History Main / ArtisticLicensePharmacology

* SideEffectsInclude

Ah, the wonderful world of medications, drugs, and poisons. Staples of Murder Mysteries and Medical Dramas, and not too infrequently plot devices in Science Fiction (hard or otherwise). Sadly though, there are some writers who [[DidNotDoTheResearch never seem to do their homework]] on the substances in question. Books, screenplays, etc. from such writers often cause those knowledgable of such things to want to ask, "Dude, what have you been smoking?" The absolute worst examples may lead to [[TelevisionIsTryingToKillUs being]] KilledOffForReal.

* Confusing pulmonary, blister and nerve agents with each other. Only blister agents cause, well, blisters. (We're looking at you TheRock. And you EdenItsAnEndlessWorld)

** But then the sequel kind of dismisses all that.

* A recent episode of {{The Simpsons}} had Lisa being put on antidepressants and immediately falling into a blissful and oblivious state complete with hallucinations. In real life antidepressants simply get you back to normal; they don't give you instant happiness. And they certainly don't cause visual hallucinations.

* [[YourMileageMayVary Some statements made in news articles and in anti-recreational drug information.]] You do not go into a blind killer rage from smoking marijuana (unless it was heavily contaminated with PCP and even that's unlikely). LSD does not break your chromosomes and render you infertile (though some of the things now ''sold'' as it might cause some nasty side effects.) ScareEmStraight becomes laughable at a point.

** Diphenhydramine (Benedryl) is an anticholinergic drug which, at normal doses, alleviates allergy symptoms and insomnia. In large doses, it's a potent deliriant which can cause total short-term memory loss as well as extremely vivid hallucinations. The most common hallucinations? [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel Spiders and shadow-people.]]

* The season 12 {{CSI}} episode "Brain Doe" features an MMA fighter who uses dimethyltryptamine, DMT, as a performance-enhancing drug. In real life, it's an extremely powerful ''hallucinogen''. Presumably, the writers read about athletes using the ''other'' DMT, the designer steroid desoxymethyltestosterone, and mistook it for the drug...

* Gaius from ''{{Merlin}}'' must be a truly magnificent magician, because he is an ''absolutely terrible'' herbalist. Valerian would have very little use for an injury. Fenugreek is an herb used to increase a mother's milk supply, not "heal" someone on the brink of death. The list goes on. The writers must have a big piece of paper hung on a wall with a list of herbs they thought sounded cool and a large supply of darts.

* Manga/DeathNote features a criminal who his bio says is extremely violent and deranged because he is a marijuana addict. Marijuana's effects do not include violent criminal behavior. This could be due to MarijuanaIsLSD, or due to the fact that marijuana use is [[ValuesDissonance highly stigmatized in Japan]], to the point where Paul [=McCartney=] wasn't allowed into the country for ten years following a pot bust.

* You might be intrigued to see a murderer in an episode of CriminalMinds killing his victims by instructing them to kill themselves, which they do obediently after he blows a certain muscle relaxant at their faces. As this [[http://www.criminalmindsfanwiki.com/page/6.23+Big+Sea Criminal Minds Wiki entry]] points out, this was exaggerated from urban legends about scopolamine.

* Confusing pulmonary, blister and nerve agents with each other. Only blister agents cause, well, blisters. (We're looking at you TheRock. And you [=~Eden: It's an Endless World!~=])

''[[YesButWhatDoesZataproximetacineDo Side effects may include]], but are not limited to, Headache, Watery Eyes, Spontaneous Human Combustion and Dry-Mouth. Ask your doctor if this Trope is right for you...''

* DeathNote features a criminal who his bio says is extremely violent and deranged because he is a marijuana addict. Marijuana's effects do not include violent criminal behavior. This could be due to MarijuanaIsLSD, or due to the fact that marijuana use is [[ValuesDissonance highly stigmatized in Japan]], to the point where Paul [=McCartney=] wasn't allowed into the country for ten years following a pot bust.

** While it is not the normal reaction, there is a bit of truth to his one. Anti-Depressants when given to a bipolar individual can make them go into a manic episode.

* The weblog [[http://www.politedissent.com/ Polite Dissent]] often reports on such misuses in comic books and TV shows, primarily pointing out when the wrong drugs are being used, super heroes blandly hand out DEA Controlled Substances, and where the dosages are ridiculously off. The author of the blog is a comic book fan and a licensed doctor, so the articles can be quite informative. He also does surprisingly comprehensive write-ups of {{House}} from the same perspective.

** This theory of addiction can be a DiscreditedTrope nowadays, as a number of substances now known not to cause physical dependence (cocaine being the big one, along with MDMA) can indeed cause horrifying psychological dependence. For what it's worth, the DSM-IV actually does include "cannabis dependence" among its list of substance abuse disorders.

** This theory of addiction can be a DiscreditedTrope nowadays, as a number of substances now known not to cause physical dependence (cocaine being the big one, along with methamphetamine and MDMA) can indeed cause horrifying psychological dependence. For what it's worth, the DSM-IV actually does include "cannabis dependence" among its list of substance abuse disorders.

* ''{{Tsukihime}}'', Kohaku uses the dried crushed seeds of Korean morning glories (aka [[http://www.erowid.org/plants/datura/datura.shtml datura]]) to give several characters hallucinations and make them think they're going insane. So far so good, but it also depicts the effects of the hallucination as giving the victim a sort of hypnotized pseudo-mind control state, where Kohaku can whisper to them something while unconscious and have them believe her.

** There's usually a [[TwistingTheWords tiny]] [[PolishTheTurd kernel]] [[YouCanPanicNow of truth]] in there someplace. A patient who took one dose of MDMA was in a coma by morning, and dead that afternoon. Not from the drug itself but from ''water intoxication''. (The drug messes with sodium levels, and people often encourage people using MDMA to drink more to cool off and stay hydrated.) If the ads would explain the real dangers instead of using stupid scare tactics, maybe people would at least be more careful, and survive.

* In RealLife, drugs and poisons take time to take effect. In some works of fiction, they're sometimes shown taking effect instantly or at least more quickly than what they logically should. One such trope is InstantSedation.

** This is why when you are about to start a new drug, it's always a good idea to tell the doctor everything else you're taking. Also ask about restrictions you might eat during that period, because drugs can also interact with innocent food; vinegar or wine can cause a fatal heart attack if you're taking an MAO inhibitor.

*

*** This extends to all plants containing tropane alkaloids. It is usually legal to possess or grow them. And they are extremely dangerous (active dose close to lethal dose, poisoning often involves cardiac arrest and other CV failures). Many psychedelic fungi (especially of Amanita family) also qualify.

*** Not to mention the placebo effect, which works particularly well on problems like insommnia.

* More than one classic mystery fiction writer assumed that aspirin was not just a pain reliever but a sedative as well. NgaioMarsh was especially prone to having characters take aspirin as an insomnia remedy.

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