12 Messed-Up Medical Side Effects for the Hall of Yikes

Welcome, dear reader, to a world of medical treatments and their often-bizarre side effects. From Kathie Lee Gifford-themed dreams to blue rats, we’ve compiled a list of 12 of the strangest side effects of medical treatments.

From the diabetes-turned-diet medication Ozempic causing users to experience vivid, celebrity-themed dreams, to a vaginal ring with drospirenone and ethinyl causing users to have less sex, fewer orgasms, and the weight loss supplement Alli causing "leakage" and gas, you won’t believe the strange and sometimes dangerous side effects you can experience from medical treatments.

We’ve also included a rare and deadly flesh-eating genital infection caused by a type of diabetes medication (really), as well as the unexpected bonus of improved night vision from a cancer treatment.

So, if you’re looking for a list of the weirdest side effects of medical treatments, you’ve come to the right place. Read on to discover 12 of the most bizarre side effects of medical treatments.

Click right here to get the best of Cracked sent to your inbox.

12 Yawning leads to ... orgasms?

CRACKED SIDE EFFECTS YAWNGASM Sometimes people taking Anafranil, a medicine used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder, can have a strange reaction when they yawn - they can actually have an orgasm. — *Alex SG/Shutterstock*
**kens5.com**

11 Not Worth It.

SIDE EFFECTS A FLESH-EATING GENITAL INFECTION 12 cases of a rare and dangerous flesh-eating genital infection called necrotizing fasciitis of the perineum in people taking a specific type of diabetes medication were found between 2013 and 2018. CRACKED — *9nong/Shutterstock*
**USA Today**

10 Weight Loss, With Unpleasant Side Effects.

CRACKED SIDE EFFECTS LEAKING OUT POOP Taking Alli, a weight loss supplement you can buy without a prescription, can lead to some unpleasant side effects like feeling bloated, having gas, and having... um ... anal leakage. But hey, you really do lose weight! — *yurakrasil/Shutterstock*
**The Guardian**

9 Cancer treatment improves night vision.

SIDE EFFECTS SEEING BETTER AT NIGHT Dynamic phototherapy, which is used to treat certain cancers, can have an unexpected bonus - it can improve your night-time vision. This is because chlorine e6 interacts with the photosensitive receptors in the eye. CRACKED — *Kletr/Shutterstock*
**CNRS News**

8 Side effects: everything.

SIDE EFFECTS PATHOLOGICAL GAMBLING Taking Requip can cause you to feel faint, dizzy, tired, have abnormal movements, be exhausted, nauseous, have a cold, weakness, confusion, swollen legs, and sweat a lot. Oh, also, it can turn you into a pathological gambler and make you super-horny. CRACKED — *anuskiserrano/Shutterstock*
**Drugs.com**

7 Gray hair reversed: Gleevec to the rescue.

SIDE EFFECTS RETURNING COLOR TO GRAY HAIR Some people taking the anti-leukemia drug Gleevec have noticed their gray hair darkening after a few months of taking the medication. This usually starts to happen between two and 14 months after they start taking it. CRACKED — *OPOLJA/Shutterstock*
**The New York Times**

6 Black stool, black tongue: Pepto-Bismol’s side effects.

CRACKED SIDE EFFECTS BLACK, HAIRY TONGUE Taking Pepto-Bismol can lead to your tongue becoming black and hairy. This is because the active ingredient, bismuth subsalicylate, mixes with sulfur in your body to create a black substance called bismuth sulfide. — *sruilk/Shutterstock*
**Healthline**

5 Adenosine: Proceed with caution.

SIDE EFFECTS SENSE OF IMPENDING DOOM When given as a medical treatment, adenosine can cause a range of side effects, such as a slower heart rate, breathing problems, and irregular heartbeats-and also, literally, a sense of impending doom. CRACKED — *alberto clemares exposito/Shutterstock*
**National Center for Biotechnology Information**

4 The ring’s promise?

SIDE EFFECTS CLITORIS SHRINKAGE One study showed that young women who used a vaginal ring with drospirenone and ethinyl had sex less often and had fewer orgasms during sex than the control group (also, every single woman's clitoris shrank). CRACKED — *pathdoc/Shutterstock*
**ScienceDirect**

3 Celebrity-fueled nightmares?

CRACKED SIDE EFFECTS CELEBRITY- THEMED DREAMS People taking Ozempic, a medication originally designed for diabetes but now used for dieting, have reported having really strange dreams involving celebrities - like going to Yellowstone National Park with Kathie Lee Gifford. — *Tinseltown/Shutterstock*
**The New Drug Ozempic Seemingly Turns Your Dreams into an Episode of ’South Park’**

2 Kids + Risperdal = Breasts?

CRACKED SIDE EFFECTS UNWANTED BREAST GROWTH In 2001, a study found that kids and teenagers taking the antipsychotic drug Risperdal had a higher chance of developing gynecomastia (i.e. growing breasts). — *Lolostock/Shutterstock*
**The Philadelphia Inquirer**

1 Rats turn blue, walk again.

SIDE EFFECTS TURNING BLUE Giving rats with spinal cord injuries a compound similar to the blue food dye used in M&Ms was found to reduce the damage and let them walk again - even if it was just a limp. The only downside was that it made the rats turn blue for a while. CRACKED — *Sundraw Photography/Shutterstock*
**CNN**

Must Read

Sean Penn’s Angry Letter to Trey Parker and Matt Stone Post-’Team America’ Is Still Hilarious 20 Years Later

Penn had no sense of humor about his parody, but the letter he penned was unintentional comedy gold

Authors: By Keegan Kelly
Published: April 28, 2024
Comments: 1

My Very Gonzo Life

A conversation with Dave Goelz, the man who for nearly 50 years has served as the voice and puppeteer of Gonzo — the pain-loving, dare-deviling, chicken-dating, Charles Dickens-impersonating, furry blue star of the Muppets

Authors: By Brian VanHooker
Published: April 28, 2024
Comments: 1