Thursday, January 06, 2011

slugging down drugs


Here is a little life tip.  Listerine and prescription drugs are not a natural mix.


That bit of wisdom is for me; not for you.  Unless you would like to add it to your own account of Things I Should Have Known.  But I am certain none of you have done anything similar to what I did the other night.


I have a nightly routine before I slip my aging bones between the sheets.


There is a bottle of water on my bathroom counter -- for taking pills and brushing teeth.  A bottle of Listerine stands sentinel beside it.


The routine is simple.  I take my pills with a swig of water.  I then gargle and swish with the Listerine.  And I finish off with a frenzy of teeth brushing.


It is the habitual motion of a well-greased machine. Almost.


I must have slipped a cog on Monday night.  I tossed the pills in my mouth, grabbed a bottle, and gulped down the pills.


You have undoubtedly already figured out what happened.  Instead of the water, I swallowed the pills with Listerine.  A large gulp of it.


The back of the Listerine bottle is quite clear about warning against swallowing the contents.  It is not toxic.  But it certainly is not gastric-friendly.  As I was to discover the next morning.  (At least, I made it through the night without incident.)


I have been a regular Listerine user since my dental hygienist informed me it was a better course than trying to get the role of Bleeding Gums Murphy on The Simpsons


That is when I discovered the tanker truck Costco size of Listerine bottles.  In all kinds of flavors -- including my favorite, vanilla mint.


That luxury ended when I moved to Mexico.  Mouth wash is a rare find around here.  When I can find a bottle of Listerine, it is always small, in a generic flavor, and expensive.


But that is true for most imported products.  NAFTA has not completely removed the customs duty sting.  And because a bit of protectionism has managed to survive, even products produced under license in Mexico do not have a true market value.


I have found local (and cheaper) substitutes for a lot of my purchases down here.  It may be time to start looking for the Mexican equivalent of Listerine.


Until then, I will try not to waste any more of this liquid gold as a drug accessory.

2 comments:

Don Cuevas said...

I've also swallowed the Listerine instead of the water, but not to wash down medicines. My policy is always to turn on the light before taking medicine. Focus and determined concentration is very important when you reach a certain age.

Saludos,
Don Cuevas

Barbilou said...

Also a Listerine user, when I discovered it's price here a few years ago, it went on my Stateside stock-up list. 5 of the big ones come down with us after our Minnesota summers now. No, you can't buy one from me...