My journey with pills

I go to open my pill bottle this morning to retrieve my daily multi-vitamin and giggle as I look at the variety of colors I have. I stop and think about where the pill bottle in my purse started and where it is now. When I was in my youth to my early 20's I refused to take pills. It did not matter if it was Advil, birth control or even a vitamin. I hated trying to swallow them. I could tolerate the pain and I just did not like pills. I find it hard to believe that now I am looking down and see at least five different kinds.

I think it was in my mid 20's when I started carrying around some Tylenol. It was not even for me. I started noticing people always asking for some. I compared it to a band-aid; it cannot hurt to have some. I enjoy being able to help others when needing something, so it was now a staples in the items I carried in my purse. Then I noticed that no one would ever want my Tylenol. They preferred Advil or aleve.  You cannot blame a girl for trying. I realized if I wasn't going to take it then there wasn't really any need to be carrying Tylenol around. I could not really figure out the difference in when people wanted Advil or Aleve, so I carried both. I think it is fair to say it was not until the age of 29 or 30 when I learned the difference in these two. I have also observed how many friends needed pills for heartburn, indigestion and gas. At the beginning of last year I also started getting an allergy and was introduced to Zyrtec (aka a miracle pill) is a saving grace when needed. I never knew when I was going to need one, so that was my first pill to carry that I needed and wanted. Thank goodness it is an itty bitty thing. It is very easy for me to swallow.

Now when I open my pill bottle I have an assortment of pills in there. There are my vitamins, Zyrtecs, Allegra Ds, Aleves, Advils, Imodiums and Benadryls. Sometimes I will put some fruit and veggies pills in there as well. Since I don't have the heartburn and indigestion I think I will have to just let me friend suffer or fend for themselves. There seems to be a variety of those medicines and they have preferences in which ones to take for what as well.  

I remember a long time ago one of my friends said to me, if something is wrong and you can take a pill to make it better, why not do that? I found myself contemplating this statement she had made for years and even still to this day. I am a little better about taking pills. I try to take vitamins however; I really prefer the chewy kind. I will still wait out a headache or cramps, but if they hurt badly enough and I don’t want to deal with them I will not hesitate taking the pills. My nose drives me so crazy that as soon as it happens I will always grab the Zyrtec. It probably helps the fact that it is so small.

I think I have the basics covered in the bottle. I wonder what the ages 30 to 40 will bring to the mix. Maybe I will need some Tums, Rolaids, Gas-X, Beano or that bottle with the white liquid in it. Maalox I think it is called. Ha, who knows? I will be thankful for what I have for now, hopeful there isn't more and laugh at what people may think when they see me dump out an assortment of pills when looking for the one I want.