More psychedelic drugs, please. The kaleidoscopic kind to help distinguish one pill from another.
More psychedelic drugs, please.
Not that sort, although if there was a healthier alternative to LSD I’d bet many beleaguered Saffers would queue up for some of these.
With all the doom, gloom and fury raging around us, a short break from reality with a little helper would be a welcome respite.
Obviously, that’s not a serious suggestion and I go on record as being terrified of drug abuse and the devastation it causes.
Rather meditate, do some deep breathing or binge-watch something on TV to get your mind calm and distracted from troubles, at least for a while.
I mean the kaleidoscopic kind to help distinguish one pill from another.
When you have to take one or two daily, it’s not a problem that most medications are white. But a palmful of daily drugs can be a pain in the rear, specially if you have to line ’em up before you’ve woken up properly or had your first cup of coffee or tea.
My breakfast drug row is about 9 or 10, depending on the latest try-out of what works, and four for dinner.
Muscle memory can’t be relied on in a state of sleep fog and general morning chaos. I absolutely have to stick to my “safe” routine so I know they have been swallowed for the day and they are the right ones.
Once, before this system, I took two lots of morning ones, and fell under a ton of bricks.
Another time, I took the dinner ones at breakfast (I really don’t know how) and ended up with QWERTY on my forehead for a few hours, and “idiot” imprinted in my brain as I slurrily explained to the boss that I was of no use in that state and had to take a break.
To avoid a repetition of either case, my drugs are as regimented as the rows in a pharmacy. When the month’s supply is delivered, I spend a quiet evening very carefully putting daily doses in little pill bottles I’ve collected and marked AM or PM. These are then kept in separate containers of day bottles and night bottles.
Which is what happened as usual this month, but with one new “let’s see if this works” pill.
After a few days of nausea, sweats and cramping in every muscle, used or unused, I own, my doc told me to drop it.
Trouble is, I now had to remove one white pill from a heap of others, in 30 bottles.
We had a family meeting (young eyes required) and went through one bottle to identify the guilty one. Mercifully we could eliminate the blue or orange ones and some capsules. Even the youngsters found it difficult, but we finally settled on one without a half-dose “break here” line.
Must’ve been the right one because all was right after a few days.
When you hold a little capsule or pill in your hand, it’s difficult to comprehend how much power it has. They look so innocuous and harmless, but one wrong ’un upsets the apple cart no end.
Proven scientifically or not, the couch science research council firmly believes colour plays a vital role in our mental and spiritual health. Pharma, perhaps you could help out with a few more colours in your lines.
- Lindsay Slogrove is the news editor.
The Independent on Saturday