We’ve all seen a commercial for a medication of some kind, and–sure enough–there’s always a 1-5 minute list of side effects (diarrhea, blurred vision, etc.). However, there are many rare side effects that can occur when taking medication that are, well…bizarre. So bizarre (and rare), that you most likely won’t hear about them in the commercials. So, without further ado, here is a list of the top 9 weirdest, most bizarre side effects to common medicines NOTE: Some of the descriptions contained herein are, well, disgusting. And there’s some adult language.
Drug: Vasotec
Used For: The treatment of congestive heart failure; to control high blood pressure.
Patients taking Vasotec can experience problems with all five senses; however, the strangest of these is an inability to smell! You read that right! It can also cause ringing in the ears, blurred vision, and dry eyes. Nonetheless, these side effects are often seen as minor (unless they occur simultaneously).
Drugs: Chantix; Mirapex; Lariam (mefloquine)
Used For: Assistance in quitting smoking (Chantix); the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease (Mirapex); the prevention and treatment of malaria (Lariam).
All of these medications have one thing in common as a side effect: Hallucinations (although, this side effect for the medicine Chantix is more in the sleep-disturbance-category, I include it since the vivid dreams it causes can certainly feel like hallucinations). Lariam was invented by the U.S. Army for the treatment and prevention of malaria; however, patients have reported seeing terrifying hallucinations and engaging in violent psychotic behavior. So worrying are the symptoms, that the Food & Drug Administration now require potential patients to be screened for a history of psychosis and/or depression before the drug can be administered. And Mirapex? Well, many elderly patients reported seeing “snakes crawling up the walls”, as well as seeing “people in closets”.
Drug: Xeloda (capecitabine)
Used For: The treatment of several different types of cancer.
Now, this is a strange one. The Annals of Oncology (a medical journal) described a patients’ experience with Xeloda:
“…The patient, only referred to as Mr. S, was taking the drug…Xeloda…The drug carries side effects such as chronic inflammation of the palms or soles of the feet. Known as hand-foot syndrome, it can result in peeling of the skin, bleeding and development of ulcers or blisters. It also causes the very odd and very rare side effect of making your fingerprints completely disappear…”
The good news is that fingerprints return once the medication is stopped.
Drug: Viagra (sildenafil citrate)
Used For: Well..,if you don’t know by now, then I can’t help you…
Ah, Viagra. A beacon of hope for men the world over. But, could this beacon come at a price? It does. Many users of Viagra find that they can’t visually distinguish the differences between the colors blue and green (.i.e.: They can’t see those colors.). Many more get what is known as “blue-vision”. This side effect causes the patient to see everything with a deep blue tint. I guess that means that “blue-balls” can lead to “blue-vision”!
Drug: Propecia
Used For: Reversing male hair-loss and baldness.
Many men perceive baldness as a sign of age, weakness, and/or even impotency. Little do they know, however, that Propecia can cause a weird affliction called “gynecomastia”. Gynecomastia is an affliction that causes men to develop fully functional mammary glands, and to lactate (as well as having full-on breasts in general). Being bald doesn’t sound so bad, now, does it, gentlemen?
Drug: Alli
Used For: Weight-loss/Weight-control.
Obesity has reached record-highs in this species of ours, and there are many who would quite literally do–or endure–almost anything, just to go down 1 dress-size. However, as many know, there is almost always a catch. And the catch for Alli takes the cake (no pun intended). Side effects range from uncontrollable bowel movements, to loose stools, to…”oily spotting”. Naturally, this “oily-spotting” is accompanied by flatulence. The website for Alli describes the “oily-spotting” as such:
“…You may recognize it as something that looks like the oil on top of a pizza…”
That sure is a lovely image. And the website states this side effect as a “minor” problem. However, this problem can be solved by limiting or entirely stopping your fat intake. Which raises the question: Why even take Alli in the first place?? Why not just remove fat from your diet?
Drug: Zoloft
Used For: The treatment of depression, as well as [the treatment of] other mood-based disorders.
Everyone has seen the Viagra commercial, stating that an erection lasting several hours is a possibility. But, Zoloft? Surely, you cannot be guilty of the same charge! Guilty as charged, and then some! Zoloft can not only produce an erection lasting 3 or more hours, but it can also cause what is known as an “ejaculation failure”. Meaning, that a man experiencing this side effect couldn’t even have an orgasm (or a meaningful one, anyway)! Oh, and like most other anti-depressants, it can also cause increased suicidal thoughts and tendencies (especially in teenagers, and those under the age of 18). Remind me: How does Zoloft combat depression?
Drug: Levaquin
Used For: The treatment of bacterial infections.
Looking to get rid of that nasty bacterial infection, while still maintaining your job as a vampire extra on the set of the next “Twilight” film? Well, Levaquin is for you! You see, Levaquin has a side effect known as “phototoxicity”. This is a disorder–much like Lupus–that results in an almost immediate sunburn (which can be as extreme as a 3rd degree burn). It can even result in ruptured tendons! Ironically, this bizarre side effect may require treatment from the very medication that caused it in the first place!
Drug: Accutane
Used For: The treatment of acne.
High school is hell. Having acne on top of it can make high school cruel and unusual; even more-so than hell ordinarily is. Surely, however, Accutane can solve everything! It certainly can’t make things worse, right? Wrong. Some of the side effects of Accutane include: Rectal bleeding, hirsutism (an overabundance of rapidly-growing hair), psychosis, crying spells (and general bouts of depression), Hepatitis, herpes (possibly), and bone-fractures. I guess high school can always get worse. Thankfully, however, these side effects are rare, and have never been reported to occur all at the same time. Nonetheless, Accutane puts the other bizarre side effects to other medications to shame, with its sheer number of random symptoms.
Drug: Requip
Used For: The treatment of Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)
As a man with RLS, I can tell you for a fact just how annoying, embarrassing and down-right aggravating it can be. Kicking people while asleep; kicking yourself while asleep; poor circulation in the legs–all terrible. However, Requip can help. But… It can also cause unusual sexual and gambling-related urges. Now, being horny and taking risks is one thing, but doing it against your will is another. You see, when taking Requp, there’s a chance of being unable to control these urges. And, you having an increased chance of having unusual, uncommon urges. So, while living with RLS (and taking Requip) in Virginia can be bad (as I can tell you), I cannot fathom the hell that must be living with RLS (and taking Requip)…in Las Vegas.
I take zoloft and do NOT suffer from suicidal thoughts. Only when I don’t take it, which honestly makes sense. Thankfully I’m female, so don’t suffer with, uhh, “male problems”.
Oh, and my mom takes alli. It makes the toilet look like a bomb went off.
My grandpa takes Mirapex, and he sees some freaky stuff. He’s claimed a man with an ax waits for him in his room and stares at him when he’s trying to go to sleep.
Oh, sorry. After a long day of cutting trees in the woods, I like to stop at houses and watch people’s Grandpas sleep. It’s surprisingly relaxing.
I can take the hallucinations. Whenever I get a fever, I hallucinate the creepiest (and most random) stuff I’ll ever see.
None of these quite measure up to a medication I’m currently on for chronic migraine, which includes the following side effects: “Vomit that looks like coffee grinds” and “mask-like facial expressions”. MASK-LIKE FACIAL EXPRESSIONS.
wonderful post.Never knew this, appreciate it for letting me know.
I’ve been on Zoloft for about 4 years to help with my fibromyalgia symptoms.
I took Prozac when I was about 18 and turned into a maniac. I screamed at my then boyfriend over nothing. Normally I take quite a lot to get to the screaming mad stage. It was awful. I felt like I had no control over it. I cried all the time too. Bad news bears.
Before the Prozac I was on Elavil. It was the best thing, I felt great until one day I became tachycardic. My resting heart rate was in the 120s.
I also was on Zyprexa for a short while. I was taking it two weeks and I can’t remember exactly why I went off, but I ended up in a manic state. I was cleaning my room at 4am and had racing, swirling thoughts.
I think Celexa was the one that made me forget the entire week I took it. I know all of these medications aren’t supposed to work that fast, but I’m really sensitive to medications. I have to take teeny doses of things. Most of the ones I mentioned were for fibromyalgia, but the last one and a couple I don’t remember were for depression when I was ~15.
I forgot to add that I got a drug rash from amoxicillin when I had mono. I was pink from head to toe.
Antideppressants causing suicidal thoughts is something they can’t really prove, because people on them, are depressed. its a tricky subject.
accutane causing herpes/hepatitis… well, they lost the *****les, now they are getting laid and getting STDs, that’s kinda how it goes right?
BIG DADDY V!!!
RLS is real and very debilitating. But there’s an herbal cure with minimal side effects. It’s called Butcher’s Broom and you can buy it about anywhere they sell supplements. It worked for me.
This is only one of dozens of supplements which have been shown to be extremely useful to some people. You don’t hear more about how useful these herbs can be because the pharmaceutical companies are involved in a major disinformation campaign. They are also pushing legislation to make many of these supplements illegal or bring them under the authority of the FDA, Pharma’s best buddy. This would make it extremely difficult to get White Willow Bark, which has never been known to cause a death, and force everyone to use aspirin or acetaminophan painkillers, which kill several thousand people every year.
A drug absolutely, positively cannot cause herpes. Herpes is caused by a virus, and unless you catch said virus from kissing or *****ual contact, you are not ever going to have herpes. Maybe Accutane causes outbreaks, but you should have worded it as such.
I took Zoloft for a while and it only made me more depressed. It also caused my lips to become extremely dry and chapped, as well as made me very irritable and have crazy mood swings. Zoloft is also one of the anti-depressants that your body becomes used to in a short amount of time, requiring you to take a higher dose after a a few short months to a year, depending on how quickly you adjust to it.
Oh not to mention that Hydrocodone and any pain medication makes me itch like hell and break out in a rash. I had to suffer through the itching for an entire week after I had my gallbladder removed because it was either take the pain or be itchy.
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Here’s a couple more: While on Trileptal, I got incredible cravings for sodium so bad that we had to hide bar and powder soaps in the house because I could smell the sodium in them and couldn’t stop putting them in my mouth. Once I was off the meds, never smelt it again.
Paxil: To quote a doctor I see, “wanna make a supermodel fat in a hurry, give her Paxil.” It does cause weight gain from nowhere. Immediately lost 5 pounds after coming off of it. I was confused how I was gaining weight after having a active job, working out daily, and reducing myself to 1200 calories of vegetarian food every day. Found my answer!
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Percocet forces me to clean the house and believe me, I’m not kidding when I say that. I HAVE to clean something when I take it. It also makes me claw at my face because the urge to scratch my skin is too hard to ignore.
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If you have to take drugs because you are overweight, bald, can’t get a chubby, or feeling blue you are a loser. Eat less, buy a hat, watch a skin flick, and just get over yourself.
I took Alli for a little while in hopes that it would help stop my body from absorbing fat. And it is true, that you have greasy spots floating in your toilet, oil stains in your underwear from passing gas and explosive diarrhea. Depending on what the fat came from, it could be yellow, orange, or dark green (from leafy vegetables). It serves as a double-edged blade for losing body fat – you don’t absorb as much fat from your food and when you see it come out like that or have to wear a liner to keep the grease from staining your pants, you don’t want to eat any fat ever again.
It is odd that virtually every “anti-depressant” can cause thoughts of suicide (which is the problem they are supposed to treat)
But there is one anti depressant that doesn’t make people want to kill themselves. It’s *****
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Well-written and witty. Nice Job.