If you weren’t one of the 41 million Americans drinking water contaminated with sex hormones and pharmaceutical waste, welcome to the club! Testing prompted by the AP’s damning investigation has revealed that another five million people, including residents of Reno, Colorado Springs, and Chicago, now sip the potentially dangerous pharmaceutical soup.
Pharma Medicine
How To Reach Someone At CVS
By 9.10.08
An anonymous tipster sent us the following information today on how to reach the executive level at CVS. Remember, don’t use this to be a jerk to anyone—use it when you have a valid complaint that you can’t get resolved through the recommended paths.
CVS Employee Calls Customer A 'Fucking AIDS Freak'
By 9.10.08
His response was “Whatever, somebody needs to come deal with this because I’m about to go off…”
These Old Ads Remind You To Drug Children And The Elderly
By 9.9.08
Sometimes gentleness is required of your toddler. Sometimes ill-tempered old folks get too agitated and threaten you with canes. That’s why sometimes the best solution is a good old fashioned thorazine pill, or a barbiturate elixir. Weirdomatic has a collection of bizarre ads like these from the past. Our favorite, aside from the drug ads, is the one showing Olympian speed skater Jack Shea taking a break from his skating to enjoy the rejuvenating effects of a Camel cigarette. So that’s how Phelps did it.
20 Drugs That Probably Won't Kill You, But Potentially Could, Maybe
By 9.7.08
Don’t freak out or anything, but the FDA is going to publish a list of medicines that could kill you. Or not. They’re not really sure. Still, there is going to be a list, and if it shows a medicine that you’re taking, then, um, yeah, sorry to hear that…
New Lipitor Ads Mercifully Free Of Fake Doctors
By 9.2.08
Well, it seems that Pfizer is ready to move on from that embarrassing “Dr. Jarvik is not actually licensed to practice medicine” kerfuffle back in February. The company pulled its Lipitor spots after Congress became very interested in whether or not the ads were misleading the public into believing that Dr. Jarvik was qualified to offer medical advice — and that he was really rowing that boat. Now, theWall Street Journal has a tantalizing preview of the new “Dr. Jarvik Free” Lipitor ad. The spot features a regular person named John — a heart attack survivor who urges you to learn from his example and be more proactive about controlling your cholesterol (with Lipitor, damn it! Lipitor!).
Christmas Wrapping Paper Spotted At Walgreens
By 8.25.08
Reader James says he spotted this Christmas-themed wrapping paper lurking on the top shelf at Walgreens, waiting to strike…
FAA To Fine American Airlines $7.1 Million For Safety Violations
By 8.15.08
The FAA is not pleased with American Airlines. They say the airline should pay $7.1 million in fines for deferring maintainence and not complying with employee drug testing requirements. AA says the fines are too severe and will appeal.
Shun Brand Name Drugs With Two Letters After The Name And Save
By 8.5.08
What do those little letters, CD, ER, SR, etc, after a brand name drug’s name mean? The exact terminology varies, but they usually translate to the same thing: unnecessary ripoffs.
14 Ways To Save On Drugs Big Pharma Doesn't Want You To Know
By 8.4.08
It’s no secret that prescription drugs are expensive, but it is a bit of one that they don’t have to be. Dr. Edward Jardini’s book, How To Save On Prescription Drugs, has 20 methods that anyone can use to drastically cut the costs of long-term medications, without sacrificing quality. Here’s 14 of them:
Morning Deals
By 7.29.08
- Amazon: Lego sale. 50% off 8 Different Items
- Walgreens: 6 Sharpies for $2 (in-store only)
- eforcity: iPod/iPhone charging cable for $7.99 (down from $43.99)
- DealExtreme: iPod/iPhone charging cable for $3.46
- Woot: It’s a woot-off!
Highlights From Dealhack
- Best Buy: Dynex DX-LCD32 32-inch LCD HDTV $490
- Tiger Direct: Unlocked Motorola RAZR V3 GSM Cell Phone $100
- Buy.com: Kodak Z1285 12 Megapixel Digital Camera $90 Shipped
Wait, Where Is The Medication Located?
By 7.24.08
“I wonder which pouch my medication is in. ([This was] sent to me by the Caremark prescription fulfillment center. The drugs required refrigeration.) “
Could Generic Drugs Be Even Cheaper Without The Middle Man?
By 7.23.08
The WSJ Health Blog says that pharmacy benefit managers are marking up the amount they charge your insurance company for generic drugs and keeping the difference. Often the mark-up isn’t too severe, but the WSJ has one example where the difference was over a hundred dollars.
Grocery Shrink Ray Hits White Rain Shampoo, But It's Still "33% More"
By 7.16.08
Reader Luke noticed that the grocery shrink ray mercilessly zapped his bottle of White Rain shampoo– but mysteriously left the “33% more” label untouched. 33% more than… what exactly?
Modern Psychiatry: Brought To You By Selfless Pharmaceutical Companies
By 7.13.08
Psychiatry is nothing more than a well-funded front for big pharma, according to lawmakers investigating the field’s premier organization, the American Psychiatric Association. Unlike psychologists, psychiatrists can write prescriptions, giving pharmaceutical companies a powerful incentive to lavishly subsidize both their lifestyle and profession.
Personal Finance Roundup
By 7.10.08
Seven Websites That Saved Me Money in the Last Week [The Simple Dollar] “Here are seven websites I used to directly save money over the last week, my exact purchases and savings, and how much cash they saved me.”
Morning Deals
By 6.30.08
11 Cheap Generic Drug Programs That Will Save You Money
By 6.24.08
Here at the Consumerist we’d like you to save money. That’s why we’ve put together a handy list of those $4 generic drug programs that you’ve been hearing about. We hope this list will make it easier for you to locate the store that has the best deal on all your medications. If your local grocery store is doing a similar program and we missed it, please add a link to the comments. If you need help researching the medicines, we recommend Consumer Reports’ excellent site Best Buy Drugs. Enjoy!
