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Yes But What Does Zataproximetacine Do
alt title(s): Yes But What Does It DO

There's no 'i' in Teamocil
At least not where you think
So together let's make a choice
And for once we'll be in sync
Teamocil (I never really knew you well)
Teamocil (But now I think we really gel...)
Teamocil!
Teamocil may decrease your sex drive
—Dr. Fünke's 100 Percent Natural Good-Time Family Band Solution, "Teamocil"

US pharmaceutical advertisers face a difficult dilemma. Because of truth-in-advertising laws, any commercial giving indications for a regulated drug must give full disclosure of side effects.

This means that drug commercials come in the following four flavors:

These commercials never seem to address the fact that doctors are medical professionals who undergo years of training; wouldn't they already know to prescribe Retardoxin if it was right for us? Yet, as mentioned above, the ads are clearly helping move product in spite of all reason. That might say more about the doctors than about the drug companies.

Worst of all, here's a deep, dark secret: doctors often not only do not know all the potential medications for a condition, but there's even a few who do such things as annoy the others by still insisting prescribing ones that always cause brain damage which can only be treated by keeping taking them because those are the ones they're used to prescribing.

In Canada, advertisers can mention the name of the drug or what it treats, but not both. They don't have to list side effects. Canadian TV has a lot of drug commercials that fit the first and third categories, and absolutely none in the second category.

Examples include (consult your doctor for more information):

  • Hax - Walk through walls, shoot through walls, and even shoot walls at people! Order now and get Standby free- opponents will stand in place with the push of a button! All for the low, low price of your soul!
  • Havidol.
    • It is important to know that Havidol is a comic parody of of the whole concept. It was created to demonstrate some of the problems with aggressive pharmaceutical advertising campaigns.
    • It's always scary when you can't tell the thing being parodied from the parody.
  • An advert on British Telly for some food product which claims to be a great source of "Omega 3". What the hell is that? Who cares? It sounds healthy. For the record, Omega 3 is a family of fatty acids commonly found in fish. It has been recently demonstrated to be PHENOMENALY important in raising kids that are smart and have decent attention spans. It would be hard to overstate the degree of furor over this even in the scientific litrature, so dramatic have been the results.
    • For the record, just about everyone in the country knows what Omega 3 is due to all the attention it received from the tabloid press.
    • You shouldn't eat a ton of fish. Because of mercury. Of course, then you wonder about the mercury in the Omega 3, since it often is fish oil. Ironically, one part of the US government tells you to eat more fish because it is healthy, while another warns you to not eat too much fish due to mercury. No part seems to be doing much to get rid of the mercury that gets in fish.
      • Eggs come with omega-3 added in Canada, possibly because fish is damn expensive 1,500 miles inland.
      • Depends on the fish. Swordfish typically has insane amounts of mercury; tilapia typically hasn't.
      • The general rule is that carnivorous fish will have far more mercury, for obvious reasons. And at any rate, hemp oil has Omega 3 as well, so why bother with mercury at all?
      • Because I like fish?
  • KY Jelly, the noted personal lubricant, made a venture into television advertising while saying nothing at all besides "KY: The number one doctor recommended brand." Brand of what was never addressed. Nowadays, they can actually get away with saying they're a personal lubricant.
    • On the other hand, their more recent ads (especially the ones for His & Hers brand) do it better, as they at least imply it's for sex.
    • The French do it better, as seen in this advert.
      • Looks like that stuff really, really works...
  • A short arc in the The Boondocks comic strip concerns Granddad's attempts to figure out what the hell a drug commercial means when it says that its product will help you get "Back in the game". When Huey finally tells him, he gets sent to his room.
  • There is a commercial for a flea medication for dogs that actually has a list of side effects. By all means, we want Fido to be healthy, but a list of side effects on a commercial like that just feels odd.
  • Spoofing the "list of side effects" roll call has almost become a trope in itself for general use. (Just see this entry, for example.) Such lists have about a 90% chance of including "death" as one of the side effects. Often, the side effects include exactly the thing the fake product is billed to get rid of. The side effects are always at least a little ridiculous, but the degree of ridiculousness depends on the series doing the spoofing. Series with fantasy elements can get pretty crazy here. See also The Long List.
    • Jeff Foxworthy chimes in: "'For itchy, watery eyes, it's Floraflor. Side effects may include: nausea, vomiting, water weight gain, lower back pain, receding hairline, eczema, seborrhea, psoriasis, itchy chafing clothing, liver spots, blood clots, ringworm, excessive body odor, uneven tire wear, pyorrhea, gonorrhea, diarrhea, halitosis, scoliosis, loss of bladder control, hammertoe, the shanks, low sperm count, warped floors, cluttered drawers, hunchback, heart attack, low resale value on your home, feline leukemia, athlete's foot, head lice, club foot, MS, MD, VD, fleas, anxiety, sleeplessness, drowsiness, poor gas mileage, tooth decay, split ends, parvo, warts, unibrow, lazy eye, fruit flies, chest pains, clogged drains, hemorrhoids, dry heaving, and sexual dysfunction.' I'm thinking I'll just stick with itchy, watery eyes."
    • Bob the Angry Flower presents a list consisting entirely of increasingly severe instances of the same effect.
    • "Panexa. Ask your doctor for a reason to take it." A hilarious parody of this sort of ads, complete with an enormous number of Happy Fun Ball-like disclaimers and warnings.
    • Unusually for a parody of this trope, Eternazec's side effects are logically tied to the primary effect. Oh, except for itchy armpits.
    • However, it's an ad for E*Trade, spoofing the whole thing by showing the usual meadow shots during the listing, that uses perhaps the all-time champion list of preposterous side effects: "Nozulla may cause the following symptoms: itchy rashes, full body hair loss, projectile vomiting, gigantic eyeball, the condition known as 'hot dog fingers,' children born with the head of a golden retriever, seeing the dead, bone liquification, possession by the Prince of Darkness, tail growth, elderly pregnancy, back pain...."
    • Pure Drivel by Steve Martin contains an essay entitled "Side Effects," which lists the side effects for a medication that relieves joint pain. The side effects start with joint pain and go on for about ten pages, with this editor's favorite being "May cause stigmata in Mexicans." "May cause compulsion to stand up in Catholic Mass and yell "I'm gonna whup ya wit' da ugly stick!"
    • Order Of The Stick manages to hide foreshadowing in such a list.
    • The humorous song "Pillagers" contains an add for Liquiflox, a fluid to help you take more pills. Its side effects include "an urge to buy a house from Ikea" and "death and reincarnation as a slug."
    • Bloom County had a Sunday comic about the incredible dangers of snorting dandelions, which included spontaneous decapitation and turning into Woody Allen. In the last panel, Steve Dallas snorts it anyway.
    • In Warcraft 3, clicking repeatedly on the Priest unit (the human side's healer) eventually results in him issuing the following disclaimer: "Side effects may include: Dry mouth, Nausea, Water retention, Painful rectal itch, Hallucinations, Psychosis, Coma, Death, and Halitosis. Magic is not for everyone, consult your doctor before use."
    • This video has a list that lasts for several minutes.
      • Redness and itch, alzheimers disease, angina, acid reflux, mange, asthma, avian influenza, acne, amputation, alopecia, abortion, artery disintegration, alcoholism, john landis kidney, anxiety, acute animalitis, amnesia, anemia, amnesia, jewish horns, amnesia, anal teeth, amniotic fluid secretion, blood clot, Gary Coleman syndrome, beaver fever, bed sores, big boogers, blindness, bloody semen, breast cysts, bad breath, Eliot Spitzer syndrome, plantar fashiatis, bicycle eyes, buttocks lymphoma (non-hodgkins), burning mouth syndrome, bronchitis, cough, britney spears mania, bowel ruptures, Irish alcohol syndrome, hyperactive goose knuckles, bovine cramping, back spasms, borderline personality disorder, beef jerky, blowhole development, discoloration, brain inflammation, iris cancer, scalp cancer, skin cancer, hair cancer, nostril cancer, inner cheek cancer, clinical stupidity, ear cancer, chin cancer, french cancer, clavical cancer, double chin cancer, navel cancer, pubic cancer, sternum cancer, nipple cancer, indented nipples (covered in cancer), perineum cancer, genital malaria, penile shaft cancer, left scrotum cancer, penis vein cancer, scrotum line cancer, hip cancer, cannibalism, eyelash cancer, bicep cancer, cancer cancer, projectile sweating, calf muscle cancer spleen cancer of the neck, toenail cancer, back cancer, cold sores, cleft penis, coma, Canadian meat disease, congental constipation, drematitis, camel toe, diplopia, Dubin Johnson syndrome, mammary blades, diavolin disease, mouth diarrhea, dysentery, dystopia, dinosaur joint disorder, knee buckles, brain flatulence, shoulder tits, duck mouth, diminished genitals, dick and ball disease, deafness by ear mites, legionnaires disease, shriners disease, veteran of foreign wars flashbacks, down-up syndrome, rickets, rabies, rambosis, hair poisoning, fetal alcohol binge drinking syndrome, buffalo chicken arms, eyebrow cramps, armpit lice, nose hair crabs, raptor claws, rectal cough, clitoral eruption, labia lesions, vaginal hemorrhoids, lemon-lyme disease, jungle fever, inner oriface and uteran itching, fingernail hives, hair boils, charoset, cramp, leg rot, urethral gangrene, gefillte fish feet, kit kat knee, fungal hemorroihds, juvenile spleen detachment, appendal warts, xerox kidney, 3 lung disease, liver and onions, colon leeches, sinus tapeworm, retinal ringworm, spitting anus foaming, tractor skull, Siamese penis, orifice metastasis, pelican neck, funny foot, bunions, hepatitis a,b,b-12,z,pi, afterbirth hunger, pigeon chest, coyote lip, angular forehead disorder, damage, queer foot, penguin veins, webbed genitals, cooties, mouth colon cancer, genital herpes with a chipotle dipping salsa, xylophone teeth, water polio, leprocy, tigeracy, bearacy oh my, anal snoring, beehives, loganberry tongue, sore throat, pizza brain, dyslexic sphitzoskrenia, bi-polar bear disorder, stiff man disorder, blood defecation, post nasal drip and AIDS.
    • This episode of The Non Adventures Of Wonderella, in the fifth panel.
    • The Amateur Transplants have a song advertising the fictional wonderdrug 'Paracetamoxyfrusebendroneomycin' (set to the tune of Supacalifrajalisticexpialodocius) which, though capable of curing almost every known disease (as well as 'reversing impotence' and making you 'good at fighting') has a number of side effects including 'nausea, vomiting and losing all your hair...heart attacks, becoming gay and growing extra breasts'. The song also notes that none of the animals the drug was tested on survived, but it's alright because they lied in the research paper.
    • A joke ad on J.K. Rowling's website includes the following fine print: "Healer's warning: side-effects include dizziness, vomiting, and tusks."
  • Odd side effects aren't always spoofs. Consider these:
    • Some sleep medicines list as a side effect "drowsiness"... others list "insomnia". Think they got their bases covered there.
    • Also watch out, as they might cause you to "drive while asleep, with amnesia for the event". Yeah, that's perfectly safe.
    • Antidepressants "may increase suicidal thoughts in teens".
      • Actually, that one is because the medicine is working as expected. The first part of depression to go away with medication is the feeling of helplessness, meaning that the depressed person feels a need to actually do something about being depressed. Which, sadly, often includes contemplating suicide. Or committing it.
    • And of course, no article would be complete without mentioning the immortal "Contact your doctor if you receive an erection lasting longer than 4 hours." (One Several thousand comedians' response: "If I have an erection lasting longer than four hours, I'm contacting a hooker!")
      • This condition (priapism) is actually EXTREMELY painful. Anyone who experiences it would contact a doctor very quickly.
      • The song from which the quote at the top of the page comes, has, among other side effects, "Do not have sex while operating heavy machinery" and "In case of an erection lasting longer than 4 hours, insert your own joke here."
      • One erectile-dysfunction tablet is warning against "delayed backache or muscle ache". Is this from the drug, or from the intended effect of the drug? "Doc, I have this pain in my back after the wife and I go for a face-to-face motorcycle ride, is it from the Erectrol?"
      • About the four-hours thing: one of the treatments for priapism, if less extreme methods (such as draining blood via a REALLY BIG NEEDLE) don't work, is amputation. Don't say they didn't warn you...
      • From one extreme to the other: some medications for overactive bladder have constipation as a side effect.
    • Recently browsing through causes of vomiting, and spotted one possible disease that ended its list of symptoms with "and the feeling of impending doom."
    • One of this troper's favorites are the drugs that cause addiction to gambling. Nice to know they screw with your psyche that much.
      • Jon Stewart mentioned one drug for restless leg syndrome with the side effect of "increased gambling". He argued that if he had a gambling addiction, he'd take a drug that gave him the "jimmie-legs", rather than the other way around.
    • The reason for this is manyfold. Many such drugs present a chemical compound which sufferers are supposedly lacking. However, if they have this compound, taking the drug will cause them to overstimulate the neurons/cells, which causes them to cease functioning. As such, taking an ADHD medication when you don't have ADHD will cause you to behave like you have it. This is (part of) why certain sleeping medications and antidepressants cause the symptoms they're meant to prevent. Also, if your body naturally produces a compound, it will stop producing it because you have too much of it. This means that many medications lose their efficacy over time because your body is producing less and less of it, and worse still, that many such medications will actually leave you worse off after you stop taking them because while they temporarily treat the symptoms, they make the causes even worse. Dopamine, taken as treatment for Parkinson's, is a great example of this. Isn't medicine fun?
  • Some medications against cancer can cause cancer. How helpful... .
    • There is an antidepressant called Clomipramine that can cause inadvertent orgasms while yawning. Well, can you think of a better way to treat depression? Why do they specify inadvertant orgasms? Are there people out there who can simply orgasm while yawning?
      • More to the point, are there actually people out there, not on this drug, who yawn for the express purpose of trying to bring about an orgasm (for non-inadvertant ones to be happening)? Talk about frelling up the Birds and the Bees lecture...
    • And then there are all the nasal decongestants that cause nosebleeds. Mucus or blood, the choice is yours! Well, as we all know, it's a very good way to balance out your humours.
    • The weight-loss drug Xenical exemplifies the second type of commercial. Its side effects included "gas with oily discharge, increased bowel movements, an urgent need to have them, and an inability to control them"
    • The asthma medication Advair lists as one of its side effects an increased risk of Asthma. Related. Deaths.
      • This troper's asthma improved markedly after stopping taking bronchodilator drugs... the whole airway-shrinking thing is a natural and sensible reaction to certain materials, and suppressing it lets all sorts of crap get much deeper into your lungs than it otherwise might. Yay for tradeoffs.
    • Many antipsychotics have sudden death listed as a side effect. It can be sudden cardiac death, or death from choking because that reflex is suppressed by the drug.
    • On a related note, a drug which listed lymphoma as a possible side effect. What possible illness could be so horrible that potentially deadly cancer coupled with debilitating chemo treatments are a perfectly acceptable tradeoff? (Infliximab is one such drug. It treats Crohn's disease.)
    • The sleep aid Ambien lists "sleep-eating" as one of its side effects. Not listed, but known to have happened to at least one person each, are sleep-painting and sleep-sex.
      • There is at least once case of someone claiming sleep-robbery as a Side effect of Ambien. As in, he was claiming that he robbed a store. In his sleep. And he's a police officer.
      • Speaking of sleep-sex, an Australian man got acquitted of rape because the defense claimed he had this condition.
      • Sleep-sex is just annoying. This troper likes to remember things like that. Sleep-driving, on the other hand, is terrifying. No wrecks yet, but waking up in a strange place on the road is terrifying. Sorry.
      • It's worth pointing out that all these 'sleep-doing-things' happen without sleep medications too, just far less frequently.
    • Many birth control pills warn "Do not take if you may become pregnant." Well, most likely she's taking the pills because she's doing things that could cause pregnancy, but that's what the pills are for...
    • A surprising number of drugs have both weight gain and weight loss listed as possible side-effects.
    • A common topical antifungial medicine has, as a common side effect, dry, cracked skin. Doesn't sound too odd? The major symptom of the fungus it's supposed to treat is dry, cracked skin.
      • This is the same reason why allergy medications almost always have allergy symptoms as a side-affect. It's a legal issue to prevent people suing if they're taking the medication for the wrong condition, so it doesn't help.
    • Acutane to treat skin; the list of side-effects, which included blood-red vision, suicidal thoughts & tendencies, and worsening of acne.
      • Acutane worsens acne at first, then it gets better. Supposedly, some of the suicidal thoughts come from the fact that your acne is worsening so you think it's incurable.
      • And with the blood-red vision, you could shake off those suicidal thoughts by pretending you're a killer robot from the future, or maybe a space marine.
    • This troper's favorite is the tendency for rheumatoid arthritis medications to potentially. CAUSE. TUBERCULOSIS.
    • A recent asthma commercial mentioned that their product "may increase your risk of death." Death by what, they didn't say, but one assumes it could be everything from suffocation to explosive decompression, and they're just keeping their bases covered.
      • But your chance of dying is 100% anyway...
  • Mad TV did a skit parodying this, not by concocting a ridiculous list of side effects, but by advertising the party drug MDMA (Ecstacy) as a Zoloft-like antidepressant. (It'll give you the serotonin boost you're looking for, but will also turn you into Dopamine Boy/Girl.)
  • An early, and now classic use of this trope was the Happy Fun Ball parody ad on Saturday Night Live.
    • SNL did another parody ad, this time for birth control. The voiceover is totally standard, but the video shows Amy Poehler repeatedly seducing men, women, and groups into her apartment, up to an entire wheelchair basketball team.
    • Another SNL example, a parody of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, called That's Not Yogurt. When asked what it IS, the announcer simply says "it's not yogurt", causing the actors in the commercial to insist on finding out, as one of them has food allergies.
  • Teen Titans had a parody of a magical drug, Zinthos, during a Trapped In TV Land episode. Raven usually intones "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos" when using her powers, the comercial advertised Zinthos as from the makers of Azarath and Metrion. Some of the effects of this drug mirror her changes when she loses control of her powers: Multiple eyes, disturbing visions, fits of rage (though not bloating, cramping or loss of hair, thankfully). It also says not to get Zinthos wet, or feed it after midnight, a Shout Out to the Gremlins movies.
  • Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report has a regular segment entitled "Cheating Death with Dr. Stephen T. Colbert, D.F.A." (a reference to his honorary doctorate of fine arts), sponsored by the fictional Prescott Pharmaceuticals, in which he constantly pushes drugs in the "Vaxadrin" family. The drugs have such side effects as minor heart explosions, vivid dreams of self-cannibalization, growing teeth ("often in the mouth"), spontaneous pregnancy, increased chances of vampire attack, involuntary Narnia adventures, and tracheal meerkat colonies.
  • Some adverts (also prevalent in print media) simply state: "Ask your doctor about _________'s story."
    • For example, a 2005 Canadian ad campaign featured public transportation ads showing a slim, active woman with captions such as, "Today I fit into my old bikini" and "Today I did a strip-tease for my husband," followed by an encouraging message about weight loss and the tagline, "Ask your doctor about Julie's story." The product behind the ad was Xenical (orlistat), an anti-obesity prescription drug with the unfortunately common side effects of oily stools, uncontrollable bowel movements, flatulence with oily discharge and stomach pain. Yeah, I'll stick to dieting and exercise, thanks.
  • Back in the '80s, when Rogaine was still a prescription drug, television commercials about it were pretty vague about what it did, except inasmuch as it pertained in some manner to an active lifestyle. Absent outside information, the most obvious conclusion to reach was that it had something to do with skiing. Calls to the toll-free number during this era required the the operator to mail the information. They couldn't give it out on the phone.
    • Not related to Rogaining at all, leading to much amusement in certain circles.
  • Channel Four got into a deserved bit of bother from Ofcom for advertising erectile dysfunction services before the watershed. The adverts in question resembled a cross between a relaxation tape and a personal loan advert, and it was only the constant use of words like "erection" that marked them for what they were.
  • Parodied in this Penny Arcade strip.
    • Possibly not quite a parody, since that particular strip is somewhat autobiographical.
  • The Austin Lounge Lizards lampoon these in their song and cartoon "The Drugs I Need" about a made-up drug called "Progenitorivox", whose side effects include (in song): "Agitation, Palpitations, excessive salivation, constipation, male lactation, rust-colored urination..."
  • Red vs. Blue also parodies this, but instead of medicine they list symptoms of influenza in a video shot during flu season. However, what they say and what they show in a list are slightly different: While Doc mentions common symptoms like runny nose and fever, a list pops up next to him listing: Fever, Runny Nose, Watery Eyes, Excess Phalanges, The Cleveland Browns, Bingo Anxiety, Trapper Johns, Horseplay, Gruntitude, Other Stuff, Inexplicable Honking, Profuse Lumpiness, Unhappy Orifice, "The Mangler", Anchor Hands, TonyDanzaphobia, Insideoutness, Softballs, Lack of Fatigue, and Etceteras.
    • Of course, Doc himself also lists a few non-flu symptoms such as apocalyptic visions and hysterical screaming.
  • Foamy the squirrel quips about this - "Side effects may cause hallucinations. I'd rather have the runny nose! Fine! I may have some snot on my upper lip, but at least I'm not seeing Elvis in my refrigerator! Dammit!"
    • Also, he has a friend Pilz-E who rambled off a list of side-effects of all the medication he takes. He finishes off with death, but says "but I have a pill, to cure the death."
  • A viral site for the Pixar movie WALL*E contains an ad for Xanadou, a medication to induce shopping euphoria. "Side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, drowsiness and dizziness, headaches, intestinal discomfort and cramping, temporary blindness, bleeding of the gums. Failure to use Xanadou during shopping specific excursions may result in a desire to wear drab clothing, redistribute wealth and property and attend socialist summer camps."
  • Vampire The Masquerade - Bloodlines features a cigarette warning with side effects including "jock itch", "alien invasion" and "the death of cute little puppies".
  • 'Phallaminazocalaticalzyline: Cures indigestion instantly! WARNING: Side effects may include vomiting, dizziness, drowziness, urges to watch Rosie o Donnell, indigestion, anal pain, headachs, desire to swim with sharks, sugar rushes, a flying sensation, stomach problems, runny nose, runny anus, runny legs, cold-like syptoms, flu-like syptoms, death-like syptoms, hair growth in unexplained places, loss of hair, loss of eyes, bone destablisation, metamorphosis into Adam West, sickness, permanant erection, erectile disfunction, loss of penis, loss of vagina, growth of penis, growth of vagina, loss of sexual appetite, indigestion, lunacy, enjoyment of films starring Ben Affleck, growth of gills, indegestion, uncontrollable wind, voting for Pennywise the clown in elections and roundhouse kicks from Chuck Norris.
  • In a particularly amusing Avatar Abridged episode, Haru advertises a shampoo called Sexyfine that rearranges a person's DNA and turns them, well, sexyfine. Side effects included headaches, blood clots, green rashes, gonorrhea, albinism, thumb cancer, chocolate cravings, heroin addiction, pregnancy, ear mutation, increased risk of cyborg koala attack, the apocalypse, and Zutara.
  • Apparently in many countries, they are required by law to put any negative effect that appeared during the testing of a drug in the side effect list, even if they have nothing to do with the drug. For example, if one of the testers gets tuberculosis or is hit by a bus, the company is required to add "side effects may include tuberculosis and death". And buses, apparently.
  • Robin Williams' routine for Fuckitol: "Fuckitol... for those times when you don't want to give a damn..." (Not to be confused with Fucitol.)
    • He also talked about side effects, and how one list included "may cause anal leakage."
      "That's not a side effect, that is an effect. It's like, "How you doin, Bob?" - "Oh, just a bit of anal leakage." - "Bob, you wanna get out of the pool right now?"
  • From Dume, "...Gruesome, Screaming, Meaty Death."
    • Some people may also be allergic to Claxeral.
  • Within-fiction example: The drug Dylar in Don DeLillo's novel White Noise has a stated effect that's pretty weird in itself— eliminating the fear of death. However, its side effects are even stranger— causing the user to confuse words with the things they represent, resulting in hallucinations. And it doesn't work for its intended purpose anyway.
  • While we do know what Zydrate does, this troper would like to draw your attention to this particular ad in the movie: "Ask a gentern if Zydrate is right for you." Since genterns are implied to be the people that work for the company that makes the drug...
  • Yasmin. Okay?
  • This troper watched one of those happy women in flowers and meadows adverts with his housemate, whose response was "God, I'd laugh if this turns out to be an advert for thrush cream." He kept his word.
  • Ctrl Alt Del T-shirts warn that video game withdrawal may cause "spontaneous gallbladder explosion".
  • Let's not forget Dulcolax, whose ads contain soothing guitar chords and pictures of...animated women caressing armchairs.
  • On a related note, the ending of the Ratatouille bonus short Your Friend The Rat features a disclaimer with warnings about rats varying from the accurate (Warnings of Rat-Bite Fever and the Hantavirus), to the absurdly slanderous. (Warnings that rat interaction may lead to mutilation and that all right-minded people know they caused the Black Death.)
  • This troper has seen commercials for a "Midwest Hemorrhoid Treatment Center". With the ever catchy jingle, "Don't suffer in silence!". So Yeah...
  • Avodart is for men only. Women who are pregnant or capable of becoming pregnant should not take or handle Avodart due to the risk of a specific birth defect. That's right. Don't even touch it.
  • One fanfic ad for viagra lists side effects including "stalker-like tendencies, dead goldfish, swords through your gut and the end of the world". It features Angel[us] (of course).
  • The side-effects list was used in Becker as the main reason a split-personality patient didn't take his drugs - the "nice" personality was deathly afraid of the side effects.
    Becker: It also says it causes irregular periods - are you afraid of that too?
    Jim: Now I am!
  • One example of the third are recent ads on American sports evens for "Is It Low T?", which doesn't even push a drug and puts the drug company's name in small print near the bottom. It's pretty clear from the ads (and made explicit on their website) that they're promoting their treatment for lowered testosterone in men. The Fridge Logic kicks in, though, when you realize that everything that would treat said condition would be either a steroid or a steroid precursor. And they're sponsoring sports (particularly baseball) that have had serious issues trying to stop steroid use.
  • Mahou Sensei Negima did the gag with a forbidden spell designed to render its subject smart for six days:
    Negi: Side effects may include dry mouth, nausea and loss of about a million brain cells...
  • I swear I read an ad that listed Psychic Disturbences in the side effects.
  • Parodied in this "The Karnak Hates Everything Show" strip with Monoxyploxium. It doesn't tell you what it does at first ("Recently we decided that's none of your damn business"), only that you should buy it now because "You may very well be suffering from up to six medical crises of which you know absolutely nothing." Though apparently it keeps your lymph nodes from exploding and spraying relatives with fluids.
  • The Coup's song "Ass-Breath Killers" is an advert for an anti-asskissing pill.
    "The makers of Dr. Misoi's Ass-Breath Killers are not responsible for corporate losses or topplings of local goverments and/or regimes"
  • Also note the Truth In Television examples where not only do anti-cancer medications cause cancer, and antidepressants cause suicide, anxiety medicines that cause anxiety, and other anomalies.
    • Even worse: the whole idea behind most oncological drugs is that they kill tumor cells at a slightly faster rate then the rest of your cells.
    • Conversely, sleeping pills which list drowsiness as a side effect. Isn't that supposed to be the point?
Side effects of this TV Tropes entry may include Ruining your life, Author Appeal, Gorn, Brontophobia, Brontosaurophobia, and Involuntary Shapeshifting. This TV Tropes entry is not for children under 12, women who are nursing or pregnant, are about to become pregnant, have been pregnant before, are trying to become pregnant while reading this entry, pregnant nurses or people with gall bladders. Prolonged use may result in over-extending humourous situations to the point where they are no longer amusing or the ensuing of hilarity.

Yes But What Does Zataproximetacine DO
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