality leads people to believe that the only way they will feel better is to take prescription medications. The off-set of this is the side effects that these drugs have. One popular class of medication that was mentioned in the book is antidepressants. The prescribing of antidepressants such as Zoloft, Paxil, Prozac, etc. hasn't always given the desired results physicians had hoped for. These drugs have caused people to become even more depressed and even a few have committed suicide. From reading this book, my eyes have been opened even wider to the over-prescribing and overuse of prescription medication people take just because they think they will feel better due to these drugs because their doctors recommended them.

Another disturbing item mentioned in this book was how patients are willing to take new medications because they think they'll feel better. You may feel better initially, but in the long, the medication may actually be hurting you. Take for instance Vioxx, people saw this as a "super drug" to help relieve symptoms of arthritis, as well as other pains, which it did but not without consequences. The makers of this drug, Merck, are involved in a multi-million dollar lawsuit over the death of a person who took the medication and died.

The book also discussed the lack of attention our doctors are giving us could mean bad things to our health. If your doctor is only allowed to spend 10 minutes with you because he/she has 5 other patients to see in that hour, your health concerns will not be a top issue with your physician. He/she may listen to your main health complaint and write out a prescription for you and