Foggy Day

I awoke this morning feeling as if the fog had lifted; 36 hours after I took a new drug I finally felt normal.

I went to the doctor last week for a stubborn rash on my leg. It is only a patch of eczema, nothing really, but it has been there for well over a year. It is annoying and, though I have some prescription ointment I cannot get rid of it.

I went to a new dermatologist because the other one is not on my insurance. This guy was nice and prescribed a stronger ointment and some oral antihistamine. This would prevent the scratching in my sleep that is preventing the rash from healing all the way. He said the pills “might make me a little sleepy” so I should take them at night. I asked if they would knock me out, because I really cannot take anything that strong. I have to be able to “snap-to” in a minute if there is an emergency. He assured me it is not a sleeping pill, just an antihistamine, like Benadryl but a bit stronger.

I didn’t even fill the prescription for a week. I was still using the other ointment and this annoyance has just become part of the backdrop of my life. I went to Walgreens and picked up five of Maggie’s prescriptions along the two of mine. The woman in Walgreens said seven prescriptions at once might be a record. [Hold applause]. The drugs Maggie is on come in good-sized boxes, so I left there with two shopping bags filled with controlled substances.
I have never heard of the drug he prescribed and did not bother to look it up. Funny, if someone prescribes something for Maggie I am all over the internet finding every side effect and nuance of the drug. With me, meh, whatever! Stupid.

The bottle said to take 1-3 pills after dinner/bedtime. I figured I would start with two. BAM! I was out like a light. There is no doubt that I did not scratch my leg during the night. In fact, I did not move a muscle. Good thing there wasn't any emergency. The alarm woke me at 6:30, which is odd. I always wake before the alarm because my internal clock is so reliable. I tried to shake off the sleepiness. I gulped down strong coffee and got Maggie ready to meet the bus. After she left, I had to get to a breakfast meeting which lasted until about 9:30. I knew something still was not right when I could not remember how to get to my client’s house after our breakfast. I came home and climbed back into bed and slept until noon. Maggie would be home soon and I was still groggy. Fortunately, the nurse was coming for the afternoon so I did not have to be in charge.

The plan I had for dinner was jettisoned because it required ingredients from the store and I did not have the energy to go out again. I made do with what was available. I folded laundry and fought the urge to go back to bed. I fell asleep in the chair about 8PM while Steve was out walking the dog. When he returned I said this is ridiculous and went to look up the drug.
It’s doxepin, a psychotropic drug with antihistamine effects. The typical dose is much higher than anything I took, but it just completely knocked me out. Something like 20% of people experience the sleepiness that I did.

Steve thought this dermatologist was very perceptive to put me on a psychotropic (mood altering) drug after looking at my leg for five minutes. Thanks, honey.

I am going to ditch those things and stick with the itchy leg and b_tchy mood.

That’s how I roll.