Paralysed by medicine

Greetings!

I don’t fall sick often, which means I rarely have to take medicines. However, there is one slight illness that disturbs me occasionally. I wouldn’t call it a major illness, as it’s more like a reaction to weather changes or certain triggers in my environment, often resulting in catarrh, which people commonly refer to as a runny nose. When I experience this symptom, I have a particular drug that I take, and the staff at the chemist shop near my house already know what I’m there for whenever I walk in.

One particular day, early in the morning, I inhaled a scent coming from one of my neighbor's kitchens. It was a food scent, but it triggered a reaction that made my nose start running like a tap. I quickly went to the chemist shop nearby, bought a sachet of Mixagrip, and took one pill(yeah, just one pill). Normally, as an adult, it’s medically recommended that I take two pills. However, since the drug tends to weaken my body and cause drowsiness, I decided to take only one pill to avoid feeling too dizzy or weak, as I had tasks to accomplish that day.

After taking it, I felt some relief, but before I knew it, my nose started running again. It was quite embarrassing, especially as I had people around me at workspace.. So, I went in and took another pill to try to counteract the runny nose. The symptoms lessened slightly but returned after about an hour. Instantly, I found myself feeling annoyed with the woman who had cooked the food that caused me to feel unwell. To make matters worse, she wasn’t even a tenant; she was just visiting her family and decided to "cook chemicals" into my nose. Lol.

Throughout that period, my body was severely weakened. It felt as if something had been injected into me to deliberately make me feel weak and useless. I was managing the situation, dragging myself around, and sneezing everywhere. By 6 pm, however, the symptoms became more intense, and the only solution I could think of was to take another pill. By this time, it was almost like I was abusing the medication, as the first two pills should have been enough for my body system. But since I was desperate to stop the symptoms, I opted to take one more.

After taking it, the pill completely overwhelmed my body. I felt so sluggish, as if my bones were no longer functioning, and I could barely move. I was looking like I was drunk, I was staggering and dragging my feet. Drowsiness hit me heavily, and the only saving grace was that it was nighttime. I somehow managed to take a bath, and before I knew it, I was out from that time until 5:30 am the next day. When I woke up, I was fully recovered, and the runny nose had disappeared for good.

Thanks for reading.

Photo used is mine