It seems like there’s a pill for everything anymore. Depression, sexual dysfunction, heartburn, headaches, sniffles, insomnia, writer’s block… Ok, I made that last one up (I wish there were a pill for that), but you get my point. If you have a problem, any kind of problem, you can go to the doctor and get prescribed something to make you feel better. I speak from experience, because I do it all the time.
Most of the people I know are on some kind of daily medication (and some of those who aren’t should be, but that’s not the point here). Everyone I know keeps a stocked medicine cabinet, even if it only has things like aspirin and Tylenol Cold in it. Drugs, the legal kind, are almost as important to us as our gadgets and technology are.
I’m not saying that this is somehow a bad thing, but it does say something about our society in general. A few somethings, actually.
- being sick isn’t an option for a lot of people, so rather than stay home and rest to get well, we have to take Tylenol and Sudafed to keep working
- if something is wrong, there is always an external fix for it so we don’t have to exert ourselves to make it better
- we have enough serious problems, like insomnia or diet-related heartburn/acid reflux, that are the result of unhealthy habits that we need to fix them with medication, and we choose to do this rather than change the habits
- our society moves at such a pace that an “instant fix” is necessary, so we opt for antidepressants rather than therapy or counseling
- we have so many demands on us that we need to chemically regulate ourselves, i.e. caffeine in the morning and a sleeping pill at night, or a pill for one thing and another pill to counteract the side effects of the first pill
I don’t think that we necessarily need to stop taking medications, even daily ones, in favor of alternative treatments. I think it’s fantastic to be able to fix so many of my problems just by taking a pill; it frees my time and effort to be used on other things. And I have no qualms about going to the doctor to get a script for something. I do, however, think that I, most of us even, need to be more mindful about these medications in our daily lives. We take them for granted, and don’t always think of the fact that they are, in fact, drugs, and they have negative consequences as well as benefits. The next time you reach for a bottle in the cabinet to fix something, consider why you’re taking a pill rather than doing something else, if there’s actually something else to be done about it, and how much this medication will benefit you as compared to the possible short term and long term side effects. Maybe I need to find an alternative fix for my frequent headaches rather than taking Tylenol every day, since it can kill my liver if I take too much of it or take it too often… those kinds of considerations.
Related posts:
Growing up in a family constantly exposed to the medical profession I kinda take drugs for granted. Been around them for years. Know most of the side effects. it surprises me how quickly my doctor prescribes drugs for everything before even checking to see what I have. Sinus infection? Just tell him what you want – he won't examine you. He knows so little about my condition it's sometimes scary. So actually sometimes I tell him what's wrong with me and he asks what do I want to take for it…presto, a new script! It's scary when you start to believe you know your conditions better than he does! Headaches? Excedrin works but sometimes makes you shake – how about a chiropractor (activator method) to fix that pain in your neck. How about a massage? Depression? Find something fun to do that you wouldn't normally do. Run! Have your eyes checked. Relax. Laugh! (teach your mother how to type tonite since she cant' hit the right keys!) Go for a walk. People watch. Take a class – not online! Where you can meet people! Join the PTA. Learn Spanish. Pop some pills and head for bed (no, counterproductive) Paint a bedroom (hint hint) Get out of your rut!
Stop trying to be perfect – perfect (do yu know how many times I've had to retype this sentence! aargh!) is BORING. Come get drunk with your mom (excellent idea).
Um, the end of this comment starts to get really confusing. Did you take an Excedrin before you wrote it?
I think I screwed up my reply to your reply which basically said that if you are depressed and need something different to do I would like to get the bedrooms painted before the end of June. And yes I did take 2 Excedrin. But you didn't reply to my comment or suggestions…
I didn't reply to your comment or suggestions because I had a headache by the time I got to the end of your comment. (and I deleted your other comment because it's just a repeat of this one)
And you still didn't reply to my suggestions. Avoidance??? I really like to get at least one of the bedrooms painted before the end of June……hint, help, hint, hint.
None of your suggestions required a response except the painting one, and since that wasn't really on topic (at all) I didn't feel the need to respond in a comment here. Comments that are relevant to the discussion get responses if I feel I have something to add; comments asking for help painting your house get crickets. Nothing personal.
Ah, but it was on topic . Something to do to keep your mind occupied therefore helping you stay out of the depressed hole!
Toni, all I have to say is, try a text message. Not quite as public and still gets your point across
[...] I’m still looking for the cure for writer’s block in pill form, since there’s no prescription for it, either [...]