I take a drug that has one of the scariest side effect notes I've ever seen.

One of the drugs I had for the side effects of chemo included "inability to move eyes" under its "rare but serious side effects."

My mom has been on coumadin for a decade or so for her atrial fibrillation. She was inclined towards spectacular bruising and nose bleeds before that. It has not been fun. Recently she's started have little eye hemorrhages, which I don't think her doctor is taking seriously enough. Dr. Google says they can be caused by the coumadin. She's 83 and given the choice between eyesight and death, I know which one she'd pick.

My mom has been on coumadin for a decade or so for her atrial fibrillation

That's what my scary drug is for.

One of the side effects of Lamictal is a fatal rash. Which, is serious in the small number of people who have the reaction (which, I believe is caused by sudden cesation of the pills), but to me, who did not, it is funny.

There is nothing funny about a fatal rash. Except the name.

They couldn't come up with anything more sciency sounding? And just how does a rash kill you? Are they talking about what happened to Kathy's Mom? Because calling that a rash is like calling Batman grumpy.

Also, I believe one of the side effects of Effexor (or Depakote, one of those) was spontaneous orgasm.

I'd love to hear that in a commercial.

The thing about google reminds me of House. Sometimes he says "Oh, yeah, I get on the internet too." Which is funny, cause, Hugh Laurie is still a funny dude, but sometimes it reminds me of how, if you watched NYPD Blue, you were supposed to think suspects who "lawyered up" were shitheads or something, rather than the less cop-approved "not stupid"

And just how does a rash kill you? Are they talking about what happened to Kathy's Mom?

Basically, yeah.

Because calling that a rash is like calling Batman grumpy.

Heh. "Fatal rash" is easier for the majority of consumers to understand, plus it fits better on drug labels than "all of your skin may blister and separate from your body."

Huh--I was just googling SJS, and on the home page of the SJS Support foundation they have a note about a study that's going to try and find a gene for a risk of severe hypersensitivity to medication, specifically Lamictal. I wonder if that's an NSAID and if the study might be something I could participate in. I'd love to find out if I inherited Mom's allergy.

specifically Lamictal. I wonder if that's an NSAID

It's an anti-epileptic drug (sometimes used for other things, but not in the NSAID class).

OK then, maybe not.

Maybe they'll find the gene someday and I can get tested for it.

Both my parents had the bad luck to take drugs that were later discontinued due to causing heart attacks. Dad and Mom both took Vioxx and Mom took Fen Fen—which worked beautifully, peeling 100 pounds off her. I'm sure it made it much easier for the paramedics to get her into the ambulance.

On the other hand, Dad took a number of blood pressure, blood thinning, and anti-seizure meds later on that probably helped keep him alive the last 10 or so years of his life. And Mom's quality of life would have been drastically reduced without the thyroxin.