• T156@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    4
    ·
    1 day ago

    Because people either don’t care about positive side effects, or it becomes an off-label/alternate use for the medication.

    “May make you feel better” isn’t the kind of side-effect that someone would typically pay very much attention to, for example, unless it was meant for them to be aware of the possibility whilst their body adjusted to the new medication, and it would go back to normal after.

  • FiniteBanjo@feddit.online
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    10
    ·
    2 days ago

    They do, but they’re legally required to tell you all of the bad effects and it’s rare for the positive effects to have any importance outside the intended effects for the medication to treat a serious disease warranting the risks.

    • DomeGuy@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      2 days ago

      On occasion those “positive side effects” become the primary effect the drug is prescribed for.

      Most famously, Viagra was not created to be a male sexual aid.

  • Buddahriffic@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    18
    ·
    2 days ago

    So the ones with real “feel good” side effects are the ones that people have addiction problems with, and instead of indirectly giving pleasure, they give it directly. Some people enjoy while they use them and move on with life, others become obsessed with that pleasure and throw everything else away in the pusuit of it.

  • MinnesotaGoddam@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    15
    ·
    2 days ago

    So like, my best MD I ever had, he said “you’re got symptoms A, B, and C, right? Well doctors like to treat it with G, but pill H has main effect B and side effects A and C. Only problem is doctors hate prescribing it. Let’s try it!”

    I miss that guy.

  • notaviking@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    14
    ·
    2 days ago

    Wasn’t Ozempic, gpl-1 antagonist, supposed to help type 2 diabetes manage their sugar fluctuations yet had the positive side effect of lowering their appetite and now is basically being pivoted as a revolutionary weightloss drug

  • hayvan@piefed.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    64
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    2 days ago

    Once I was prescribed low-dose antipsychotics to help me fall asleep. They made me energetic, productive, I actually started enjoying life. Then my dr said it wasn’t supposed to happen so cut them off.

    • doughless@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      37
      ·
      2 days ago

      I mean, what if the better quality sleep was causing those effects? That does seem unfortunate you had to stop using something making you feel better. I wonder if there was a different, more dangerous side effect they were worried about.

      • hayvan@piefed.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        13
        ·
        2 days ago

        “euphoria” was among possible side effects. I guess the worry was it was getting me high.

        • RBWells@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          9
          ·
          2 days ago

          Oh fuck that. I would get a second opinion. At least now you know to underplay it. “I think it’s working, yes. Sleeping better and feeling a little better, no side effects that are bothersome, this one seems good, thanks.”

      • snowdriftissue@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        9
        ·
        2 days ago

        Sometimes antidepressants can unmask bipolar disorder and cause manic episodes but I’ve never heard of anything similar with antipsychotics. In fact they’re often used as sedatives as OP alluded to.

        • Michael@slrpnk.net
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          edit-2
          18 hours ago

          Sometimes antidepressants can unmask bipolar disorder and cause manic episodes

          Unless mania or hypomania was present previously in a patient, this would be more about the drug’s effects than revealing a pre-existing condition.

    • HugeNerd@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      arrow-down
      8
      ·
      2 days ago

      Doctors are the last people who care about you. They have procedures they memorized and their job is to fill out forms and push you along the system.

    • TRock@feddit.dk
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      2 days ago

      You don’t have to blindly accept what the doctor is saying, challenge them. It is after all your body and your life

      • HugeNerd@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        14
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        2 days ago

        LOL have you ever challenged a doctor? Expect more empathy from ICE.

        • cynar@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          9
          ·
          2 days ago

          Most doctors I’ve spoken to have been quite happy to work with me rather than against me.

          The unfortunate trick is you need to self educate to speak a bit more in their language. You also need to accept they are often working within rules that are unintuitive.

          E.g. I prefer a particular brand drug Vs the generics. (The delivery method was slightly different) I had to cycle through the generics so they could tick them off in the system. Otherwise it would try to automatically shift me to a generic.

            • cynar@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              6
              ·
              2 days ago

              I’m guessing you just mouth off at doctors, and so get treated like an idiot.

              • HugeNerd@lemmy.ca
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                1
                arrow-down
                3
                ·
                2 days ago

                Guess again! I hope you never have to deal with what I deal with, but in a way I do. Suffering is a great teacher.

                • cynar@lemmy.world
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  5
                  ·
                  2 days ago

                  If you smell dog shit, check the ground. If you constantly smell dog shit, check your shoe.

                  Most doctors are trying to help as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. 80-90% are fine to work with you, within their workflow. If every doctor you encounter is in the 10% then either you’re VERY unlucky, or you are the problem element.

              • HugeNerd@lemmy.ca
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                1
                arrow-down
                2
                ·
                2 days ago

                You’re a psychopath. An excellent candidate for medical school. Did you apply?

      • [deleted]@piefed.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        7
        ·
        2 days ago

        The underlying reason is that someone who has a dramatic shift to either extreme often comes with negative behaviors. Bipolar mania for example could result in blowing through money or seeking pleasure outside a relationship and a bunch of other stuff with negative outcomes.

        I would hope their decision making was more nuanced than basic correlation.

        • Dave2@lemmy.blahaj.zone
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          1 day ago

          I am not satisfied with that answer. You got bipolar mania from an increase in happiness, which doesn’t sit right with me. And he was prescribed antipsychotics, which are treatment for mania. It seems to me to be a case of an unexperienced doctor ceasing treatment because he was afraid of an unexpected result.

    • brrt@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      26
      ·
      2 days ago

      I mean, usually the side effects have qualifiers like „Common: mild headaches“ „Very Rare: become a vessel for satan to roam the earth and sow chaos“. Wouldn’t it indeed be nice to have this for the positive effects too?

      • Nikelui@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        44
        ·
        2 days ago

        Normally if there are postive effects from a drug, they get studied further and re-marketed as such. If I remember correctly, Viagra was originally a medicine for heart conditions.

  • Treczoks@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    26
    ·
    2 days ago

    Oh, there are quite some. Just from the top of my heaf: Viagra originally was just a heart medication. Metformin, a diabetes 2 medication, is strongly suspected of having other positive side effects, like generally prolonging life. There recently was an article about a new Alzheimer medication which would be quick to the market as such because it is already a certified medication against something else.

      • AoxoMoxoA@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        9
        ·
        1 day ago

        Speed is fucking awesome, it makes me feel like a productive citizen.

        Why are all these dishes in the sink ? That’s crazy! Let me clean this counter up ,it’ll only take 11 minutes then Im going to pay all my bills on time. Wow that was easy , now I won’t worry about all that crap and I’ll probably sleep like a baby tonight. I’m going to read a book for a little while then go to sleep

      • Treczoks@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        1 day ago

        There is the question if this is caused directly by the medication, or if this is something caused by you eating better because ADHD is treated.

    • Benaaasaaas@group.lt
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      1 day ago

      Same with tirzepatide was used for a long time on diabetes 2 patients, but they realized it affected their hunger positively so it is now used as a weight loss drug.

    • thesmoosh@discuss.online
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      8
      ·
      2 days ago

      I think part of it is also that occasional positive side effects are not something drug companies can advertise. They’re legally obligated to talk about the negative ones.

    • Mrkawfee@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      2 days ago

      Finasteride was designed to treat prostate cancer but it helps with male pattern baldness.

    • MinnesotaGoddam@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      1 day ago

      Cannabis is fantastic for some specific gut problems. Also some types of pain. Also nausea.

      My pain doc was delighted when she found out I had all three. She said “go get stoned, never come back”

  • billwashere@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    19
    ·
    1 day ago

    Sometimes they do. Viagra was originally a heart medication that they figured out did something else.

    • Bgugi@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      13
      ·
      1 day ago

      Botox was for eye muscle disorders, now it’s used cosmetically, for migraines, and a bunch of other diseases.

      Apparently 20% of drugs are prescribed off-label. It’s kind of an extension of “what do you call alternative medicine that works?”

      • MinnesotaGoddam@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        1 day ago

        Wait, migraines? Are you able to give me (what would technically legally be non-medical) information on that? Migraines run in my family and every family that comes into contact with my little brother. Aside from the botulism poisoning method, how does that work?

        • TheBluePillock@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          5
          ·
          1 day ago

          I get quarterly botox injections from my neurologist for my migraines. It’s 20+ little injections in my brow, jaw, neck, and shoulders. Before insurance would allow it, we had to try all other available treatments/medications, including a monthly at-home injection you give yourself. For me, at least, it’s been way better than the earlier treatments. I used to have 2-4 migraines per week at a pain around a 5 or 6 with a couple a year that would hurt more like an 8 or 9. Now I get 0-2 per week, usually no worse than a 3 on pain. It’s pretty common to go a few weeks without any, then just get one a week in the last month before my next injection.

          Results vary a lot, probably because there are a lot of potential causes and even how we experience our migraines can vary so significantly. Efficacy can fade with time, too. But for me, at least, it’s held out for several years, and worked better than I or my doctor even expected.

        • Bgugi@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          21 hours ago

          It’s actually a labeled use nowadays. Just Google it on a burner phone (once advertised think you have migraines you’ll see nothing but migraine ads for months)

      • MinnesotaGoddam@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        1 day ago

        I mean a fair amount of my friends had endometriosis (not sure if that’s a geographic oddity or something worse) and now I’m curious if that could have (whole lot of hysterectomies in the gang) helped.

        • untorquer@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          1 day ago

          I mean if it would that’s just that much more infuriating…

          But I’m not that knowledgeable on the difference between the impact of a cyst and the mechanism that gives cramps. My ex had endo. Miserable experience. I wish your friends the best in managing it.

          • Malfeasant@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            17 hours ago

            Weird, my ex had endo as well… Didn’t want sex for a long time, and I was doing my best to be understanding and not pester her… Then she unexpectedly ended up in the ER with extreme pain and heavy bleeding, bad enough she was on morphine and needed a blood transfusion… It took months, but I eventually found out she had cheated on me with our son’s best friend’s dad, and that apparently triggered the event. Hence why she’s now my ex.

      • markko@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        1 day ago

        Administered vaginally… “ooh I’m a bit crampy today! Time to pop a pussy pill”

      • squaresinger@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        edit-2
        24 hours ago

        However, the trial ended prematurely as investigators did not meet their sample size, so the funding was discontinued.

        How? Why? This kind of study should be trivially easy to complete. The medication is already on the market, generics are super cheap, administration is super simple and non-invasive and I’d guess there are plenty of women suffering from PMS. That sounds like the kind of study that a grad student could pull off on a DIY budget.

        According to Google, generics are ~€0.50 per dose and they administered a single dose per patient. Let’s say placebos cost the same as the generics, then the cost for these 25 participants was less than €15.

        • untorquer@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          23 hours ago

          My only wild and reaching guess, beyond simple cruelty and hatred, is marketing was afraid of associating the drug with periods because “men would get grossed out” and potentially impact that share of the market.

          • squaresinger@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            23 hours ago

            Probably something like that… Sucks.

            And it’s kinda stupid too. PMS is well known to not be conductive to female libido, and female libido is conductive to Viagra sales. So why not sell it to women too (=more sales) which might increase the occasions to sell it to men as well.

            • untorquer@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              22 hours ago

              IDK if i have a partner i want them to be comfortable. Idk whether there’s just a lot of incels in powerful places or men have historically just hated the women they’re with. Either way that’s one reason I don’t identify as a man.

              • squaresinger@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                1
                ·
                edit-2
                19 hours ago

                I wonder if actually helpful PMS medication would cannibalize e.g. pain medication sales. Generic viagra is super cheap, and in the study they used just one dose. So if that’s the actual dosage required in the end, that could cost the pharmaceuticals industry money.

                Similar to with vas occlusive contraception. It’s really easy, simple, dirt cheap, lasts long, is reversible, non-hormonal, no side effects male contraception. It’s basically the perfect contraception and it’s the only reversible long-term contraception that men can use.

                But it was dropped because it would pretty much annihilate the female contraceptive industry, which makes a huge amount of money each year.

                Quote from the Wiki article on RISUG, the form of Vas-occlusive contraception that came closest to getting to market:

                Despite this, pharmaceutical companies are reluctant to lose market share of a thriving global market for female contraceptives and condoms which bring billions of dollars of revenue each year. Initially, RISUG attracted some interest from pharmaceutical companies. However, considering that RISUG is an inexpensive, one-time procedure, manufacturers retracted.

                https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reversible_inhibition_of_sperm_under_guidance

                • untorquer@lemmy.world
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  2
                  ·
                  17 hours ago

                  Yeah i generally assume decisions like these are profit/hate driven. If you can make a market case, even mildly convincing that profits will be hit, it’s going to be researched enough to get copyright and bury as long as possible.

                  Just can’t imagine being one of those researchers(if they knew/weren’t duped), board members or marketing fucks going home to someone who thinks they’re loved, watching them writhe in pain, and think, “yeah I’m gonna be so rich!”

    • Abundance114@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      1 day ago

      Viagra will kill the shit out of you if you have a heart attack and the emergency room gives you nitroglycerin.

      Well. Maybe you don’t die, but it won’t have the intended effect.

  • Triasha@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    22
    ·
    23 hours ago

    Actual answer is: this does happen, but then that becomes the reason to prescribe it.

    Ozempic was a diabetes medication until the weight loss and addiction effects were observed.