[HN Gopher] Mapping the off-target effects of every FDA-approved...
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       Mapping the off-target effects of every FDA-approved drug in
       existence
        
       Author : abhishaike
       Score  : 81 points
       Date   : 2025-10-28 18:12 UTC (4 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.owlposting.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.owlposting.com)
        
       | nerdsniper wrote:
       | Interestingly, it does not seem to have any controlled substances
       | - even Schedule V drugs like Lyrica (pregabalin). So they've
       | mapped estradiol and estrone, but not testosterone or
       | drostanolone. Also cabergoline and pramipexole, but not
       | amphetamine or methylphenidate.
        
         | Spivak wrote:
         | Is testosterone a controlled substance? But why?
        
           | BizarroLand wrote:
           | Because it can be dangerous if misused.
           | 
           | It's a steroid, so body builders would use it constantly.
           | It's a sex hormone, so people would use it to masculinize
           | themselves and amp up their sex drive, and it's part of the
           | pubertal cycle so children exposed to it pre-puberty can have
           | masculinizing pubertal side effects before their actual
           | puberty starts.
        
             | Spivak wrote:
             | I'm not saying to sell it over the counter but surely just
             | bring a prescription would be sufficient. I see medspa
             | clinics advertising it to men for its masculinizing effects
             | so it can't be that hard to acquire.
        
               | BizarroLand wrote:
               | You asked why it was a controlled substance.
               | 
               | It's not hard to acquire. Doesn't mean that it's not a
               | controlled substance.
               | 
               | And in fact it is sold over the counter in other
               | countries like Mexico. You get a "prescription" from the
               | "on-site pharmacist" who is actually just some person who
               | works the register.
        
               | Spivak wrote:
               | Is that how that works?! I've always wondered what legal
               | trickery they used since Mexico isn't listed on the WHO's
               | list of countries who don't require Rx for antibiotics.
        
           | Etheryte wrote:
           | All steroids have a very high risk of misuse, it's incredibly
           | easy to get your body addicted one way or another and it's
           | one of those things that's very hard to fix after the fact.
        
             | Spivak wrote:
             | The addictive component makes sense, does that mean men who
             | are injured and produce less go through withdrawal? Or like
             | men as they age? That sounds miserable.
        
             | dvaun wrote:
             | Steroid abuse indicates body dysmorphia. There isn't an
             | addictive property like other abused drugs, unless you're
             | considering it addictive via its effects on dopamine
             | production.
             | 
             | Your body doesn't become addicted, though. The potential
             | for harm is real if you are not taking it under medical
             | supervision or without proper knowledge of usage, like any
             | other drugs.
        
       | wizzwizz4 wrote:
       | EvE Bio dataset and explorer: https://data.evebio.org/
       | 
       | Novartis dataset paper:
       | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-40064-9
        
       | et2o wrote:
       | People have been doing this for literally decades. Check out work
       | by Tattonetti
        
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       (page generated 2025-10-28 23:00 UTC)