The positive side effects are usually just the effects.

Once I was prescribed low-dose antipsychotics to help me fall asleep. They made me energetic, productive, I actually started enjoying life. Then my dr said it wasn't supposed to happen so cut them off.

Because when they do it generally becomes one of the advertised effects. Lots of drugs were originally for something else but were later found to be useful for other things.

Lots of medications have positive side effects, depending on the patient. I once got prescribed antidepressants specifically for their sleep-inducing effect (I did also have depression, but many antidepressants don't make you drowsy). Paracetamol is a painkiller and also lowers fever. etc.

Wasn't that the case with Ozempic? It was meant for diabetes patients first but then they noted the effect in reduced hunger and many other positive improvements which its why it has become as popular as it has

Actual answer is: this does happen, but then that becomes the reason to prescribe it.

Ozempic was a diabetes medication until the weight loss and addiction effects were observed.

Oh, there are quite some. Just from the top of my heaf: Viagra originally was just a heart medication. Metformin, a diabetes 2 medication, is strongly suspected of having other positive side effects, like generally prolonging life. There recently was an article about a new Alzheimer medication which would be quick to the market as such because it is already a certified medication against something else.

Viagra was a heart medication during trials, until they realized the heart benefits were minimal compared to the raging boners.

Medicine used to have those kind of side effects. It was called cocaine.

So the ones with real "feel good" side effects are the ones that people have addiction problems with, and instead of indirectly giving pleasure, they give it directly. Some people enjoy while they use them and move on with life, others become obsessed with that pleasure and throw everything else away in the pusuit of it.

Viagra was not originally made for what it's mostly known for these days. Its effects on the male reproductive organ were a positive side effect.

Sometimes they do. Viagra was originally a heart medication that they figured out did something else.

So like, my best MD I ever had, he said "you're got symptoms A, B, and C, right? Well doctors like to treat it with G, but pill H has main effect B and side effects A and C. Only problem is doctors hate prescribing it. Let's try it!"

I miss that guy.

GLP-1 drugs were originally developed for diabetes. A side effect was weight loss.

Most drugs with fun side effects get marketed for the fun side effect.

Bit of a toss up, but wasn't the original purpose of Viagra to treat cardiovascular issues; Side effects: extending sex lives for many partners I suppose.

Wasn't Ozempic, gpl-1 antagonist, supposed to help type 2 diabetes manage their sugar fluctuations yet had the positive side effect of lowering their appetite and now is basically being pivoted as a revolutionary weightloss drug

Because then it’s just an effect and the medication is sold as treating weight loss or memory or whatever

Viagra was originally for heart complications right?

Making everything taste like chocolate cake for a week would be a great way to make sure you never want to eat chocolate cake again.

Then it would be the main purpose of the drug

Most migraine medications were made for something else (e.g. blood pressure), and were discovered to help with migraine symptoms in some people.

They do, but they're legally required to tell you all of the bad effects and it's rare for the positive effects to have any importance outside the intended effects for the medication to treat a serious disease warranting the risks.

The positive effects are why they are medicine...

I dont like the thought that everything tastes like choclate cake after taking a pill. It could lead to eating something moldy or bad without noticing                

What? Like heart medicine making your erections last longer? Preposterous!

Entropy. There's only a few ways for things to go right and countless ways for things to go wrong. Therefore, the probability of an undesirable outcome is far higher than any desirable outcome.

Drugs are exactly that.