Who to Believe?

You see the ads on TV, in the popular magazines. They describe 'Exactly' how you feel. The finally understand your pain! Now all you have to do is bring this information to your poor, uninformed doctor. He's been out of school for a long time and probably hasn't seen the ads on TV explaining that the perfect drug for you is just a scribbled prescription away. Your salvation is at hand!

The only problem is, the drug company has an agenda. Profits.

The drug may have side effects that are worse than your illness. It may not work for you at all. Your insurance (if you're lucky enough to have insurance) may not cover the cost. You may not even have the condition they describe so well.

Fibromyalgia is a diagnosis of convenience: when all the other tests are negative, this is the diagnosis. But don't tell that to the drug companies...they have your best interests at heart...

clipped from www.msnbc.msn.com Drugmakers’ push boosts ‘murky’ ailment WASHINGTON - Two drugmakers spent hundreds of millions of dollars last year to raise awareness of a murky illness, helping boost sales of pills recently approved as treatments and drowning out unresolved questions — including whether it’s a real disease at all. Fibromyalgia draws skepticism for several reasons. The cause is unknown. There are no tests to confirm a diagnosis. Many patients also fit the criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome and other pain ailments. Experts don’t doubt the patients are in pain. They differ on what to call it and how to treat it. But critics say the companies are hyping fibromyalgia along with their treatments, and that the grantmaking is a textbook example of how drugmakers unduly influence doctors and patients. Drugmakers respond to skepticism by pointing out that fibromyalgia is recognized by medical societies, including the American College of Rheumatology.