Prescription Drugs: Not sweet as candy.

Just recently while watching TV, I couldn't help but notice how much air time prescription drug commercials receive. Also, have you ever noticed how long some of those commercials are? Oh, and it's kind of hard to ignore the long list of side-effects that are thrown in right before the commercial ends, usually a deep and persuasive male voice giving off an educated vibe recites them...know what I mean? You almost want to believe that all those side-effects are, in fact, rare, as the companies claim. Then you actually take the drug and start wondering if maybe, just maybe, more than 5% of people suffer from the symptoms you're experiencing because...well...you feel like crap, and this time a deeper shade than before.

The prospect of feeling better with one of these supposed "miracle drugs" is quite tempting, believe me, I know! But, just hold on, upon taking the drug, whatever it may be, you might actually start noticing a change in the way you feel...oh, but it's a change for the worse, my friend! Been there, done that. Some of the symptoms are actually more threatening or bothersome than whatever the medications are supposed to treat and alleviate. Funny, didn't mean to make reference to an aspirin pill right there; I don't have too many hard feelings against over-the counter pills...then again, even Tylenol can cause LIVER DAMAGE if your system entertains its presence for more than a few days out of the month.

Now here's the kind of story you won't hear advertised during the break right before you find out if Ditsy Dorthy is gonna continue dating that loser guy who doesn't have an ounce of redeeming qualities to his name (sorry, can't stand those dating shows)...

(Cue the violins!)
There was a time I had a gallbladder, you might've known me in those days. I actually felt far from geriatric, this was way before I took the time to notice what AARP advertisements had to offer their social security collecting customers. Ah, yes, and my gallbladder: it was lean and healthy, the perfect shade of some random Crayola color name, somewhere between Oscar the Grouch green and Big Bird Yellow. It pumped bile like no other gallbladder; my food digested fabulously...that means, no signs of bloating or nausea. Then (DUN DUN DUN!) in high school I started taking this very popular but nasty pill that contained something funky known as ESTRADIOL, aka birth control. And why did I take that pretty pink pill? Because I had ovarian cysts, and a nice cocktail combo of estrogen and progesterone was supposed to knock those suckers right out. And it did...but it also destroyed the precious life of my formerly functional gallbladder. Then I had no choice but to have it removed, or risk developing gallstones and liver damage.
That's my tragic story, but, please, read on.

I was young and naive when I first started ingesting those horrible hormones. You know that little pamphlet of informative facts that comes along with your prescription drugs? READ IT! IT'S THERE FOR A REASON. I had no idea that individuals were put at a higher risk of developing gallbladder disease if they took the pill. I was the perfect candidate for such an illness too! My mother, grandmother, and great grandmother all had to have their green little gallbladders removed.

There's a lovely saying that goes: A wise man learns from the mistakes of others, a smart man learns from his own mistakes, and a fool never learns. I'm not completely trying to destroy the credibility of every prescription drug out there. I know so many people these days that want quick relief for whatever is ailing them, but I doubt they ever stop to consider whether or not popping pills is actually wise. I understand there are certain medications whose benefits actually outweigh the costs, take inhalers prescribed to asthmatics, for instance. I am grateful for medical advancements; thank God for the existence of antibiotics that destroy common bacteria like strep. I know I certainly wouldn't be here ranting and raving if it weren't for that pink bubblegum flavored medication commonly prescribed to children with infections. Yes, Penicillin, I thank you for sparing the lives of both the young and old. But even though it might've tasted like it came out of a grocery store candy machine when it was given to me as a kiddo, Penicillin is not something meant to satisfy a sweet tooth, so we shouldn't treat it or any other prescription drug as if the worst thing they'll cause is an unpleasant visit to the dentist office followed by a few root canal appointments.