Medications are often necessary, and we owe a great deal of improvements in fighting disease to medications. But people need to be fully informed about the medications they are taking — the purpose and benefits of those medications, the efficacy and risks, and the non-drug alternatives.
A coalition of 10 organizations, healthcare professionals, advocates, academics, and concerned citizens are encouraging people to increase their skepticism toward the pharmaceutical industry. In an era of constant bombardment with advertisements from Big Pharma on television, in print, and online, they are waging a campaign called “Just say Know to Prescription Drugs” — with a goal of getting “one million people and parents to stop and reevaluate the medications they are taking or giving to their children.”
The name of the campaign is a twist on the “Just Say No to Drugs” campaign launched by the Reagan administration in the 1980’s. Rather than a knee-jerk reaction, such as “Just Say No” advised, “Just Say Know” encourages people to become more thoughtful and informed about their use of prescription medication.
“Informed consent in the prescription of drugs is one of the most critical but missing pieces in the healthcare system today,” said Dr. Dominick Riccio, psychologist, Executive Director of the International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology, Inc, and chairman of the “Just Say Know” Campaign. “Every day intelligent people are taking prescription drugs that they simply don’t understand and the consequences of not knowing are increasingly dire,” said Riccio.
Most people have had the experience of not being fully informed of the side effects or potential adverse of the medications prescribed to them. Recent research indicates that 65% of doctors do not provide any information about side effects before prescribing. In this press release, the Just Say Know campaign suggests that 65% is a low figure, since if the doctors in this study made any remark at all about side effects it was counted as informing.
Particularly for medications being given to children, this issue is critical. Witnessing first-hand the kinds of adverse effects and side effects which children can experience on medications has made me particularly keen to the fact that modern medicine is heavily influenced by pharmaceutical marketing, and many doctors do not take the time or the attention needed to provide full informed consent to patients, or parents, before starting a medication.
Just Say Know to Prescription Drugs is doing something needed: encouraging people to hold doctors accountable for providing information about drug side effects and adverse effects, to fight against the rising tide of pharmaceutical marketing, and to become better advocates for themselves in the patient-doctor relationship.
The International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology has more on the campaign.
Kmareka.com 
I love the idea of physician accountability. Personally, I believe that having some sort of governing body (and NOT a self-governing body) would cut down on malpractice suits. As it is, it’s impossible to get physicians even to acknowledge a possible problem, let alone an error.
Secondly, this is just another (as if one were needed) reason why the whole idea of “free market medicine” so beloved of the right is a non-starter. Physicians aren’t accountable, patients aren’t told everything they should be, and the medical establishment basically holds all the cards.
Thanks for bringing this topic to light, Kiersten. It needs a LOT more scrutiny.
it’s in the best interest of anyone who takes a prescription drug, over the counter drug, or herb to know the full profile of the drug’s effects.
one good resouce is the university of rhode island medication helpline 1-800-215-9001 a pharmacist will help you.
also, remember that diseases have some pretty bad effects too, and you have to balance the risk vs benefit and work with a nurse practitioner or doctor who respects your priorities and will answer your questions.
My issue is Zyprexa which is only FDA approved for schizophrenia (.5-1% of pop) and some bipolar (2% pop) and then an even smaller percentage of theses two groups.
So how does Zyprexa get to be the 7th largest drug sale in the world?
Eli Lilly is in deep trouble for using their drug reps to ‘encourage’ doctors to write zyprexa for non-FDA approved ‘off label’ uses.
The drug causes increased diabetes risk,and medicare picks up all the expensive fallout.There are now 7 states (and counting) going after Lilly for fraud and restitution.
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Daniel Haszard