9 Legal Drugs With Extremely Disturbing Side Effects
We asked for it and you sent them in, a smorgasbord of drugs with extremely disturbing side effects. Here's nine of the most disturbing we found. Jeez! Sometimes the cure really can be worse than the disease...
MIRAPEX - for "Restless Leg Syndrome"
"...hallucinations may occur..."
"...increased gambling, sexual, or other overpowering urges..."
ABILIFY - bipolar disorder, schizophrenia
"coma or death...And trouble swallowing."
FLOMAX - decreases symptoms from having an enlarged prostate (mainly frequent urination)
* runny nose
* dizziness
* decrease in semen
ALLI - weight loss aid
"These changes may include gas with oily discharge, an increased number of bowel movements, an urgent need to have them, and an inability to control them."
VERAMYSYT - "treats allergy symptoms with a gentle fine mist that is scent-free."
"nasal sores, glaucoma, cataracts and nasal fungal infection"
More disturbingly, ads for Veramyst used to say, "The way VERAMYST works is not entirely understood."
ORTHO-NOVUM - birth control pill
"...benign but dangerous liver tumors. These benign liver tumors can rupture and cause fatal internal bleeding. In addition, some studies report an increased risk of developing liver cancer."
ADVAIR - asthma treatment
"asthma related death"
CHANTIX - anti-smoking aid
"Nausea, sleep disturbance, constipation, flatulence, and vomiting."
That doesn't sound so bad, except "sleep disturbance" is more like psychotic nightmares that persist even after you stop taking the pill. To wit:
By night four, my dreams began to take on characteristics of a David Cronenberg movie. Every time I'd drift off, I'd dream that an invisible, malevolent entity was emanating from my air conditioner, which seemed to be rattling even more than usual. I'd nap for twenty minutes or so before bolting awake with an involuntary gasp. I had the uneasy sense that I wasn't alone.
Did we mention the killing of yourslef? Another side effect is, "suicide ideation"
Like a spoiled teenager, I'd suddenly uproot drawers from the bureau, push all the belongings off shelves with a sudden swat of the arm, smash a glass against the wall, and then the crying would take over yet again. Meanwhile, the room seemed to be pulsing and reverberating around me, and my eye would keep zeroing in on objects-the television, the AC, a pair of shoes-and feel as though they were somehow buzzing with life and gleefully watching me endure the biggest meltdown I'd ever had. I had somehow ruined myself, and suicide seemed like a good way to avoid the embarrassment of this fact's being exposed.
This Is My Brain on Chantix [NY Mag]
ACCUTANE - acne
* depressed mood, trouble concentrating, sleep problems, crying spells, aggression or agitation, changes in behavior, hallucinations, thoughts of suicide or hurting yourself;
* sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body;
* blurred vision, sudden and severe headache or pain behind your eyes, sometimes with vomiting;
* hearing problems, hearing loss, or ringing in your ears;
* seizure (convulsions);
* severe pain in your upper stomach spreading to your back, nausea and vomiting, fast heart rate;
* loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes);
* severe diarrhea, rectal bleeding, black, bloody, or tarry stools;
* fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms, purple spots under your skin, easy bruising or bleeding; or
* joint stiffness, bone pain or fracture.
But hey, at least you don't have pimples!
Undoubtedly we've missed some deservingly disturbing drugs. Rectify our omissions in the comments.
(Photo: Maddest Hatter)
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It's funny, I was watching TV yesterday when one of those commercials came on urging people to call if they had experienced compulsive gambling from taking a particular drug. At first I thought it was a joke, but evidently it's a legitimate side effect.
Ambien / zopiclone - SLEEP. DRIVING.
If this medication causes your death, stop taking it and notify your physician immediately.
Um, can I add Paxil to the list here? The list of side effects is typical of any given SSRI, but it's hell to withdraw from. The withdrawal effects include an electric-shock sensation in your spine, neck, & head. Not cool.
Hold on, there's no report for Ambien, which causes people to become mindless zombies sleepwalking, driving, humping, eating, and more, with no memory of it afterwards?
What's it take to make the big leagues: sleep eating-people-while-alive?
@ajlei: I was prescribed Ambien about five years ago to help me sleep, and that stuff really weirded me out. I would wake up in the morning and things would be moved around my apartment, and I would have hour-long phone conversations with people that I would have absolutely no recollection of the next day. I was creeped out enough to stop taking it, although I'm sure it has helped a lot of other insomniacs.
I have Veramyst, and all I gotta say is that when everything else failed, Veramyst works. I haven't had any of those side effects, the only thing I've gotten is some nosebleeds from my nose drying out (a common side-effect of nasal sprays though), and all you need for that is to basically just blow your nose into a handful of warm water before taking the Veramyst (and wash your hands with soap afterwards of course).
@Trai_Dep: Yeah, see my above reply to ajlei's comment. Ambien scared the hell out of me, although I have to say I did feel refreshed the next morning. Just freaked out.
Wait a minute. Advair, the asthma drug, can cause asthma-related death? Who thought that was an acceptable side effect? I'm glad I don't take anything on here, though I'm going to have to warn my in laws about Alli. And for the love of God, everyone taking Ortho-Novum, please stop NOW.
ALLI - weight loss aid
"Gas with oily discharge, an increased number of bowel movements, an urgent need to have them, and an inability to control them."
Shouldn't that be re-categorized as a Feature, not a Bug?
What faster way to lose pounds can you think of?
Marijuana
* Munchies
* Slight paranoia
* Laziness
...and yet it's STILL illegal in most states.
@Trai_Dep: "A Feature, not a Bug". Interesting thought. I don't believe there's truly such a thing as "side effects" -- there are just EFFECTS. A "side effect", to the drug companies, is just a yet-unmarketable effect.
Accutane is truly a wonder drug. The vast majority of patients do not experience side effects from most of these drugs. I did a 6 month course of Accutane last year (standard treatment time) and the only annoying side effect I had was incredibly dry skin which is to be expect because of how the drug works. Overall, the decision to take accutane was the BEST decision I ever made for treating mt acne.
Oh my god. My best friend in high school went on accutane during his junior year.
Right around the same time (roughly, I don't know exactly when he went on it, but he mentioned it during the same period), he went essentially crazy. His symptoms are EXACTLY what is listed there.
He went from a straight-edge, very intelligent, very high GPA student looking to become a CPA and turned into a psychotic, depressed, suicidal, generally unhinged person.
He became obsessed with a girl at school that may or may not have known his name, convinced that she was his soulmate even though they had never spoken.
He wrote extremely disturbing things about killing sprees, killing himself, killing others, etc. These weren't "call for attention" type things- these were not intended for others to see.
He stopped going to school by the 1st semester of his senior year. Around the same time, he started getting heavily into drugs, taking anything he could get his hands on.
Most scary is that throughout this, he would have seizures where he would go numb and be unable to move, or could only move certain parts of his body.
He went through lots of doctors, and nobody could figure it out. Honestly, I thought it was psychosomatic and related to the other unhinged behaviors, but it sounds like there is a good chance all of this was related to him taking acne medication.
I remember looking at the Alli a few years ago when it first came out. I believe that you only get the oily discharge if you eat more fat than the Alli plan recommends, so it was more of a deterrent than an actual side effect. Still gross though.
@Trai_Dep: Haha, very true. That reminds me of a CNN story from earlier about a new anti-addiction drug called naltrexone. I think it was more for alcoholism than smoking, however.
Warning: Pregnant women, the elderly and children under 10 should avoid prolonged exposure to Happy Fun Ball. Caution: Happy Fun Ball may suddenly accelerate to dangerous speeds. Happy Fun Ball Contains a liquid core, which, if exposed due to rupture, should not be touched, inhaled, or looked at. Do not use Happy Fun Ball on concrete.
Discontinue use of Happy Fun Ball if any of the following occurs: Itching, Vertigo, Dizziness, Tingling in extremities, Loss of balance or coordination, Slurred speech, Temporary blindness, Profuse sweating, Heart palpitations
If Happy Fun Ball begins to smoke, get away immediately. Seek shelter and cover head. Happy Fun Ball may stick to certain types of skin. When not in use, Happy Fun Ball should be returned to its special container and kept under refrigeration...
Failure to do so relieves the makers of Happy Fun Ball, Wacky Products Incorporated, and its parent company Global Chemical Unlimited, of any and all liability. Ingredients of Happy Fun Ball include an unknown glowing substance which fell to Earth, presumably from outer space. Happy Fun Ball has been shipped to our troops in Saudi Arabia and is also being dropped by our warplanes on Iraq.
*Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball.*
America has a huge drug abuse problem. It's called pharmaceuticals!
People treat FDA certification like it's some sort of gold seal from your fairy grandmother - when in reality the FDA studies are designed by the drug companies themselves and often ignore or willfully disclose dangerous side effects or ineffectiveness. In my opinion, pharmaceutical companies are one of the largest criminal rackets in business in America today.
Despite what the media might say, pharmaceuticals are NOT the only effective system of medicine in the world..and certainly not the safest. For any ailment, there are a whole host of remedies that are cheaper, safer, and more effective than pharmaceuticals. Dietary changes, lifestyle changes, traditional herbs, etc. etc. The best way to avoid illness is to have a strong immune system - and this cannot come out of an orange bottle.
We live in an age of massive fraud on many levels. The bankers design the bank bailouts, the drug companies design the drug regulations, the defense contractors design the defense contracts. These are massively corrupt organizations that work against the public interest on a daily basis.
It is your responsibility as a citizen and a human being to take full responsibility for your health and what goes in to your body. Research every claim you read, and research every product, it's side affects and alternatives before putting it in your body.
If you value your health, you should avoid pharmaceuticals whenever possible - and it is probably possible a lot more often than you might think. And you should certainly never rely on pharmaceuticals for your health maintenence - in the long term, there is almost always another solution.
@Jeff Newman: My roommate was on Accutane two different times, I believe. Fortunately, he didn't have any major side effects except for some mild depression. Sorry to hear about your friend.
Hmm, I take advair, but I imagine the association of it to Asthma related deaths is just that those who already have asthma are clearly at a much higher risk of asthma related deaths.
@Trai_Dep: I've used ambien long international flights. It has worked great for me. However,my sister took one and couldn't fall asleep anyway.. and she started hallucinating.. which is pretty weird.
And there is odd side-effect that ambien has caused people to wake out of a coma.
@padams89:
I agree. it is a wonder drug. Accutane changed my life -- for the better -- and worked when nothing else would. I was so depressed and embarrased b/c of my horrible acne, and afterwards I felt like I could go out into the world without being ashamed of my skin. The only side effect that I had -- besides crazy dry skin -- was insomnia.
@ajlei: that's a common side effect of wearing any kind of nicotine patch at night. they recommend that if the dreams bother you to remove it prior to sleeping.
from first-hand experience, i have never dreamed so lucidly!
@summerbee: That electric shock thing happens to me when i forget a dose of effexor.
When I was hospitalised the nurses would split the pills to reach my odd dosage occasionally and I'd go nuts with the shocks (the pills were slow-release and cutting them made it all get absorbed quick, leading to withdrawal later in the day). Took me months AFTER i got reeased to figure it all out.
Anyone want to own up to recognizing the drug in the girl's mouth in the picture? C'mon, where are my bipolars? (So, I'm a nurse... sue me.)
The drug the girl in the photo has in her teeth looks like the epilepsy drug depakote (which apparently leads to lower IQ in children born from pe...), and would explain how she gave herself RuPaul's eye makeup.
@satindevil: This wasn't true for me, but it's true for most. The *best* part for me was the complete emotional blunting that killed every drive I had to do ANYTHING -- to work, to be social, to do well in school...the list goes on. And on. Couldn't handle it.
It took me three withdrawal attempts to get off the damn stuff, & that's the short version of the story. I hear Effexor is even more difficult to wean off of, though.
It's important to remember that not all people experience some or any of these symptoms. HOWEVER, even the smallest, slightest chance that taking Alli would cause me to uncontrollably shit my pants in public or at work, in front of my friends and coworkers, would be reason enough for me to never even try it. Not that I need it, thankfully.
In regards to Accutane for acne, usually people who take it have very severe acne and the risk of those symptoms is worth it. I had a roommate in college who had some of the worst acne I had ever seen and began taking what I think was Accutane. He admitted that it made him a bit down in the dumps and sometimes flat out depressed, but his acne? Completely cleared up. To him, this was worth it.
@zyodei: I respect your opinion and I do agree that a lot of people are on way too many needless prescription drugs. However, I disagree with your point that people should never rely on pharmaceuticals. Some drugs can do a lot more for a person than herbs. For example, I'm not sure that some schizophrenics would be nearly as stable without their Haldol.
I'm amazed: I take so many prescriptions that I was sure I'd be on this list.
"It's time to ask my doctor about __________!"
On a more serious note, the sleep terrors sounds like a form of hypnagogia and sleep paralysis.
I've had them on and off since I was a teenager and they are disturbing.
At my previous place of employment we had a Brinks driver who stopped by at precisely the same time every day with large shipments of cash.
One day, we were worried because he was two hours late with no notification from his office. We figured they were having security issues or he was in an accident. Nope. Turned out he'd started taking Alli which (as he later told us in graphic detail) was giving him random bouts of explosive, oily diarrhea. After every drop-off at a business, he'd have to use their bathroom for 20 minutes.
He said he was sticking to diet and exercise from then on.
lol...
side effects include...
Sleep Walking Cannibalism
@summerbee: That does sound rough. I take Effexor and it's a lifesaver, but if I ever do decide to wean myself off of it, I may have some issues.
RE: ACCUTANE - acne
Wouldn't the purple spots under your skin, be on par with acne?? What is worse? Red or purple?
Well, I guess Purple does look better on me so give me that sans acne with some rectal bleeding and top it off with some bone pain!
@zyodei: "People treat FDA certification like it's some sort of gold seal from your fairy grandmother."
Brilliantly worded. I wish I had done this several years ago before trying Paxil. Hell, my doctor gave me a few samples (which obviously had no warnings listed on the little foil blister packets) & I trusted his expertise. I "talked to my doctor" like a good little recipient of DTC drug ads. And doing a bit of research first would have saved me from 2 years of emotional flat-lining & another 7.5 months of a very difficult withdrawal.
@satindevil: Not surprised. There's considering including "compulsive shopping" as a diagnosis in the next DSM. Which, ultimately, means that it can be treated with drugs & covered through insurance.
@zyodei: Some things can't be regulated by a lot of wishing and good luck. Some things, like schizophrenia, need to be stabilized with drugs. Or would you rather it be like a hundred years ago when schizophrenics were just thrown into prisons or asylums and left to rot?
@summerbee: Oh geez. I study psychology and pharmacology so I'm all for the support of treatment of mental illness, but sometimes I wonder...
@zyodei: Western medicine, in general, focuses on the single chemical theory of medicine: administering one molecule, rather than the natural product in which the molecule was found, is the best way to cure an illness.
The success of AIDS cocktails is one example of the limitations inherent in this approach, but the effectiveness of natural medicinal herbs & plants really shows the massive inherent FAIL.
Think about it: Drug companies scour the world for a plant product or animal secretion that shows medical benefit... and then they try to identify the ONE SINGLE CHEMICAL responsible for that effect. We're not throwing the coffee out for the caffeine, are we?
@satindevil: Yeah. Some people don't see any negative effects -- but those who DO tend to REALLY see them. When the time comes, definitely do some research before you try to stop taking it.
For what it's worth, here's my own Paxil + withdrawal story:
z4ce: That article is nuts! I think the myriad of effects drugs have on your brain is fascinating. Just the other day, my professor was talking about the smart drug Provigil that is also used to treat narcolepsy. Strange stuff.
alli is the worst one of them all. i guy i work with was taking them and stupidly ate tacos (you're supposed to eat less fat along with taking the medicine) and had taco grease leak out. This is a grown man with a wife and kids. funny day
@summerbee: For some reason my browser doesn't want to load your link, but I feel for you with the whole withdrawal thing. I've tried different antidepressants over the last ten years and some of them left me feeling pretty rough when I quit taking them. It's also difficult talking about it with those who don't understand depression or mental illness, and just tell you to smile and it'll all be better.
I don't know what kind he uses, but my dad uses some brand of nicotine patch and he says he has batshit crazy dreams. Although, in that case, I think freaky dreams are a little less harmful than, oh I don't know, lung cancer or emphysema.