I don't know many people who would say that the quality of their TV viewing experience has been enhanced by the addition of prescription drug advertising.
In fact, I don't think I know of any.
Note: If you happen to be the person who invented Cialis and are reading this, I apologize. But I feel I have to be truthful in this area. You're annoying us, and I don't think that's the kind of "mood" you were hoping for.
And while we're on the subject,
what's up with those bizarre outdoor bathtubs you seem to think are such a turn-on?
But a couple of my best laughs recently have been medication-related, so I guess they are not completely without merit. One occurred the other day when I was watching TV with one of my daughters and there was an ad for a medication.
As the dire list of possible side effects droned on and on, my daughter finally said, "That medication sounds like a real winner. Who would even want to take that?"
Then a few seconds later, she blurted,
"WAIT A MINUTE!
I'M ON THAT MEDICATION!"
I'M ON THAT MEDICATION!"
We laughed until we almost fell off the bed.
(It's good to have a sense of humor, even about dire side effects, right?)
Unfortunately, we've been subjected to silly medical ads since advertising was invented.
Who can forget "the heartbreak of psoriasis?"
But the fears of legal liability seem to have raised everything medicine-related to a new level of ridiculousness.
I usually don't pay too much attention to the veritable book of possible side effects that seems to accompany every remedy, but for some reason when I returned from the pharmacy today I casually pulled out the one that came with my bottle of pills and started to read.
It's a medication that I've taken on and off since I was about 13 years old, so imagine my horror at seeing number one listed under the heading "Common Side Effects Include:"
BLACK HAIRY TONGUE.
BLACK HAIRY TONGUE????!!!!!
Egad. Surely that's worse than the mild skin condition I'm trying to control.
I'm probably not going to be writing for a few days. . . .
I'm going to be busy looking in the mirror. A lot.
I guess I should have asked my pharmacist a question:
When it's my tongue,
do you recommend I shave or pluck?
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8 comments:
Shave or pluck? He might say curl! That would be interesting. Tee-hee-hee!
Wow, Donna -- I hadn't even CONSIDERED styling it . . . thanks for the creepy visual!
Really? REALLY? Be sure to take a picture of your black, hairy tongue. That is so terrifying.
I love the ad for the asthma inhaler that says it contains some drug that is known to cause asthma-related death. Um...not sure I want to take something for my asthma that can cause specifically asthma-related death. That, to me, tells me the drug doesn't work.
Yes, that ad makes me scratch my head as well. Also, the anti-depressants that "may increase the risk of suicide." Really?
I once had a doctor (who was a pharmacologist) tell me that if a person falls down during a drug trial and gets a bruise, they're required to report that the drug may cause bruising. That's why I think the whole thing is so ridiculous, but putting it on TV where they then have to warn us of all the bruises reported is doubly silly!
Those Cialis ads have long puzzled me. Separate bathtubs, sans plumbing ... romantic???
And coming soon, I hope... a new SWIW featuring the dreaded black hairy tongue.
You made me laugh out loud reading this post.
ROTFLMAO! Black hairy tongue - too funny!
Can't stop laughing with the post Susan.Soooo funny!!
Oh this post is hysterical - with all the side effects listed, I've decided to stay healthy til I die.
Black hairy tongue. I wonder if Stephen King wrote the insert....
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