Drowsiness May Occur

[SorryGrateful]

Posted: 2/15/06 at 1:57pm

I just bought Walgreen's Nighttime Sleep Aid and as I got back to work, I noticed on the back that the warnings include, "Drowsiness may occur. Do not drive a motor vehicle or operate machinery after use." My reaction was, "Uh, let's hope I get drowsy."

Is that sort of warning actually necessary on something that is a sleep aid and a sleep aid alone?

[Elphaba]

Posted: 2/15/06 at 2:03pm

by law they have to put it there

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 2/15/06 at 2:04pm

I love obvious "warnings." Thank that old lady who sued McDonald's over the hot coffee...

[SorryGrateful]

Posted: 2/15/06 at 2:13pm

I assumed it had something to do with the law. But what do people think they're buying when it's labeled "Night-Time Sleep Aid" in big yellow letters and there are there's a big moon and lots of stars on it? How is that not clear?

[SorryGrateful]

Posted: 2/15/06 at 2:13pm

I mean, really!

[peach]

Posted: 2/15/06 at 2:19pm

That is too funny.

Thanks to the McDonald's loon, coffee cups now say "the beverage you are about to enjoy is extremely hot." Duh - well, it better be, or I won't enjoy it! Who wants lukewarm coffee?

Yes - a Sleep-Aid making you drowsy is kind of, ummm, the point? I guess by law they have to tell you because some people are too stupid to figure it out!

I like the little things that come in shoes and handbags and stuff like that - "Silica Gel - Do Not Eat." OK - wasn't planning on eating it, but thanks for letting me know!

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/15/06 at 2:22pm

The reason that the McDonald's lady won the lawsuit was because the coffee was hotter than what was deemed a proper temperature.

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 2/15/06 at 2:24pm

I think it should say, "Product will knock you on your ass."

As for the McDonalds coffee woman, I laughed and made fun of it, too until I got more details. The coffee was so hot that when it spilled she got second degree burning. And do you know WHERE she got burned? Right on her hoo hoo. Like all around the most delicate areas of her cupcake. She had to be bandaged, urinating was difficult and she had scarring. ON HER VIRGINIA!

WARNING: DISGUSTING STORY TO FOLLOW!!!
When I was 12, my cousin was having a baby so we were at the hospital waiting. My mother and I went down to get coffee in the hospital coffee shop. The high counter was just about chest level. When I put the lid on the styrofoam cup, the coffee was so hot that it melted the side of the cup causing the pressure of pushing down on the lid to bend the cup. The coffee poured down my chest and I screamed like a banshee. My mother was instantly embarrassed and told me to stop yelling. I didn't care who was looking and pulled the front of my shirt up. My mother screamed as she saw the skin literally rolling off my chest. A doctor scooped me up and ran down to the emergency room. They took me in and treated me for second and possibly third degree burns. It wasn't clear because one doctor said that the dark spots were third degree and another said it wasn't. I eventually healed up fine, but had to wear bandages all summer. The hospital wouldn't charge us a penny and offered us a small settlement for the injury. We hadn't even considered calling a lawyer. So, yeah, the "contents are hot" is really pretty silly, but if it reminds someone to be careful, I am all for it...lol.

Updated On: 2/15/06 at 02:24 PM

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/15/06 at 2:26pm

"ON HER VIRGINIA!"

I've heard about that play "The Virginia Monologues".

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 2/15/06 at 2:27pm

Hers wasn't giving many monologues for a while.

[SorryGrateful]

Posted: 2/15/06 at 2:28pm

I hope this doesn't sound weird, but that's incredibly lucky it happened in a hospital. And, yeah, that was definitely gross. I'm still cringing!

[DramaDork925]

Posted: 2/15/06 at 2:29pm

Jersey- the EXACT same thing happened to me... the coffee on the boobs deal. I got second degree burns and it KILLED!

[peach]

Posted: 2/15/06 at 2:33pm

OK - I didn't realize coffee could be was quite that hot! I'm all for the warning on coffee after hearing these stories!

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 2/15/06 at 2:33pm

WOW! I have never met anyone else with coffee burns...lol. Luckily I had just turned 12 and the ginormous rack had just begun. It sucked not being able to swim or get a tan all summer. The doctors said the temp of the coffee had to have been beyond boiling.

And Sorry, I was completely lucky. I can only assume that is how I ended up with no scarring.

[SorryGrateful]

Posted: 2/15/06 at 3:00pm

I do understand the coffee thing, but that still doesn't clarify the sleep aid/drowsy issue. It is one of those unanswerable questions.

[Jane2]

Posted: 2/15/06 at 3:03pm

All those silly warnings are to protect themselves from some imbecile who decides to ignore the obvious, and then has some kind of accident. If you read the long printed sheet that comes with advil, for instance, you will see that side effects include possible death.

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 2/15/06 at 10:26pm

Xanax has the "may cause dizziness" warning. I am like, it FRIGGIN BETTER!

[slimandslam]

Posted: 2/15/06 at 11:24pm

"All those silly warnings are to protect themselves from some imbecile who decides to ignore the obvious, and then has some kind of accident."

It depends on the kind of product. I think that some products (especially drugs) are heavily regulated by the government, which mandates all sorts of warnings. Other products are less heavily regulated, but companies put warnings on anyway to reduce their potential liability in negligence or strict-liability suits.

Best warning: on a Batman costume marketed to children, the manufacturer helpfully included this statement: "Warning: This Batman cape will not allow wearer to fly."

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 2/15/06 at 11:29pm

There is a whole list of these stupid things somewhere online. I got it in an e-mail a long time ago.

On the bottom of a tiramisu box it says "Do not turn upside down"

On a instructions list of how to file your taxes on microsoft- as part the materials, it says "computer"

Instructions for a vacuum cleaner. "Plug in before use"

Sometimes on plastic bags, they put "Do not put in a crib"

Edit: My friend told me the other day. She bought a shelf at Target and was reading the directions to put it together. At the end, it says- If your shelf is tilted, unscrew the screws and try again.

Updated On: 2/15/06 at 11:29 PM

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 2/19/06 at 7:10pm

Don't want to start a whole new thread since this sorta fits.

It was on myspace bulletin. In fact, I think someone on BWW originally posted it on myspace.

1. Only in America......can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance.

2. Only in America......are there handicap parking places in front of a skating rink.

3. Only in America......do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while
healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

4. Only in America......do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke.

5. Only in America......do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.

6. Only in America......do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.

7. Only in America......do we use answering machines to screen calls and then have call waiting so we won't miss a call from someone we didn't want to talk to in the first place.

8. Only in America......do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.

9. Only in America......do we use the word 'politics' to describe the process so well: 'Poli' in Latin meaning 'many' and 'tics' meaning 'bloodsucking creatures'.

10. Only in America......do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.

EVER WONDER????

Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?

Why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed?

Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?

Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?

Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?

Why is it that to stop Windows, you have to click on "Start"?

Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid is made with real lemons?

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?

When dog food is new and improved tasting, who tests it?

Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?

Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?

You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes?
Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?

Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?

Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?

If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of
progress?

If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?

~~~~

On a bar of Dial soap: "Directions: Use like regular soap."
(and that would be how??...)

On some Swanson frozen dinners: "Serving suggestion: Defrost."
(but, it's "just" a suggestion.)

On Tesco's Tiramisu dessert (printed on bottom): "Do not turn upside down."
(well...duh, a bit late, huh!)

On Marks & Spencer Bread Pudding: "Product will be hot after
heating."
(...and you thought????...)

On packaging for a Rowenta iron: "Do not iron clothes on
body."
(but wouldn't this save me more time?)

On Boot's Children Cough Medicine:"Do not drive a car or
operate machinery after taking this medication."

(We could do a lot to reduce the rate of construction accidents if we could just get those 5-year-olds with head-colds off those forklifts.)

On Nytol Sleep Aid: "Warning: May cause drowsiness."
(and... I'm taking this because???....)

On most brands of Christmas lights: "For indoor or outdoor use
only."
(as opposed to...what?)

On Sunsbury's peanuts: "Warning: contains nuts."
(talk about a news flash)

On an American Airlines packet of nuts: "Instructions: Open packet, eat nuts."
(Step 3: maybe, uh...fly Delta?)

On a Swedish chainsaw:"Do not attempt to stop chain with your
hands or genitals."
(..was there a lot of this happening somewhere?)

[vbplayer]

Posted: 2/19/06 at 8:30pm

"As for the McDonalds coffee woman, I laughed and made fun of it, too until I got more details. The coffee was so hot that when it spilled she got second degree burning. And do you know WHERE she got burned? Right on her hoo hoo. Like all around the most delicate areas of her cupcake. She had to be bandaged, urinating was difficult and she had scarring. ON HER VIRGINIA!"

JerseyGirl2, this has to be one of the funniest post .........EVER! Still laughing.

[Jane2]

Posted: 2/19/06 at 8:39pm

"but companies put warnings on anyway to reduce their potential liability in negligence or strict-liability suits."

Um this is what I said.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 2/19/06 at 10:10pm

My doctor prescribed something for me to take for nausea. On the accompanying literature it said, "May cause nausea." Okay, so the thing I am taking may cause the thing I am taking it for.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 2/19/06 at 10:13pm

Sometimes the side effects are worse than the ailment you are actually taking the drug for

[beacon1]

Posted: 2/19/06 at 10:15pm

My cough medicine causes marked drowsiness according to the label. I wish it said: will put you into a coma. I feel hung over for a least a day after taking it. It's a generic brand and makes Nyquil seem like a slight sedative.