Prescription Medication: Necessary or Wanted?
Wedra 1
Whitney Wedra
ENG 111/Jones
7 October 2014
Prescription medication: necessary or wanted?
Summary
“We Love Them. We Hate Them. We Take Them.” by Abigail Zuger discusses the sensitive topic of prescription drug abuse by doctors. She claims in her essay that drug advertisements have become so persuasive and aggressive, that doctors are feeling the need to prescribe them to patients, even though they don’t necessarily need them. Zuger uses a personal experience from her life to illustrate her thesis for the audience. The experience was when she prescribed one of her patients a pill because she felt it would help him, and she continually told him to keep taking it, but he told her it made him feel the opposite of better. She still pursued him to take it even though his body was signaling for him not to. He ended up in the hospital from this drug, and she feels awful about the entire situation. Zuger claims the situation has opened her eyes to the real effects of prescription drugs and to listen to the patient’s body, the description of the drug. “Beware of Drug Sales” by Therese Cherry claims that prescription and over-the-counter drugs are being too aggressively advertised, persuading people who don’t even need them to take them. She claims even some doctors are persuaded by the ads to prescribe them to their patients (such as Zuger), some are even paid. She claims this is an extremely negative effect on our
Wedra 2 society, and is dangerous to all. Cherry supports the claim that everyone needs to stand-up to these companies to slow down the advertisements, and stop trying to shove pills down everyone’s throats.
Analysis
These essays have much evidence to support their claims. Zuger’s use of a personal experience is very heart-felt and passionate. There is no doubt to her claim and support. The only downside to this claim is that this could have just been to the one specific person, not necessarily everyone who takes this pill is going to end up in
Whitney Wedra
ENG 111/Jones
7 October 2014
Prescription medication: necessary or wanted?
Summary
“We Love Them. We Hate Them. We Take Them.” by Abigail Zuger discusses the sensitive topic of prescription drug abuse by doctors. She claims in her essay that drug advertisements have become so persuasive and aggressive, that doctors are feeling the need to prescribe them to patients, even though they don’t necessarily need them. Zuger uses a personal experience from her life to illustrate her thesis for the audience. The experience was when she prescribed one of her patients a pill because she felt it would help him, and she continually told him to keep taking it, but he told her it made him feel the opposite of better. She still pursued him to take it even though his body was signaling for him not to. He ended up in the hospital from this drug, and she feels awful about the entire situation. Zuger claims the situation has opened her eyes to the real effects of prescription drugs and to listen to the patient’s body, the description of the drug. “Beware of Drug Sales” by Therese Cherry claims that prescription and over-the-counter drugs are being too aggressively advertised, persuading people who don’t even need them to take them. She claims even some doctors are persuaded by the ads to prescribe them to their patients (such as Zuger), some are even paid. She claims this is an extremely negative effect on our
Wedra 2 society, and is dangerous to all. Cherry supports the claim that everyone needs to stand-up to these companies to slow down the advertisements, and stop trying to shove pills down everyone’s throats.
Analysis
These essays have much evidence to support their claims. Zuger’s use of a personal experience is very heart-felt and passionate. There is no doubt to her claim and support. The only downside to this claim is that this could have just been to the one specific person, not necessarily everyone who takes this pill is going to end up in