# What drugs were found to have totally different uses **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 29, 2013, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-were-found-to-have-totally-different-uses/672506 "2013-10-29T00:07:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-were-found-to-have-totally-different-uses/672506/61 "2013-10-31T02:57:25Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Very unlikely. > > You’d be more likely to fail a drug test from eating a poppy seed muffin (I originally typed “poopy”) than from this, and that smacks of urban legend anyway. The Mythbusters actually confirmed the poppy seed thing, but that was so long ago I would hope the tests have gotten more accurate. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-were-found-to-have-totally-different-uses/672506/62 "2013-10-31T02:57:59Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Dextromethorphan is an opiate derivative too. Heroin was used as a cough remedy at one time, and codeine still is. So is hydrocodone (Vicodin) for that matter. DXM is _derived_ from an opioid, but I don’t think it’s classified as one itself? Immodium _is_ an opioid. Wikipedia sez: “Dextromethorphan is the dextrorotatory enantiomer of levomethorphan, which is the methyl ether of levorphanol, both opioid analgesics.” > [@Seanette](#): > > Side note: is Imodium likely to cause a fail on a pre-employment drug test? My husband tends to have a touchy digestive system, and is looking for work in a field where such testing is very likely. No clue, but you’d hope/think not. There are horror stories about failing after eating a poppyseed bagel, but I don’t know if that’s common. They should be prepared for false positives anyway, or else I’m not sure I’d want to work there. > [@robert\_columbia](#): > > Dextromethorphan is dissociative at very high doses and is sometimes used recreationally for this effect. This is sometimes called “Robotripping”. As far as I can tell, robotripping is legal in most or all areas of the US if you are in a private location (so as not to commit Drunk in Public) and not responsible for anyone’s safety (not taking care of kids, not driving a car, etc., so as not to commit Child Neglect or DUI) It is probably illegal for a pharmacist or drug manufacturer to recommend using it in this way, though. Takes me back to the late nineties! Not all formulations of Robitussin do this; some may make you vomit it back up due to extra ingredients. ---
**Author:** ![Kalimero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aca169/32.png) [@Kalimero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalimero)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-were-found-to-have-totally-different-uses/672506/63 "2013-10-31T10:51:23Z")
Nitroglycerin comes to mind. Being used as a powerful explosive first, it has been in use as a treatment for angina pectoris for 130 years now. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-were-found-to-have-totally-different-uses/672506/64 "2013-10-31T13:33:51Z")
> [@Cognoscant](#): > > Botox (botulism toxin) was used for cosmetic surgery. Then some wonderful doctor whose hand I would like to shake wondered, if botox can paralyze nerves which cause facial wrinkling, maybe it could do something about the misfiring nerves which cause chronic migraine. It worked and I am living proof that it does: at one point I was experiencing over 20 days with migraine a month, and now it’s more like 1 every two months. I’m so glad for you. Perhaps others will benefit from your post also! ---
**Author:** ![gremlin\_moon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c89c15/32.png) [@gremlin\_moon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gremlin_moon)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-were-found-to-have-totally-different-uses/672506/65 "2013-10-31T14:24:55Z")
Botox paralyzes muscles. A migrane is not a tension or muscular headache but rather has an “internal” cause (i.e hormonal, dietary, medication-related, etc…). Localized Botox injections can have an effect on tension headaches since those are cause by muscles. However, there are a lot of other things that work on chronic tension headaches as well. The co-option of the “migrane” is not without controversy and the effects are similar to placebo. > **[Botox Shots Approved for Migraine (Published 2010)](https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/16/health/16drug.html?_r=0)** > > Allergan, Botox’s maker, recently agreed to pay $600 million to settle allegations that it had illegally marketed the drug for unapproved uses like headaches for years. Toleranceto Botox in the form of diminishing results or ineffectiveness is possible and starting to become seen. However, according to Dr. John Claude Krusz, tolerance to Botox occurs less than with other drugs: [http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/c/9924/154360/botox-prevention/](http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/c/9924/154360/botox-prevention/) Of course the good doctor is a paid speaker for Allergan – the manufacturer of Botox. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-were-found-to-have-totally-different-uses/672506/66 "2013-10-31T19:25:40Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Hemp isn’t marijuana and you know that. The plant is _Cannabis_ sp. George H.W. Bush couldn’t have licked his parachute to get high. Hemp in olden times would’ve been ditchweed-quality at best. Wikipedia disagrees. Sort of. [Cannabis - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis) : “Cannabis has long been used for fibre (hemp), for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a recreational drug.” Yes, the varieties of _Cannabis_ used for hemp tend not to be the same varieties used for their THC content, but they’re both cannabis. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-were-found-to-have-totally-different-uses/672506/67 "2013-10-31T19:37:31Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > Wikipedia disagrees. Sort of. > > [Cannabis - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis) : “Cannabis has long been used for fibre (hemp), for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a recreational drug.” > > Yes, the varieties of _Cannabis_ used for hemp tend not to be the same varieties used for their THC content, but they’re both cannabis. It’s not really the same “drug” though. Hemp for rope comes from different parts of the plant than the buds used for the drug - even assuming that the same plant variety can be used for hemp and for pot. It’s like one person asking what one can use different fruits for, and another mentioning that one could make an axe-handle out of apple-wood. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-were-found-to-have-totally-different-uses/672506/68 "2013-10-31T21:25:39Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > Hemp for rope comes from different parts of the plant than the buds used for the drug - even assuming that the same plant variety can be used for hemp and for pot. Eeeenteresting. I always thought folks smoked the whole leaf, like they do with tobacco. (Those instantly-recognizable drawings of marijuana plants always show the leaves.) ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-were-found-to-have-totally-different-uses/672506/69 "2013-10-31T22:55:06Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > Wikipedia disagrees. Sort of. > > [Cannabis - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis) : “Cannabis has long been used for fibre (hemp), for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a recreational drug.” > > Yes, the varieties of _Cannabis_ used for hemp tend not to be the same varieties used for their THC content, but they’re both cannabis. ?Which is exactly what I said? ---
**Author:** ![Kiyoshi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19adc/32.png) [@Kiyoshi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiyoshi)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-were-found-to-have-totally-different-uses/672506/70 "2013-10-31T23:20:55Z")
Spironolactone is most often used as a diuretic (“water tablet”) for heart failure or high blood pressure, but I take it as part of transgender hormone therapy, because it blocks your body’s testosterone receptors. And also makes you pee a lot. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-were-found-to-have-totally-different-uses/672506/71 "2013-10-31T23:45:04Z")
> [@Kiyoshi](#): > > Spironolactone is most often used as a diuretic (“water tablet”) for heart failure or high blood pressure, but I take it as part of transgender hormone therapy, because it blocks your body’s testosterone receptors. And also makes you pee a lot. It’s also used for acne and female hirsutism, especially if it’s related to polycystic ovary syndrome. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2013, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-were-found-to-have-totally-different-uses/672506/72 "2013-11-01T01:27:00Z")
> [@The Poysynous Undead](#): > > Topamax is an anti-seizure med, but it can **really** help some migraine sufferers. Not me, I tried it, I am allergic. > > Interesting though, it also suppressed appetite, I had to _remind_ myself it was time to eat. I was prescribed it for my mood disorder, with the added benefit of suppressing appetite. This normally wouldn’t be so bad, except I was like 13 at the time. Thanks, doc, for basically telling a teenage girl with anxiety and depression that she’s fat. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2013, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-were-found-to-have-totally-different-uses/672506/73 "2013-11-01T08:17:23Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > It’s not really the same “drug” though. Hemp for rope comes from different parts of the plant than the buds used for the drug - even assuming that the same plant variety can be used for hemp and for pot. > > It’s like one person asking what one can use different fruits for, and another mentioning that one could make an axe-handle out of apple-wood. OK, I could [if it were legal to do so] buy some of the [super whammy pot](http://budporn.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/unknown1.jpg) seeds from Amsterdam, grow an acre of them [the amount of land we currently have without trees] and process : buds into smokable pot leaves into trim [ditchweed] and the long central stem into fiber for ropemaking, thread making, cloth making just like I would flax [the process starts with retting - laying the stems in water to rot off the plant pulp and expose the fiber for processing. You then pound the stems to get the rotted pulp off and get the long fibers. Hell, in a pinch you can actually do the whole process with celery for what it is worth.] Just because the buds are producing lots and lots of resin, doesn’t mean you can’t rett the stems for fiber, or use the trim for cellulosic alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2013, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-were-found-to-have-totally-different-uses/672506/74 "2013-11-01T14:05:29Z")
> [@zombivqan](#): > > OK, I could [if it were legal to do so] buy some of the [super whammy pot](http://budporn.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/unknown1.jpg) seeds from Amsterdam, grow an acre of them [the amount of land we currently have without trees] and process : > buds into smokable pot > leaves into trim [ditchweed] > and the long central stem into fiber for ropemaking, thread making, cloth making just like I would flax [the process starts with retting - laying the stems in water to rot off the plant pulp and expose the fiber for processing. You then pound the stems to get the rotted pulp off and get the long fibers. Hell, in a pinch you can actually do the whole process with celery for what it is worth.] > > Just because the buds are producing lots and lots of resin, doesn’t mean you can’t rett the stems for fiber, or use the trim for cellulosic alcohol. Yes, just like you can grow an apple tree from a seed, enjoy the ripe apples in apple pie, cut down the tree and make tool-handles from applewood … but that doesn’t thereby make your axe-handle a “fruit”, any more than the parts of the marijuana plant processed into hemp are a “drug”. The original question was about repurposing “drugs”, if you will recall. Noting the undoubted fact that the plant from which a drug is derived has other uses doesn’t address the point. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2013, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-were-found-to-have-totally-different-uses/672506/75 "2013-11-02T15:50:01Z")
The commercials telling you that, if your antidepressant doesn’t work, you should add Abilify never mention that aripiprazole (Ability) is an anti-psychotic med. THC, the main drug in marijuana, is being used to treat the nausea caused by chemotherapy. Thalidomide also helps advanced AIDS sufferers. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2013, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-were-found-to-have-totally-different-uses/672506/76 "2013-11-02T17:06:47Z")
> [@kushiel](#): > > I was prescribed it for my mood disorder, with the added benefit of suppressing appetite. This normally wouldn’t be so bad, except I was like 13 at the time. Thanks, doc, for basically telling a teenage girl with anxiety and depression that she’s fat. Topamax was originally researched and formulated _to be_ a weight loss drug. It was only after several side effects surfaced that were too severe for such a drug that it got shelved and later was discovered to have the anti-seizure and mood-disorder benefits. ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2013, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-were-found-to-have-totally-different-uses/672506/77 "2013-11-02T17:17:14Z")
Valium is an excellent muscle relaxer as well as an anti-anxiety and anti-seizure medication. I believe the muscle relaxant properties were the initial intended usage. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-were-found-to-have-totally-different-uses/672506/78 "2013-11-06T16:22:08Z")
> [@horsetech](#): > > … > Amantadine is an antiviral being investigated for pain (more often used for this in veterinary patients than on the human side). It is also used to treat post-concussion syndrome. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-were-found-to-have-totally-different-uses/672506.md?page=3)