If ten years ago you read my blog post titled, FDA, How Stupid Do You Think We Are?, you’ll know my belief in them, or lack thereof, hasn’t changed a whole lot. Let’s just say I don’t have a ton of trust in their decisions to approve certain drugs.

If you watch television or listen to the radio, I’m betting you’ve seen or heard the abundance of commercials touting any number of drugs for any number of ailments. Sure seems to be an epidemic of ailments, don’t you think?

Anyway, I saw a particularly disturbing commercial last week, so I started paying better attention. At the end of it, a narrator quickly reads a list of the not so great side affects, probably hoping nobody was paying attention— except this nobody was.

This particular commercial was for Jardiance, a drug to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes and known heart disease. It’s suppose to lower A1C (along with diet and exercise), works 24/7 to flush out sugar, and apparently reduces the risk of cardiovascular death too. Pretty impressive, huh?

I tell ya, this narrator didn’t mess around. He dove right in with the dirty details, bursting my newfound appreciation of what Jardiance can do for people. Are you ready? Here we go…

Serious side effects include increased ketones in blood or urine. Yikes! And an infection between and around the anus and genitals. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound enjoyable to me. And then I heard the awful next line: Both may be fatal. Okay, that right there is a deal breaker for me.

But Let’s continue, shall we? Next up, severe allergic reactions. Not lovin’ that one. Dehydration. That one’s doable. Urinary tract or genital yeast infections in men and women. Hmm, I suppose I could get an over the counter remedy for that. Low blood sugar. That’s an easy one. I’d simply stock up on my favorite See’s candy, Milk Chocolate Rum Nougats, and my sugar level will spike within seconds.

Then, the announcer warns those taking Jardiance to stop taking it and tell your doctor right away if you have nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, tiredness, rash, swelling, trouble breathing or swallowing. Okay, I can handle the first six, but I really enjoy breathing and swallowing, so those would be an extreme bummer to me.

But wait, there’s more. He goes on to say — tell your doctor if you have lightheadedness, weakness, fever, pain, tenderness, redness, and swelling between the anus and genitals. Okay, here we go again with the anus and genitals. With the earlier mention of those, he nonchalantly says “an infection” in that area but now we’ve graduated to actual swelling in both of those areas, which, in my mind means infection = swelling = nothing good will come of this.

Can it get worse? Just wait. Here’s a stunner from our narrator: YOU MAY HAVE INCREASED RISK FOR LOWER LIMB LOSS. What?! Okay, please tell me you’re joking.

We’re told to call the doctor right away if we have new pain or tenderness, sores, ulcers, or an infection in our legs or feet. Or, how about first calling an ambulance? We’re talking possibly losing legs here, people!

After all that, the commercial ends with a song that states Jardiance is a little pill with a big story to tell. Yeah, and I interpret that story to mean Jardiance isn’t worth the risk. And then the man who is featured in the commercial, smiles and says, “And if you ask me, it’s pretty swell.” But, I beg to differ.

Again, I wanted to yell, “You’ve got to be joking!” But again, it appears he wasn’t. Now don’t get me wrong; not all prescription drugs are harmful and many work miracles, but a fair amount seem to be dangerous. So my question is: Why is the FDA approving them in the first place?

PS…In 2025, 12,869 drugs were recalled by the FDA due to safety concerns and compliance issues.