Let's face it: The reason for a drug manufacturer to market their drug is to increase sales through increased awareness. It may or may not be superior to a competitor's drug. It may or may not be necessary at all.

Whether we like it or not, drug advertising has become a part of the commercial landscape of American TV and media. Spending by the drug companies has nearly doubled in the past four years and shows no sign of ebbing.

Take drug industry advertising for what it is: marketing. If Toyota runs an ad about their newest model of automobile, do you take the ad at face value, run out and immediately trade in your Ford for the sleek advertised model? Probably not. And so it goes, too, with drug advertising. It's advertising. It can serve to alert you if you were previously unaware that a drug treatment existed for a specific condition. It can alert you to alternatives to a treatment you are already taking. But, like all advertising, it has the potential to persuade, even when need is questionable.

My advice: View advertising as a reason to discuss the drug with your doctor-just as many commercials suggest. The ad should never, all by itself, serve as the sole basis for taking a prescription drug. You want all the facts, more than any commercial can provide.