Our daily meds : how the pharmaceutical companies transformed themselves into slick marketing machines and hooked the nation on prescription drugs / Melody Petersen.

"Sarah Crichton books."

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Creating disease -- Midwestern medicine show -- Chemical imbalance -- The early years -- An awakening : the age of the blockbuster -- Ghostwriters and secret studies -- "Neurontin for everything" -- Altered state -- Deadly doses.

The author shows how corporate salesmanship has triumphed over science inside the biggest pharmaceutical companies and, in turn, how this promotion driven industry has taken over the practice of medicine and is changing American life.