A Case of the Sniffles Will Alert the Drug Police

As most people have heard, you can't buy that cold medication you've come to depend on without signing your grandmother out of the home and turning her over to the pharmacist. Nyquil is not Nyquil anymore. Someone needs to be held accountable for this.

I'm just recovering from one of those long, icky illnesses. My doctor gave me an antibiotic and told me to get a decongestant/antihistimine that is over the counter, but barely. This is my first time buying this stuff since all the hoopla (can't use that word enough) about favorite meds being reformulated because pesky drug addicts have found yet another way to screw with the system.

I knew it was weird, and that some very basic meds are now kept behind the counter, and others can only be bought in limited quantity. There's a reason the stuff is behind the counter, and excuse me to those of you who have been through this. I was stunned. They took my driver's license and carefully looked at me, then recorded the information in the BIG book that goes who knows where.

Those who know me know I have enough guilt naturally to make me confess to being part of the Manson family if pressed, so this is not a good thing. It just feeds into my insanity, and my pantry is already quite full.

So, you wanna know the real irony of all of this? I was in a bad auto accident 10 years ago that resulted in a cervical injury, then surgery. That means every so often when I yawn or sneeze funny, I end up not being able to move my arms without crying. That means that a few times a year my doctor gives me painkillers to get through it. (The last time he did it was because I was looking at a used car on the side of the road, and I fell into a gopher hole. Yes, I had to make that phone call to my doctor. I ended up having to wear a neckbrace for a week.)

So, I was given the serious hinky eye while I was getting my cold meds, and I was tracked by The Man for getting a runny nose. A week before that, I was sent on my way with a bottle of Percocet without anyone paying attention. They even rewarded me with a cashback coupon to be used on anything in the store on my next visit.

Does anyone see the oddity of the situation? At least with the cold meds, wannabe drug users would have to work for the product. With the painkiller, all they'd have to do is unscrew the cap.