Friday, April 24, 2015

"My First Contest" (Or Maybe It's My Second)


For reasons I am at a loss to explain, unlike the numerous products whose purveyors trumpet what those products do in their names – “Mr. Clean” jumps immediately to mind – pharmaceutical companies appear to deliberately label their products with names that are entirely meaningless. 

Leading to this contest.  Which contains two elements.

The following is a list of medications regularly advertised on television.  At least on the channels I watch:

ANORO

ABREVA

ABIERTO  (Wait, that’s “open” in Spanish.  Please ignore.)

BELVIQ

CYMBALTA

DULERA

FARXIGA

JUBLIA

NAMENDA XR

PREVNAR 13

RELPAX

XARELTO

ZOFRAN

ZOVIRAX

ZYLINDRA


The following is a list of conditions the above-mentioned medications are intended to relieve:

Elevated blood sugar.

Migraines.

Anti-Depressant

Weight loss.

Extreme “Morning Sickness.”

Cold sores.

Blood thinner.

Pneumonia

Breathing problems.

Alzheimer’s Disease.

Cold sores again.  (I do not, that I am aware of, have Alzheimer’s.  There are two medications for cold sores.)

Ingrown toenail.

Asthma

Okay.  Element One of the Contest:

Match the medications’ names with the conditions they are intended to relieve.

Element Two of the Contest:

Identify the “Medication Name” that I personally made up.

You are unlikely the kind of people who need to be reminded of this, but…

No cheating. 

You cannot “Google” or ask your doctor.  And if you take one or more of these medications, recuse yourself from those, and continue on matching the ones you’ve never heard of.

The answers will be published shortly.  If I remember.  (Hm, maybe I do have…)

Anyway, good luck.

And enjoy the contest.

DISCLAIMER:  (TO BE READ EXTREMELY QUICKLY)  “This contest was intended for the enjoyment of the readership and was in no way constructed to discombobulate, irritate or offend.  In case negative reactions, you should desist from participating in the contest immediately, and engage yourself in some other activity.  Do not under any circumstances either sue or excoriate the writer.  Though his efforts may have been misguided, he was merely attempting to amuse.”

3 comments:

FFS said...

Would like to participate but Canadian channels practice simultaneous substitution of TV ads and prescription drug advertising is illegal. Probably just as well that we don't hear that a side effect of taking anti-depressants is suicide. Not an English major but isn't that irony? Or tragedy?

Russ said...

It's both, Fred.

Dr. Foz said...

While I've likely seen advertisements for most of the drugs on the list, I can only remember what 1 is for - I think. But that's not going to stop me from guessing. I've waited this long to do this as I was hoping to see some of the ads over the weekend. The only 2 I saw were for the one I am already fairly sure of, and Flonase (sp?), which of course, is not on your list!

ANORO - Morning sickness
ABREVA - Breathing probs
ABIERTO - Elevated blood sugar
BELVIQ - Weight loss
CYMBALTA - Cold sore
DULERA - Migranes
FARXIGA - Alzheimer's
JUBLIA - Swollen Jubles
NAMENDA XR - fictional drug
PREVNAR 13 - Asthma
RELPAX - Ingrown toenail
XARELTO - Blood thinner
ZOFRAN - Anti-depressant
ZOVIRAX - Cold sore
ZYLINDRA - Pneumonia