Do You Experience Headaches, Loss Of Your Big Toe, Or Speak In A British Accent?

You may experience numbing and tingling, swelling of the lips and tongue, and you may get in a car accident. Do any of these sound familiar while watching a TV commercial for a prescription drug? When was the last time you saw a commercial, heard the list of side effects, and said to yourself "I want to take that drug?" Never! 

Legally, the FDA and drug companies have to list those side effects. I also am aware from all the educational events I've been to that if 1 person has a side effect, it has to be reported to the FDA. So you're that person who experienced headaches, it's reported. If you're that person who experienced your pinkie toe falling off, it's reported. If you're that person who experienced developing an British accent (and you're not British), it's reported. I get it though. All that information can be overwhelming and scary. Educate yourself, talk to your doc, and make the best plan for you. 

A topic of conversation in our MS community is about the type of people and activities portrayed in these drug advertisements. Most of us are in agreement about the lack of "real" people being portrayed. When you see these advertisements, you see people hiking, swimming, running marathons, dancing, and climbing mountains. I don't have MS and I can't run a marathon or climb a mountain. That's not to say that those with MS can't do those things. I personally know people with MS who can do all of those activities. But what about the people who can't? What about the people who are wheelchair bound? What about the people who are home bound? What I'm trying to say is that why not make those commercials a little more realistic? Show someone in a wheelchair. Show someone who uses a cane or walker? Show someone has foot drop. Show people who are living the life and who are authentic. Show someone who actually has MS (insert whatever disorder you have here) and not an actor. Who knows, if you see someone in advertisement the looks just like you, maybe you'll be more likely to talk to your doc about that drug. You may think "if they can do it, maybe I should look into it". 

Another issue I think people have is when advertisements and news outlets make claims about a drug being a cure or claims that a drug can save everyone.  A couple of years ago a new MS drug came out on the market and it sounded very promising. One day I was watching my local news and there was a segment on this drug. Long story short, it was made to sound like this drug could get people who are wheelchair bound up and walking. It made it sound like this was a cure. Has this drug had disability improvement since being on the market? Yes. Is everyone who takes this drug going to start walking and not using their walking devices anymore? No. The news channel didn't explain how this drug worked, the pros and cons, side effects, etc. It was a little misleading. I just don't like when claims are made to be cures and end all be all fixes. Every disorder, symptom, drug, and side effect varies from person to person. We may share some commonality but we are all different and we react differently.

So please, contact your doc if you are experiencing nausea, growth of an extra arm to help with multi-tasking, or the ability to fly.








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