| Get sleep?
MARION - Health teacher John Godfrey figures his students average about six or seven hours of sleep a night. That's also the number of energy drinks one of his students used to "jump-start" his morning. "It's almost comical to see them when they walk in (to school) in the morning," said the Marion Harding High School teacher. "I've tried to convince them you cannot have a yo-yo schedule. They need to have a more consistent pattern." .
Drug-company promotions under fire from consumer groups
WASHINGTON -- A free Viagra prescription or a no-cost trial of sleeping pills are examples of growing offers to US consumers, but regulators and critics worry about the side effects of pitching medicines as if they were soap. Drug makers say the coupons, rebates, and similar promotions reduce patient costs or provide a chance to try new medicines. Consumer groups, however, say the promotions may draw people to risky drugs they may not need, without long-term savings. Coupons ``can increase the patient's desire to take a drug that may or may not be the most suitable drug," said Susan Sherry, deputy director of Community Catalyst, a Massachusetts-based group that has joined 22 others seeking a Food and Drug Administration ban on the giveaways. The offers are appearing across the prescription drug business, trying to grab customers' attention in magazines and on websites.
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