The Normalization of Lifestyle Drugs on Social Media
Amid record levels of advertisements for lifestyle medications on social media, Luke Turnock, PhD, discusses the global impact these trends may have on patients.
Within the ever-connected social media age the world is currently living through, the need for individuals to enhance their physical performance and appearance has exponentially increased. Internet culture has long perpetuated these needs, forcing patients around the world to think differently about their looks and their health as more and more social media content is created.
But with the sheer amount of content posted throughout all social media platforms, compounded with a growing need to be physically attractive or fit, many patients’ perspectives may become skewed, leading to potentially dangerous health outcomes.
“Now, again, with advertisements, the problem is, if you're promoting these drugs to people who wouldn't necessarily clinically need them, but you're leading them to believe you need them because you don't have this [physical] performance, the problem is, you can create psychological dependency from using these drugs,” said Luke Turnock, PhD, senior lecturer at the University of Lincoln.
With extensive research into 3 specific lifestyle drugs that are creating a buzz on social media, Turnock sat down with Drug Topics on the latest episode of Over the Counter to discuss the potential impact increased online advertising will have on patients around the world. The 3 drugs Turnock has specific expertise in are glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs for weight loss, sexual enhancement drugs like Viagra, and testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) normally attached to men’s health.
Turnock discussed these 3 therapies usually requiring a prescription, their significant prevalence on social media, and the potential normalization of drugs that are otherwise not approved for a majority of the global population.
Stay tuned for weekly podcast episodes on Over the Counter every Thursday afternoon. Check out our previous episode with Mark Garofoli, PharmD, MBA, BCGP, CPE, CTTS, clinical assistant professor at the West Virginia University School of Pharmacy and host of the Pharmacy Podcast Network’s Pain Pod. He discussed current trends in OTC product use for pain management.
Pharmacy practice is always changing. Stay ahead of the curve: Sign up for our free Drug Topics newsletter and get the latest drug information, industry trends, and patient care tips, straight to your inbox.
