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Why I am annoyed by this Nexium commercial

January 11, 2012

OK. Running on the networks is this annoying commercial. The key message is, “You wouldn’t want your doctor doing your job.”

I suppose it is intended to somehow make us feel guilty because we are somehow offending our doctor in our personal efforts to read product labels and make informed decisions about over the counter drug purchases.

I don’t think my doctor would be offended. Instead, I think both my doctor and I are annoyed by an ad that suggests only a doctor knows best.

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Author: Roxanne

I have always loved to learn. After years of trying to pick a major as an undergraduate, I met a professor who guided me to graduate school. And from graduate school, I learned that I could always go to school and keep on learning. And so I have...

2 thoughts on “Why I am annoyed by this Nexium commercial”

  1. I’ll officially be a doctor when I graduate from medical school in May and would just like to say, I love this commercial! I found out about it from another classmate who also loves it. It’s not that doctors are offended by you reading labels, being educated on your conditions, researching them, etc. I actually love that and try to educate my patients whenever possible. It IS offensive when patients think they know more than you because they know how to use Google. Becoming a doctor is rough and you should trust that your doctor’s extensive education gives them a greater ability to diagnose and treat you than you have. Now, doctors make mistakes, they miss things, and it’s IMPOSSIBLE to stay current on ALL of medicine. You may catch something your doctor misses or find a new treatment or something for your condition, etc, etc. But be respectful and trust your doctor. If you don’t trust your doctor to manage your conditions, FIND A NEW ONE! Don’t just take things into your own hands. This commercial is specifically asking patients to see their doctor for persistent heartburn. It’s saying, “If it doesn’t go away with over the counter meds, don’t play doctor and keep trying to treat yourself. Go see a doctor and let them make sure you don’t have something more serious that you probably don’t have the skills to diagnose by yourself!”
    Ironically, one of the ways patients play doctor is by requesting specific medications because they’ve seen advertisements from pharmaceutical companies. That’s one of my pet peeves! There shouldn’t be commercials for medicines because patients shouldn’t be choosing their own medications! The doctor should make that decision and include the patient in making the decision when appropriate.

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