Lexiva pill container

This is less of a toy, and more of an example how complicated HIV drug regimens can be. Certainly there's an advertisement here, but also proof that despite the popular impression, someone at Big Pharma cares about the people taking these meds.

GlaxoSmithKline Stress ball

From the people who brought you both Avandia and the Avandia stress ball comes, you guessed it, another stress ball. I think further commentary here would be superfluous.

Avandia and Avandamet Stress Balls

It may not be clear from the pictures, but these are those plastic coated NERF-like objects sold as stress relievers. That shiny plastic doesn't really photograph well. Anyway, I don't know what this latest set of offerings means, but evidently GlaxoSmithKline wants me to associate stress with Avandia. Or maybe it is stress relief. On second thought, maybe these are really intended for the GSK execs now dealing with the fallout of the FDA panel on this drug. But the toys are kinda fun, and as a bonus, now I might have an idea what my patients mean when they refer to their pills by color and shape.

Boniva pen

Another mildly hideous pen, with that extra irritating foam grip to complete the effect. Boniva is a new medicine for osteoporosis, so maybe they are targeting the grandmother-aged demographic with this color/foam combo, but it certainly isn't going to be used as a bill board by me.

Arixtra pen

This is pretty nice pen in terms of writing quality, and the triangular feel is fun. But I'm not a fan of foam grips on pens, mostly because they are bulky and keep the pen from sliding in and out of a pocket easily. This one's going to be given away.

Coreg CR pen

This is a nice, basic pen. It writes well, and while it's nothing special, at least there are no bells and whistles interfering with function. That means I'm much more likely to use it.

Avandia monofilament

This is a drug rep toy that not only useful, but its use pertains to the drug. Avandia is useful in some diabetes patients, and one of the most important things to check in them is their sense of fine touch. A standardized monofilament is best, and this one has its own case, into which it retracts. I like this toy a lot.

Levitra Reflex Hammer

Not the greatest reflex hammer out there, for sure. Far too lightweight, in fact you might get better results with some of the pens I've reviewed here. The only good thing about it is the microfilament for light tough testing that can be extruded from the handle. But I'm sticking with the one I picked up at the med supply store.

Advair pen

Wellbutrin pen

Another Wellbutrin pen. Nice enough I guess.

Valtrex pens

We've had two drugs, same pen, but here's two pens, same drug. Nothing flashy, but then they aren't exactly unobtrusive either. I think I'd want that in a pen advertising our first line treatment for herpes. The bad kind.

Imitrex pen

This pen is another ironic choice. Imitrex is an anti-migraine headache medicine. And I get a headache just looking at this thing. Too bright, this early in the morning.

Advair pen

Advair pen. Nothing really special.

Wellbutrin XL pen

This is one of the few lightweight pens that I like. Maybe it's the pleasant Ikea like color scheme. Maybe it's the firm, but non-stick grip. Maybe it's the fact that Wellbutrin is an anti-depressant. I don't know.

Coreg calipers

This is the coolest calipers ever. It even comes with an Allen wrench for adjusting the tension. So much fun.

Avandia pen