Prescription pills

Jan 10th 2021

One way the start an opioid epidemic.

I have a bad leg, old wound, had it for years. I have learned over the years to manage (mostly) without pain medication, but sometimes the pain gets bad and I need to take something.

Usually this is a result of a spiral, the bone starts to hurt, so I start limping, which makes my muscles hurt, which causes cramps, which makes the limping and the pain worse, and so on.

So, at some point I need to take something to break the spiral. Usually, I need just one pill and a good night’s sleep, that will reboot me. The bad thing is that I am totally out of it for a day or two.

I never liked taking strong medication, paradoxically because it really works; which means that apart from taking away the pain, my head is totally fuzzy for a few days, and I am absolutely totally useless for a while.

Anyway, a while ago my leg gets really bad, and I end up in a doctor’s office. A new doctor, so I explain the situation, and ask for a single pill to break the cycle.

The doctor goes through my history and wonders why I do not have a stash of pills, since the damage to my leg seems so serious.

Doctor: “I’ll give you Oxycodone”

Me: “No, that is too strong, Codeine is fine.”

Doctor: “Really, Oxycodone is much stronger.”

Me: “I know, but Codeine is fine, really. And I only need one pill.”

Doctor: “OK, Codeine it is. Is a packet of 100 enough?”

Me: “??? I just need the one.”

Doctor: “OK, I’ll give you a packet of 50.”

… I just needed one.