We pay for profitable disease-mongering

I WOULD like to endorse Mary Maddock’s letter regarding psychiatric patients forced to endure damaging treatments (The Irish Examiner, March 6).

Although those cases are on the extreme of a continuum, we are all guinea pigs without even realising it.

Marketing drives the overuse of blockbuster drugs in this country, training doctors and offering them food, friendship, flattery and many other corporate treats.

Many people are taking antacids, sleeping tablets, sedatives, antidepressant or medicines for cholesterol or blood pressure; or all of the above, often without any need to do so, according to independent research. Even if those tablets came without any risk, many of them will only make a hole in our pocket or the government’s pocket.

The overmedicalising of society is causing great harm and most of the time the dangers are kept in the dark.

The Irish Medicines Board is failing to protect us from disasters such as Vioxx, HRT, Roaccutane as well as SSRIs and other antidepressants.

Caution, independent research and integrity where medication is concerned are essential in health professionals to prevent and remedy this profitable disease-mongering.

Nuria O’Mahony

Emergency Nurse

The Hawthorns

Bandon

Co Cork