Drugs

Lately I've been thinking a lot about drugs - legal ones - because when you're pregnant, you can't take them. I've been sick for two days, and let me tell you, Tylenol has NOTHING on Advil. I miss my ibuprofen. :(

I love drugs. I grew up around drugs. My dad is a doctor, and while he certainly didn't believe in over-medicating his kids, when there was an ache or an upset stomach or a headache in the house there was no "let's wait until tomorrow and call the doctor." Instead there was a trip to the drugstore at 10 p.m., kids in tow, to pick up whatever pretty box or bottle would cure our ills. To this day, I love drugstores - they bring back happy memories of my dad and my childhood. (Just ask Brad. I could spend hours walking the aisles of Rite-Aid!)

Because I grew up in the home of a family doc, I was always very well-educated on medicine. By the time I was 8, I knew what brands to buy, what dosage strength to take, and what to ask my doctor for if I needed a prescription (my dad was never "my" doctor, that would be weird and creepy). When the other kids would whine "mommy, my head hurts," I'd walk into the family room and announce, "mommy, I need 400 mg of ibuprofen - the quick-release kind, please." Luckily, I turned my obsession with drugs into a 5-year career at a pharmaceutical company, rather than jail time.

Today, we have by far most well-stocked medicine cabinet on the block. Headache? Heartburn? Rash? Allergies? Fever? Sore throat? You name the symptom, we have the cure. Brad is pretty clueless when it comes to the wonders of over-the-counter medicine (his dad's cure for a cold - whiskey mixed with lemon juice?!), so whenever something's wrong, he comes straight to me. What's really funny is that, despite the lack of credentials after my name, he never questions my judgment. Our conversation usually goes like this:

Him: I have an upset stomach.
Me: Here, take this. ::Passes him a spoonful of a reddish liquid::
Him: What is it?
Me: Don't worry about it. It'll make you feel better, trust me.
Him: OK.

He's lucky I'd never try to poison him!