Lesson Learnt 2:Not Compliant to Medication

         I'm currently having sore throat.Usually this will be the earliest sign that I'll be getting sick,that I will go into fever,cold,cough,runny nose.Usually,but not necessarily.hehe.. Actually I'm the kind that rarely take medication when I'm having fever,because I just don't like taking medicine itself.When I was small,I have a strong thought and belief that taking medicine is not good,because it contains chemicals.And I don't know what effect it can cause to my body even though it relieves some health problem.So,whenever I have minor illnesses,I try to avoid taking medicine.Besides,I also don't know the proper technique of how to take medicine by mouth,how to swallow it properly so that it can go directly into my throat,into esophagus and stomach.

        The situation I always encounter when taking medicine;the tablet will stay longer in my mouth,and even if I successfully swallow it,I feel like it stucks somewhere down in the throat.Until I drink a good amount of water,I will not feel comfortable.I remember my father used to teach me to take medicine tablet,and sometimes I failed.I find it difficult to swallow and ,finally it just stays in my mouth.Of course,it tastes even more bitter and finally I spit it out.And that makes me not to taking it again.There was once my father dissolved a paracetamol tablet into a glass of water.I had to drink it,because there's no other way I'm going to swallow it.I already wasted one or two tablets.So,I drank it reluctantly.You can imagine drinking a bitter water.That's actually worse than just simply swallowing the tablet form.I think that was the first time I drink a dissolved tablet and that also should be the last time..lol -p

     

          There was once,few years ago,it was during one month study break.I was just started my holiday,and had a high grade fever.That was a very bad one I've ever had in my life so far as I can remember.I can't forget it until now.Because I had a very bad sore throat with thick greenish,yellowish phlegm and non-stop runny nose for several days.Coughing came later.hehe..I need to remove the phlegm very often,at that time.Blocked nose disturbed my sleep.You know right,I don't like taking paracetamol but since the fever was worse than I thought, so I took about 4 to 5 tablets in one day.These 4 or 5 tablets maybe nothing for some people,but for me who is quite non-compliance to this drug,it is quite a great number for me.lol..I usually take one or two tablets if I really need to take it.I also used Koolfever patch,which I never used before.Usually I'll just use a wet towel,putting it on my forehead.I seemed eager to use this patch,hoping that it works.And definitely it works well.So the high fever greatly reduced in one night.When I woke up from sleep,I sweated a lot,and feel quite warm.Not hot anymore..The next day I still take the tablet but maybe 2 or 3..The bad sore throat continues for 3-5 days..And then,I started to have watery runny nose and cough.Everything settles completely,include cough and runny nose almost two weeks..hehe

   

           When my first time taking capsule form,and there were quite big in size,I wonder if I can swallow it.I'm afraid that it will melt quickly just by putting it into the mouth,exposing my tongue to the bitter powder inside it.It was not true of course,the shell will be broken down inside stomach..yeah..hehe..But then, I noticed that the capsule was much easier to swallow than tablet.Hmm,I think so..You know,I'm compliant to other type of medications like local application,and injection.Nervous and afraid of pain due to injection are definitely there,but I can endure it.My problem was only for oral tablet,which has a bitter taste,big in size,and need swallowing.And the perfect example is paracetamol,which is the typical rounded one.The size is quite big right??..-D

             

          As I grew up,I was exposed to variety of health problems or infections,like food poisonings or skin infections,etc.Again I need to take medication.So,because of this continuous exposure to medicine,finally I'm not afraid to take it anymore.Sometimes I think it's quite shameful and also funny for not being able to take this simple tablet properly.Even my younger siblings who are just much smaller than I am have no problems with that.And I'm here struggling myself just to swallow one tablet.lol.I don't think my problem  is called phobia,'pharmacophobia';which is a fear to medication.Because my most reason not taking it is because of the taste and swallowing problem.Otherwise,I'm just fine.And I don't have problems in other form of medication.Maybe I'm just have poor compliance..-D

           Another problem I had before,I never finished the antibiotics given!!That was before I knew the importance of finishing the course of antibiotics.Whenever I think I'm feeling well,I stopped taking it.Actually,even though we feel better after taking some antibiotics,not all the bacteria are killed and died.These remaining bacteria will undergo mutations and develop resistant to the antibiotic.So,probably the next time we encounter the same problem,it can be much worse,and may require higher doses or different antibiotics.There are various causes of this antibiotic resistance,even inappropriate use of antibiotic when we don't have to take it can also be the cause.Again,my another compliance problem..hehe..

     

                  Actually even up until now,it looks like I still take an effort to swallow the medicine.hehe..But anyway,better than before,and half of the problem solved,I'm not avoiding it just because I don't like it.However,I still keep taking medication to a minimum.If the problem can be relieved by just by some home remedy or bed rest,I'll go for it.If it's just a low grade fever,I need not to take it.I want to allow my body's natural mechanism to act on it's own.Fever itself actually our body's protective mechanism to infections,etc.Our normal body temperature is controlled by a part of the brain,called hypothalamus.Normal temperature is set at around 37°C.When our body is invaded by pathogens like bacteria or viruses,our body macrophages will try to fight these pathogens,and secrete chemicals called pyrogens.These pyrogens will act on the hypothalamus to raise the body temperature.So,there is a new temperature setting,and our body work harder to meet this new temperature.There will be increased cell division and our immune system works faster to kill the pathogens.And this high temperature also many bacteria and viruses.

          There are times when I really want to have a quick relief or when my health problem bothers me so much.In these conditions,I'll take it,which is paracetamol usually,or sometimes straightly go to see the doctor.Other than paracetamol or some cold medication,I dare not to self-prescribe myself with other drugs.Even paracetamol the most commonly used over the counter drug,it has to be taken within safe dose limit per day,because of it's toxicity to the liver if taken excessively.I know there is another analgesic,Aspirin,can be a great pain relief for some type of pain and it can also be found in the pharmacy.But I think Aspirin need prescription from the doctor,for its adverse effect.

Thank you for reading -D