Mo Rocca On TV Drug Ads' Side Effects

(CBS)  If you're bewildered by all those claims for prescription drugs you have two choices. You can 'Ask Your Doctor.' Or you can ask Sunday Morning Contributor Mo Rocca.

By now the litany of side effects of TV-advertised pharmaceuticals is an old joke.

Viagra and Cialis - the "E.D." drugs - have the single most notorious potential side effect: the one that lasts longer than four hours. (That's a bad thing, in case you were wondering.)

The E.D. drug Levitra warns users about another awkward side effect: "Vision changes, such as having difficulty telling the difference between the colors blue and green."

Your eyes. They're the most beautiful … blue? … green? … tourquoise?

One potential side effect of Mirapex, the restless leg syndrome drug, is downright strange:

"Tell your doctor … if you experience increased gambling, sexual or other intense urges."

You might be tired of your significant other kicking you in bed. But are you prepared for him or her to ditch you for Vegas?

The arthritis medication Celebrex understands that you don't want to gamble with your health - which is why they assure you that the odds are no better (or worse) with the competition:

"Any prescription NSAIDs, including Celebrex, may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke which can lead to death."

The truth is we are being asked to gamble - to weigh the benefits against the risks before we've seen a doctor.

Only two countries - the U.S. and New Zealand - allow drug companies to make such direct emotional, and often unscientific pitches to consumers.

Here's an ad for the anti-depression drug Zoloft:

"You know when you feel the weight of sadness. You may feel exhausted, hopeless, anxious…"

Hasn't everyone felt like that sad little bean at some point? But should everyone be on Zoloft?

If there's one side effect to all these ads, it's heightened anxiety. (And no, I'm not prescribing Paxil.)

Maybe the best solution is to tune out the ads. Or at least ask your doctor if watching them is right for you.

And in no instance should you watch them while you drink or operate heavy machinery.

Otherwise you're likely to experience nausea, dizziness … and an uncontrollable urge to throw your TV out the window.

[trillion1]

I have no idea who this guy is. He doesn''t appear to be an expert on anything. Why should I care what his opinion is?

[bwessels]

Try a good old American tradition: watching a baseball game with your son or daughter. See how much you squirm or leap for the remote when the E.D. ads come on. If the kids are just the right age, they''ll ask you what the terms mean! (You know, erec**** -- I bet it wouldn''t pass the Comments filter, but it gets on the air.) The symptom descriptions for FloMax; the portrayal of friends'' bad timing when you & the missus want to pop the pill and "get it on."

And then, yes, there are the side effects, including death.

Allowing these ads is irresponsible. They should be banned from broadcast AND cable.

[tikka12]

Agree that all the TV and radio ads for all prescription drugs should be banned. What is worse, there is an active, well-funded lobby constantly pestering the FDA to lift the requirement for stating all those possible side-effects so the big pharma companies can run the same ads without mentioning side-effects. There needs to be a big public movement first to make sure the side-effect mentions stay in, and second to get these ads off the airwaves entirely.

[eggy1620]

If CBS is thinking about replacing Andy Rooney with this character, then he%u2019s perfect.

[enriquecaliente]

"Viagra and Cialis - the "E.D." drugs - have the single most notorious potential side effect: the one that lasts longer than four hours."

But isn''t that what we''re looking for.? To be sixteen again.!?

I''d be calling Willy the Pimp and asking, NO telling him to send me over a bunch of his best ho''s, wear them out I would.

[oleander8]

Pharmaceuticals should not be hawked like laundry detergent. Get them off the air.

[Razzl]

These ads have become a disgusting part of the cable tv experience, and since all of them are for prescription drugs that can only be gotten from a physician, they ought not to be advertising to the general public anyway. It''s not appropriate for patients to be encouraged to pester their doctors for powerful drugs when they are unqualified to evaluate the risk and are anxious to take excess risk in order to get relief from their condition...

[trillion1]

Who is he?

[fiona888]

This Mr. Rocca needs a voice coach for his lisp and very annoying voice. The story is lost by trying to avoid the minnie mouse delivery. He belongs behind the scenes.