Leslie Penny
Critical Evaluation of
a Drug Commercial or Ad Writing Assignment
Is
Lunesta right for you?
My favorite drug commercial is Lunesta. One, the flying moth/butterfly is pretty cool
and, two, I know firsthand what that drug can do to you. The narrator of the commercial has a very
soothing voice that gives off the impression that the side effects which
include no recollection of any activity one may have done after the pill has
taken effect, is simply a normal and an ok thing. In other words, don't be alarmed but please
be sure you don't live alone because you'll do some pretty weird things. My mother has been taking Lunesta for years
for Fibromyalgia. She has been found
wondering in the front yard in the middle of night, her keys were hidden in
case she got in her car, in the morning she finds cans of an assortment of
vegetables sitting in the sink with a spoon in it meaning she ate right out of
the can in the middle of the night and has no memory of doing it. She will text me after taking her pill and
its complete gibberish. Sometimes she
calls me after taking her pill and it's crazy talk. It's actually quite fascinating to hear her
go on about weird stuff when she is "messed up" as I call it.
When watching drug ads I pay special attention to the
side affect because I scoff at the exuberant scary sounding things that could
potentially happen yet they're coming out of the mouth of a happy go lucky,
soft and soothing voice of the narrator who sounds like taking the medication
has been the best decision of his/her life when in actuality that person has
probably never taken that medication before.
Explaining away some of the side effects as if they are no big deal and
you are more than likely not going to experience those side effects. It's amazing how these narrators can make the
drug sound awesome while listing horrific side effects. On the Drugs.com website it clearly states that
before taking Lunesta tell your doctor if you suffer from lung disease such as
asthma (http://www.drugs.com/lunesta.html). My mother's has severe asthma which her
doctor prescribes her inhalers so obviously is aware of this yet continues to
write her scripts for Lunesta.
I personally don't think drug ads are a good source of
information. I feel they touch briefly
on what the drug is for and some side effects.
I do believe some are quite misleading.
Especially where the narrators of the commercial are concerned. Their tones of voice brush off the
seriousness of these drugs and imbue a sense of calm that you are doing the
right thing. The following link provides a more accurate example of how serious
Lunesta can be when the guy falls out the window, yes, its fake but can happen,
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Lunesta+commercial&view=detail&mid=BD794DD663C86B7A2F5CBD794DD663C86B7A2F5C&first=0&qpvt=Lunesta+commercial.
Steven Woloshin,
an associate professor of medicine and of community and family medicine at
Dartmouth Medical School hit it right on the nail when he said, "I think
the main problem with directed consumer ads is they don't give consumers the
information they need to make an informed decision about the drug" (http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4815034&page=1). The article goes on to say that "ads
tend to play up the benefits of a drug and play down its risks" (Rush S.
Day, director of Duke University's Medical Cognition Laboratory). And I agree completely. I do feel that ads such as these, giving off
that kind of message, does contribute to the over-reliance on drugs and
medication. We are all aware of the
quick cure all the majority of people want.
We see the commercial and assume our doctor wouldn't prescribe it unless
he knew what he was talking about...right?
That is not always the case.
The particular Lunesta commercial I based my paper off of
, http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Lunesta+commercial&view=detail&mid=BD794DD663C86B7A2F5CBD794DD663C86B7A2F5C&first=0&qpvt=Lunesta+commercial
provides a fairly good amount of side affect
information but the way the commercial is set up I feel many watchers are
connecting more to the story line the butterfly is giving us. We want to watch the butterfly fly into the
persons window and float about the room turning the lights off instead of
listening to the actual words the woman is describing. I don't feel the commercial touches enough on
the directions of taking the drug in regards to safety. On a scale of 1-5, I give the Lunesta
commercials a 3. I feel it provides a
suitable amount of information for someone who would like to talk to their
doctor more about it but the tone of the commercial misrepresents the
seriousness of the potential side effects.
To conclude, we as consumers need to do our research as
well, we need to be responsible for what we are so easily willing to ingest. Talk to a pharmacist, read the information
pamphlet that comes with the drug and, in the very least, research online what
other consumers are saying about the product.
And, lastly, help become a solution to the problem. Go to http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Surveillance/DrugMarketingAdvertisingandCommunications/ucm209384.htm
and put in your two cents worth if you're taking the medication advertised and
see errors in their commercial or fraudulent claims. Is Lunesta right for you? I think I'll keep counting sheep instead,
thank you. Counting backwards from 300
works wonders as well! I would rather
count backwards then eat a can of cold black beans in the middle of the
night....or fall off my balcony.
Works
Cited
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