# I feel like a walking pharmacy. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 25, 2011, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-a-walking-pharmacy/568940 "2011-01-25T17:30:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-a-walking-pharmacy/568940/1 "2011-01-25T17:30:21Z")
So I’ve had this dry cough for most of the month. I went to a doctor last week who said it was just a cold, so I went off on my merry, miserable way. About 5 days ago chest congestion started happening, so I went back to a different doctor this time (first time was a walk-in clinic, this time I found a new GP - lived here a year, might as well) who promptly diagnosed me with bronchitis. It took her longer to write the prescriptions than to diagnose me. The goody bag contains an antibiotic, steroid pill, steroid inhaler, allergy pills, and the icing on the proverbial cake, liquid codeine. Needless to say, my boss has offered to give me a lift home just in case. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-a-walking-pharmacy/568940/2 "2011-01-25T18:14:22Z")
I have bronchitis right now and I feel you. I got an inhaler from the doc (happened to have an un-related checkup appointment the day I first got sick), take a decongestant, have a daytime cough suppressant and a nighttime cough suppressant. Plus I do the Neti pot once or twice a day. I got it all lined up on my dresser, but it’s sort of a pain to remember when and how to take what. Inhaler can be used every 6 hours, decongestant every 12, cough suppressants every 4. That’s all well and good math-wise, but when I sleep through a dosing time or just plain forget, the routine goes out the window. Hope you feel better soon. Chronic coughing is no fun - makes me tired. But, the drugs do help! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-a-walking-pharmacy/568940/3 "2011-01-25T18:19:00Z")
Any doctors listening? Nope? Okay, good. When I get a cold it often turns into a lingering cough. I’ve been to the doctor for this, and she prescribes me the same inhalers that my husband always uses for his asthma. When I get a lingering cough now, I just take a couple of squirts of my husband’s inhalers for a couple of days, and the cough clears up right away instead of hanging around for weeks or months. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-a-walking-pharmacy/568940/4 "2011-01-25T19:12:08Z")
> [@kushiel](#): > > So I’ve had this dry cough for most of the month. I went to a doctor last week who said it was just a cold, so I went off on my merry, miserable way. About 5 days ago chest congestion started happening, so I went back to a different doctor this time (first time was a walk-in clinic, this time I found a new GP - lived here a year, might as well) who promptly diagnosed me with bronchitis. > > It took her longer to write the prescriptions than to diagnose me. The goody bag contains an antibiotic, steroid pill, steroid inhaler, allergy pills, and the icing on the proverbial cake, liquid codeine. > > Needless to say, my boss has offered to give me a lift home just in case. Awwwww man… I was just dx’ed with bronchitis too, and I didn’t get any codeine. NOT FAIR!!! 😛 (I did get oral 'roids, antibiotics, and nebulizer medication; already had the steroid inhaler and allergy pills). Years back, I had a sinus infection that would not quit, and caused the asthma to flare as well. At one point I counted that I was on 11 different medications in a day. I told my husband “I’m a one-woman walking toxic waste dump!”. Feel better, and be careful about the codeine - if you’ve got a productive cough, you don’t want to suppress it too much. I usually avoid the suppressants except at night when I get wacky ideas about sleeping! ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-a-walking-pharmacy/568940/5 "2011-01-25T19:14:26Z")
Hell, I get bronchitis about once a year and they give me antibiotics and that’s it. I had two teeth yanked and only got ibuprofen. 😛 Clearly, I need new doctors. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-a-walking-pharmacy/568940/6 "2011-01-25T19:23:14Z")
> [@Taomist](#): > > Hell, I get bronchitis about once a year and they give me antibiotics and that’s it. I had two teeth yanked and only got ibuprofen. 😛 > Clearly, I need new doctors. And Canadian healthcare! _jab_ I have a deferred payment plan with work, but even without that, my cocktail cost only $75. Is there anything prednisone doesn’t do? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-a-walking-pharmacy/568940/7 "2011-01-25T20:12:43Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Awwwww man… I was just dx’ed with bronchitis too, and I didn’t get any codeine. NOT FAIR!!! 😛 (I did get oral 'roids, antibiotics, and nebulizer medication; already had the steroid inhaler and allergy pills). > > Years back, I had a sinus infection that would not quit, and caused the asthma to flare as well. At one point I counted that I was on 11 different medications in a day. I told my husband “I’m a one-woman walking toxic waste dump!”. > > Feel better, and be careful about the codeine - if you’ve got a productive cough, you don’t want to suppress it too much. I usually avoid the suppressants except at night when I get wacky ideas about sleeping! I would like to drop down to 11 meds a day … my [own personal toxic waste dump](http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/yy176/aruvqan/Miscellaneous/2010-01-29151627.jpg).