stormkat
"Does anyone else fume about the commercials for Emgality? The actor, acting to seemingly be “pushing through a migraine” seems unrealistically happy. These commercials seem to be made by people who have NEVER experienced debilitating migraine pain. I can’t tell a difference between the actor portraying a woman with migraine to the woman who has suggestively taken Emgality. She is energetic, happy, dismissive of her migraine. I was EXPECTED TO, for years, push through debilitating migraine pain for years by people who had “no clue” how bad migraines can be. Mine are the horrific kind that last 4 days. Just wondering how seeing these commercials make others, who struggle, feel "
StormKat, I can hear how angry you feel with the representation of migraine in the media, particularly by those commercials advertising migraine medications. In watching the one for Emgality (the "pirate mom" commercial) my interpretation is that they were not attempting to show her pushing though migraine, but what she is now able to do since beginning Emgality and not having to push through migraine anymore. That being said, the commercial is still unrealistic in what it presents vs. what one can actually expect with the medication. The voice-over narrator and the text on screen are stating how a reduction by 50% constitutes success. With a 50% reduction, I doubt mom is playing pirate and running through the yard in the sunshine every single day, particularly if bright lights were one of her triggers. Unfortunately, (I imagine) marketing's goals and what we would like to see as an accurate representation are not at all the same thing! Thank you for sharing your thoughts with the community. I hope others will also share their perspectives on this or other migraine medication commercials! Wishing you a gentle day. ~Allyson (Migraine.com team)
Migraine medicine commercials are so ridiculous. The part that always hurts is when they say something like “Now I don’t let migraine run my life,” or something like that. There’s a terrible insinuation, in that statement, that those of us without successful medication are “LETTING” this happen to us.
I realize that this is not implied intentionally. But it’s a troubling blindspot of a statement that can promote great misunderstandings of real migraine, whether listeners absorb that message consciously or unconsciously.
Ugh!!!!!
-Kate🌷@kateymac I totally see where you are coming from! The last thing a migraine sufferer needs is to have people thinking we are allowing this to happen to us. Even with the best migraine medications out there, there's just no for sure cure or even a guarantee of reduction of our symptoms. It's unfortunate, but that's the way they are marketing migraine medications. Warmly, Cheryl migraine.com team
Recently, during the Olympics they had a lot of commercials for a particular migraine drug. The commercial featured two American athletes talking about how it's hard to compete with migraine etc. The only athlete did use the medication. But in fine print at the bottom of the screen, it said that the other athlete didn't use the drug. Of course, this went over terribly on social media. People wrote things like, "he won't take it but is making money telling people that they should?" That wasn't the intention, but the damage was done. I like the word you used -- blindspot. My background is in media communications, so I am always sensitive to the way messages could be received. It's so important to know your audience and where they're coming from! -Melissa, migraine.com team
"Doing better than yesterday. "
That is great to hear! Hope your day today as well is "good"! Thanks for being here! -Joanna (Migraine.com Team)
I want to say THANK YOU for providing this awesome avenue to voice opinion, read about leading research, tackle the issues of chronic migraine pain patients in talking with their doctors about managing the debilitating effects of chronic migraine. I feel like I’ve made it home!
Awe...Thank you for these amazingly kind words! This community is truly special & so happy are you part of it to help share your support & understanding. 😀
"Tonight - Finally, Migraine free!"