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If a treatment relies on advertising then it probably isn't very effective. In fact, there's boatloads of treatments that get approved by the FDA because they meet the minimum standard of "not going to kill someone right away and some folks showed a minor improvement." It doesn't mean they're any good or worth trying just because you heard about them in an ad.

Not only that but doctors know about all the treatments for the things they specialize in. You think they're living under a rock‽ They know about that treatment X that's being advertised everywhere but they also know that it didn't show an efficacy at all at treating your specific condition(s) or they'll know that the risk it carries outweighs the potential benefits.

Doctors know 10,000 times more than you (or health insurers!) do about what's medically necessary and/or effective. If a patient suggests a treatment don't be surprised if the doctor's eyes roll. "Here we go again."

Ads for prescription medications are a huge waste of money and they also waste doctors time explaining why they're not a good idea for all the zillions of patients that "ask their doctor" about them.

I can imagine that there are many people with lesser known diseases who only got tested for them because they saw a commercial for a drug for it and thought "hey that sounds exactly like me!"

Buuuuuut these cases would be much better served by a campaign to make knowledge of diseases more readily available through dr office pamphlets, posters, PSAs, etc than commercials by for-profit prescription drug lords.

Unfortunately, because it might be the only way to learn about an alternative treatment that wasn't advertised to your doctor.

This was almost exactly my situation and I'm still in favor of banning pharmaceutical advertising to the public because those same ads that drastically improved my life have harmed millions of others.

I'm a transgender man, with a moderate needle phobia. I transitioned over a decade ago, and back then testosterone gel was basically never used for transition (the cost was significantly higher and insurance coverage was almost non-existent back then - I did have insurance coverage though) and there was misinformation around it in the trans community in the rare instance gel was discussed - but the only reason I or pretty much anyone else knew it was an option was the obscene deluge of ads for it. I asked my doctor about it and she figured out the dosing for me. It's been a fantastic choice for me for a lot of reasons beyond just the needle phobia issues.

But testosterone replacement therapy, and Androgel specifically, is a case study in exactly why you don't want this kind of widespread direct to consumer marketing. Androgel basically created a market for their drug through this marketing. Men in their 60s complained about not feeling like they were in their 20s anymore (without any other negative symptoms of low T) and demanded a medication that could have increased their risk of cardiovascular issues and forced them onto the medication permanently, and they didn't even feel 20 again because they're not 20 anymore.