I'd have to agree with Debra. These ads would lead anyone to believe that whatever this stuff is, it will make your life better, even if you DON'T have RA. The expectations they create are ridiculous.
The big joke at our house this February when I first started Enbrel was, "Great! Mom will be a golf pro now, but I bet they still won't let her play at the Augusta course!"
I've often wondered if the big price tag on our meds isn't partially related to the advertising budget for the drug.
I agree. These commercials cause people to have unrealistic expectations. But then it seems like failure is attributed to the person rather than the treatment. And as far as Humira is concerned, some people can't even tolerate it because of the pain/reaction from the injection. Simply getting over that hump can be difficult for people.
Well, when I see the commercials I feel guilty for not reacting the same as they do. I mean, they can do all sorts of wonderful things now that they take the drugs, and I can do some things better, but not all those wonderful things. They did not have any of the reactions I (and many of my other co-sufferers) had to the meds, and they are running and enjoying life to the fullest, while I suffer from the fatigue, from the pain and stiffness. I guess they shoot the commercials on these people's good days, which we all have every once in a while - because I know they wouldn't dare shoot a commercial using someone who did not really have RA and say that they did....uh, right?
I usually get irritated. There's always a couple on the beach with a golden lab and flying a kite. And sure, we all hope to get there, but many of us can't. Once they start rattling off side effects, I usually shut down because that many? That strange? That frightening? It just makes you want to curl up in a ball and suck your thumb.
The increasing medicalization of our lives is to an extent linked to increase in drug commercials, but it's about more than that. It's about the commercialization of health - the two are very connected. You medicalize everything, then you commercialize it and then you make money. I think it reflects the change that people are becoming smarter consumers in relation to their health, instead of just blindly doing what the doctor tells them. Being a partner in your healthcare means that you want information about your options. Ones that happens, it becomes more of a product like any other product and therefore open to malfeasance. For instance, GlaxoSmithKline has just been fined $3 billion about their marketing techniques for Wellbutrin, Plaxil and other meds. Stories like that makes you even more aware that we need to do in-depth research, not just believe the commercials.
I'm starting to realize that this is a conversation that should happen on a patio with a beer. 
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Debra, what you said resonated with me, and you're right. Maybe these commercials have more of an impact on those who know someone impacted with arthritis, rather than the patients, themselves. But unrealistic expectations are always a cause for concern. I know I've been seriously bothered when people have made comments to the effect of them knowing someone who has lupus but is totally fine. The implicit message is why aren't you. So these commercials help to perpetuate that with RA.