Dealing With Headaches

WARNING: This is not going to be one of my typical blog posts…whatever one of my typical blog posts happen to be like. And the spelling is likely to look like it is from another planet, so brace yourself.

Now, granted, it’s not rocket science to take one pill every day to help manage your health. It’s not even brain surgery to take one pill every other day. I have to take a 40mg Prozac every other day. I have marked on the calendar in the kitchen right next to the pills what days I take my Prozac and what days I don’t. This way, I know what I’m doing.

And yet, somehow I messed this up.

Judging by the way I feel now (leaning over the keyboard, eyes half bugged out of my head and suddenly becoming very very comfortable with my lot in life) I managed to accidently take TWO pills this morning. I don’t know how I managed it. If I did, I probably wouldn;t be in this situation now.

I was talking about health insurance avidly with my Mom when I was taking the only pill that I remember taking. She even asked me, “Haven’t you already taken one Prozac already?”

“I don’t think so. Have I?”

“Uh, I don’t know.”

So, I popped the pill that was currently in my hand, whispering “Take me, Rena — Take me NOW”.

How could I screw this up? Was it because I was talking about health insurance with Mom? Can I blame the health insurance industry for this? If they weren’t so outrageously expensive, I wouldn’t have been having that conversation with my Mom that disctracted me from my proper pill intake.

Am I The Only One?

Usually when someone takes an accidental prescription medicine overdose, it is because they are taking a whole bunch of prescriptions at one (called a “cocktail”). The latest celebrity to die of such a drug cocktail overdose was actor Heath Ledger. When you take more than one pill, it can be easy to mess up.

Unless you’re me, who can screw up taking just one medication.

And most medications for headaches or migraines, if overdosed, can leave you feeling not half as happy with the world as I happen to feel right now. Even taking more than recommended dosage of aspirin or acetominphen (Tylenol) over a long period of time can give you ulcers or other painful stomach conditions.

Avoiding The Problem

There are a couple of things you can do to help avoid accidentally overdosing on prescription medications. Get one of those pill boxes that marks the days of the week on them. Some will even have boxes labelled AM and PM. Put your week or fortnight’s worth of pills in there. Now, the pnly problem is trying to remember what day of the week it is.

You could also make a check mark on a wall callendar or personal organizer whenever you take your medicine. I always lose my personal organizers, but I’ve been told most people don’t.

Hope this — (falls off chair.)