The movie Wedding Crashers came out in 2005. It was an instant success – and unfortunately, it popularized a dangerous urban legend.
The film contained a scene where Visine was used to prank someone. The victim of the prank got intense diarrhea as a result. In the aftermath of this film, the incorrect use of Visine went viral. Many people today believe that Visine really can be used as a laxative.
Some consume Visine to try to treat their own digestive problems. Others use it the way that was shown in the movie. They prank people, hoping to induce a laxative effect.
But using Visine in this manner in effect poisons the victim. You can also poison yourself should you attempt to use it to treat constipation. Either way, misusing Visine has dire consequences, both medical and legal. So to combat the misinformation, we investigate the question: will Visine in a drink cause diahhrea?
What Exactly Is Visine?
Visine is a commonly known over-the-counter medication. It comes in the form of eye-drops, and it’s used to alleviate red, itchy, and irritated eyes. Used as intended in a topical manner, Visine is harmless and very effective. However, internal consumption is extremely dangerous.
Visine’s main ingredient is a chemical called tetrahydrozoline. This chemical is used in medications to constrict blood vessels. That’s the reason for its use in eye-drops. It alleviates the redness that is caused by swollen blood vessels in the eyes.
It was never meant to be taken orally, and the instructions make this clear.
Unfortunately, people tend to ignore dosage instructions and directions of use as they see fit. But the directions are there for a very important reason: to ensure that the product is being used correctly and in a safe manner.
What Are the Effects of Drinking Visine?
Tetrahydrozoline is not known to cause diarrhea, and the use of Visine in pranks as an explosive laxative is based on false information. It is extremely important for everyone to realize that Visine should not be used other than the way it has been prescribed. What happens if you do misuse it?
Consuming tetrahydrozoline has several unpleasant symptoms, none of which typically include diarrhea. It’s easy to see that ingesting it is in fact poisoning. The symptoms include, but are not limited to:
- Difficulty or halting of breathing
- Blurred vision
- High blood pressure followed by a sudden drop in blood pressure
- Headaches
- Seizures
- In severe cases, falling into a coma.
It’s clear why giving someone Visine to drink should be followed by legal steps against the prankster.
But will Visine in a drink cause diahhrea or not? Like in most cases of medicine misuse, there is a chance of diarrhea or other unexpected symptoms. But no study exists showing that Visine or its active ingredients have a laxative effect. Most probably, the victim will have an intense headache, and they may pass out.
Can Visine Be Deadly?
In 2018, a woman in South Carolina was charged with murdering her husband. She put a large amount of Visine into his drink. It is unclear what her intentions were, but her actions led to her husband’s death.
Smaller doses aren’t deadly but they still have an intensely negative effect on the victim. Many people have been charged and arrested for drugging family members in this way. Some of them said they merely meant to play a prank. Others had revenge in mind, though they didn’t always know what the effects would be.
A Word on Pranks
Putting anything in a person’s drink without their knowledge is both dangerous and legally punishable. There are some other popular pranks that make it seem like drugging someone is funny. The pranksters might be out for revenge or looking to publically humiliate the victim.
But doing that is always extremely dangerous. Even if the drug used is harmless (unlike Vicine), it may induce an allergic reaction in the victim. Or the drug might react badly with other medication that a person is taking. There is simply no way to predict how the victim’s body will react if you put something in their drink.
Safe Laxatives That Work
Consuming Visine as an alternative to a normal laxative is not just ineffective. It can be detrimental to your health. There’s no reason to rely on urban legends when there are many medically proven ways to relieve constipation.
For example, the following natural remedies can assist in the alleviation of constipation symptoms:
1. Senna
This natural product works like a charm in the treatment of constipation. You may buy it in tablet form, but drinking it in the form of a tea will also clear up constipation in no time. But senna should never be used during pregnancy or lactation, as it has been linked with birth abnormalities.
2. Epsom Salt
Taking Epsom salt with water is also a quick remedy for constipation, although the taste is awful. Simply mix two to six teaspoons of Epsom salt with water and drink.
3. Pear, Prune, or Mango Juice
Most fruits will cause a light form of diarrhea when eaten in excess. But a surefire way to alleviate constipation is prune juice. You need to make sure that the juice is pure prune juice and not diluted with water or other juices. Diluted prune juice will not be nearly as potent as pure pressed juice.
4. Castor Oil
This traditional remedy for constipation really works. Mix approximately 15 ml of Castor oil with a glass of juice to make it easier to swallow. The effects are almost immediate.
5. Milk of Magnesia
Milk of magnesia is another natural product, used in a dosage of approximately 15 ml on a glass of water. Constipation should be alleviated within a day thereafter.
In Conclusion
Will Visine in a drink cause diahhrea? Probably not, but it will cause many other serious health problems.
Visine can have a detrimental and lasting effect on a person’s health and wellbeing. In spite of popular misconceptions, countless recorded cases show that the ingestion of Visine amounts to being poisoned. This misuse of the medication can result in the person slipping into a coma, or even worse than that.
It is therefore advised to stick to what we know and love Visine for: a cure for red, dry, and itchy eyes.
References:
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002590.htm
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4252297/
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