I know this was not said seriously, but it brings up one of my “yes, I will die on this hill” topics. Anything, bar none, that has an effect of human physiology also comes with side effects. Herbal meds are no exception. Echinacea is one such. It actually is a pretty effective immune stimulant, but like most stimulants, it can lead to tachyphylaxis. Basically, your body hates having your foot on the gas constantly and starts to ignore it after a while. You see this with caffeine, where it takes more and more to get the same effect. Echinacea as treatment is not a bad idea. As prevention, it can actually begin to suppress your immune system (actually, to make it less responsive to stimulation, but the effect is the same.) The human body is complex and hard to understand, and even those of us who have spent a lifetime studying it really don’t fully understand it. Self-styled “naturopaths” don’t even try to understand what they are doing. But it sounds good, I guess. They are very definitive, where we are always qualifying our statements with “most” and “may”. They sound much more certain. It’s easy to be certain when you know nothing. Consider our current incoming executive branch…
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Next the study authors decided to look at how the popular sleep aid Ambien, or zolpidem, affects the brain’s cleaning process. After administering it to the mice, they found that it blocked the waves of norepinephrine that are normally released, which disrupted the glymphatic system and kept it from carrying out its waste-removal task. This could mean that the drug could prevent toxic waste proteins like tau and amyloid from being cleared away, which could cause them to build up – a hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
“The research provides a mechanistic link between norepinephrine dynamics, vascular activity, and glymphatic clearance, advancing understanding of sleep’s restorative functions,” said Nedergaard. “It also calls attention to the potentially detrimental effects of certain pharmacological sleep aids on brain health, highlighting the necessity of preserving natural sleep architecture for optimal brain function.”
The study has been published in the journal Cell.
Scary. I’ve known quite a few people who take “sleep aids” every night, some of them Ambien. I wonder if that’s also true of one that I hear about more often now, THC.
To quote me, “There is nothing that has an effect that does not also have a side-effect.” Imagine the entirety of the human physiology as a spiderweb. If you tweak one thread, you inevitably set others vibrating as well. At least some of those vibrations may be helpful, but some will work against your interest. The reason my job exists (largely) is due to having to balance those factors to maximize the benefit and minimize the risks. Again, nothing is without adverse side-effects unless it also has no effect (e, homeopathy. The only good thing about this is that it is harmless, unless it keeps someone from getting actual, needed medical care.) Natural products are not immune to this law. Natural does not mean “good.” Arsenic is natural, strychnine is natural, I would advise against these, though. Nothing is free. Sorry, man, that’s just how life works.
Thanks, that certainly makes sense, but surely not all side effects are bad, let alone as bad as blocking the brain’s nightly routine that clears away harmful protein waste linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
So does lack of sleep. So until my Star Trek sleep inducer comes along - I’ll take my Trazadone & I’ll like it.
Ambien & Sonata both caused memory problems for me - word finding. Got off those right fast.
Oh, not at all. Sometimes, the “side-effects” are the benefit I am looking for! For instance, I sometimes recommend Benedryl for symptomatic relief of colds, even though histamine blockade does nothing for viral symptoms. However, the anticholinergic side-effects like drying of secretions and mild sedation can be quite helpful, at least at bedtime. It’s in knowing that you are inducing effects that are different from the labeled indication that can be difficult.
In addition to the examples from @Docosc, there’s the blood pressure medications Minoxidil and Viagra. Both now marketed or prescribed solely on the side effects.
I’m kinda wondering if you’re joking…
Nope. They were originally tested as blood pressure medicines.
On that topic, minoxidil also tends to, um, emasculate male patients.
Minoxidil may suppress the function of androgen receptors, which means that any androgens (such as testosterone or DHT) won’t trigger the same intensity of cellular response when they are bound to these receptors.Aug 28, 2024
There was a joke back when minoxidil was first marketed that a bald head might become a sign of virility if it became widely used. Never happened, but yeah, there is a reason it’s only used topically.
Benadryl can also suppress nausea and vomiting in adults.
No idea about kids. Kids bodies are alien. The kid goes to the doc for Ondansetron because dehydration can be such a fast thing for a small child.
Yeah, it (Benedryl) can be used for motion sickness, but if I want to suppress nausea, I go with ondansetron. The other SE of Benedryl are enough to make the antinausea effect not so great.
Once upon a time I was very poor and had no insurance and a wicked stomach bug. Benadryl stopped me from vomiting every 15 minutes. It was bad enough my husband wanted to take me into the hospital 
but we called his dad (retired ER doc) first
I’ll usually try Benadryl first if I have a stomach bug. But if it doesn’t work, it is off to the doc for the good stuff. t seems to work well for me and let me stay hydrated on Pedialyte. It’s never enough to stop vomiting if I try to eat.
I, luckily, do not have to deal with yucky adults, just cute kids. 
I also expect ondansetron to be available OTC in the fairly near future. But yeah, if you can handle the sedation, Benedryl can work for that. Honestly, when I was going through chemo, candied ginger was the only thing that worked.
Even for kids? That would be great. I always feel bad dragging a vomiting child into our doctor when the only thing we actually need is just some ondansetron. well, that and the stupid note for school 
Ginger tea is the go-to for my spouse. I’ll drink it too once the Benadryl kicks in. Benadryl has never had much of a sedating effect on me. It messes with my mood something awful though
10% of folks have what I call the “angry drunk” response to Benedryl. No way around it other than don’t take it.
Is that like the “angry Karen” response some people get with phenylephrine?
For me, it makes my depression worse. Not right away, but the day after. I know that family of antihistamines can mess with serotonin receptors. Hydroxyzine is prescribed for anti-anxiety. I tried it and it worked well for the anxiety. The next day though I was a hot mess. Worst depression episode I’ve had in years. I will not be taking it again