Think I'm finally on the mend?

[nishatalitha]

I am currently grumpy with the New Zealand government for making Coldril (with an "i" - that's important) only available by prescription. According to the government, drug-manufacturers were buying up Coldril in large enough quantities to make substantial amounts of P, so making Coldril prescription only is going to prevent such unsavoury individuals getting hold of the ingredients that they need. I'm sure making it prescription only is going to be a huge help to breaking that particular drug trade.

I don't want to have to go to the doctor again; I just want to be able to buy a nice cold drug over the counter that will deal with the headache and shoulder aches, and most importantly, dry up my nose on a temporary basis. But no, what I can now buy over the counter is Coldral, which claims to do all the same things as Coldril does, but has the significant failing of not managing to dry up my nose.

Accordingly, I've been measuring the progress of this illness by how good lempsip or the panadol equivalent tastes. Generally I think the fake-lemon, fake-sweetner, medicinal tasting powder sachet mixed with hot water tastes incredibly foul. I would usually rather suffer than drink it. Of course, as it does actually manage to dry up my nose, since I no longer have access to coldril, I've been drinking it. Was somewhat astonished the other day to find that it actually tasted good. Since then, it has progressed from good to the cup I'm currently drinking being merely bad.

I think I have to stop being outside late at night until this has completely gone - and probably not play frisbee, either; the first time I was out that late after the work do (which was followed by an all-day frisbee tournament), I ended up sounding terrible and having three days off work. The second time, last Saturday night/Sunday morning, was following by playing frisbee in the evening, and this appears to have triggered this bloody cold again. Had yesterday off work, and today, and wouldn't be surprised if I'm going to have tomorrow off as well. At least the slight fever I was running appears to have broken!

Still, of days to have off, today's not so bad. Don't remember much about yesterday - I struggled up after one, napped for a couple of hours around four, and was asleep again by eleven - but from my vantage spot on one of the couches in the lounge, all I can see out the window beyond the deck railing are green pohutukawa leaves and white. I have slightly more energy today. All this actually means is that I got up a few hours earlier, might light the fire soon, and am actually taking in some of what I'm reading...

Hopefully this will be the last of it.

Comments

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

They've done something similar with anything that has pseudoephedrine (used to make meth by idiots) in it in the US. You have to show ID and the pharmacist has to record the purchase. But you don't, thank goodness, have to have a prescription for the stuff.

Much sympathy.

[nishatalitha.livejournal.com]

It was like that for years here, but they've recently tighted the regulations. This is the first time I've come up against them myself. Next time I go to the doctor, I might as for a coldril script just in case. I wonder if I'd get one...