The reason I've been quite inactive in Multiply is because I've been down with a NASTY cold.
So yea... I've been sneezing and coughing... having stuffy nose, headaches PLUS bad mood (aaarrrggghhh~~).
At first I thought it was just "the usual cold" (coz hey - so many people around me were also having the same symptoms, la~!!), but after a week with no improvements whatsoever... I thought it was time to get some ammunition.
Butttt... I didn't have time to go to the hospital (OK, I admit I was LAZY to actually go to the hospital, waste time waiting to see the doctor, pay and then get the meds, etc., etc., etc....)
 So I thought, "Hey, Boots in Empo has a pharmacist on duty~!! I can just quickly pop in there and get some meds~!!"
And that was what I did. I went into Boots and asked the pharmacist for some meds. First, she asked me for my symptoms (coughing, sneezing, stuffy nose, itchy throat...) and she quickly sold me two meds:
 - Ventolin (25 baht)- Tavipec (60 baht)
- I also got some Strepsils for my itchy throat (21 baht)
Only after I'd paid and about to drink the two meds did I notice that the label Ventolin said "for treatment of asthma" and Tavipec said "to remove phlegm"...
Hmmmm... asthma~?! I don't have freakin' asthma... and my coughing was more dry than phlegmy (thus the itchy throat)... so why did she give me something to remove the (non-existent) phlegm~?! Stupidly, I threw caution to the wind and drank both (perhaps the frequent coughing was also affecting my ability to think clearly).
No, I didn't turn into a newt. I didn't have a fatal allergic reaction. And I didn't need a trip to the ER (emergency room) either.
But what I did have:
- heart  palpitations so hard that I thought I was hooked on a combination of speed, Red Bull and coffee
- hand-shaking so "active" that I couldn't even get my handwriting straight~!!
(I swear I must had looked like the psychotic version of the Energizer Bunny - oh gawd)
"What the hell did that biatch at Boots give me~!!!!" I thought furiously to myself.
So... there was no other choice but to go to a REAL hospital to get some REAL meds (which I SHOULDA done in the first place~!!!!!!).
The doctor at Samitivej Hospital (Sukhumvit 49) actuall y LAUGHED when I showed her the two offending meds.
"Ventolin~!!" she exclaimed. "This is for asthma sufferers~!! This is a bronchodilator (in plain and simple English: a medicine that relaxes the muscles surrounding the airways to help breathing and relieve asthma symptoms)."
I told her about the heart palpitations and hand-shakes and she said, "These are the side effects of Ventolin. You shouldn't take it if you don't have asthma."
(I NEVER said I have asthma to the Boots pharmacist, riiight~?! Was she just shooting in the dark with my meds~?! Grrrrr....)
"And what about this?" the doctor asked me of the other med (Tavipec). "Is it working for you?"
"Weeeell... my cough is DRY, so I don't actually have any phlegm to be 'removed'..."
The doctor laughed again and said, "I think I better give you some new medicines~!!" (OH HELL YEA~!!!!!)
My bill for Samitivej came to: 2,205 baht
 My new meds:
- KlaCID (antibitotics)
- Ropect (for cough)
- ClarinASE (for allergic rhinitis)
- Fluimucil tablets (effervescent tablets)
Yes, the difference in price is OBVIOUS, but when it comes to one's health, money should be no object, riiight~??
I am still busy kicking myself for being stupid (and lazy) and swallowing some dodgy pills I was already suspicious of in the first place~!!
streetsmartsukhumvit@gmail.com
 SUCKA~!!!
 sukhumvit  bangkok  thailand
 | Hope you are feeling better soon. *sniggers* |
| Awwww, I am sorry big. I shouldn't have put in the *snigger*. Jing jing, I hope you get well soon. |
| Erm....nope. I am all for natural cures. So if I were you I would be taking lots of water with manao and honey, drinking orange juice and cutting back on the fags.
Your main enemy is the air that you breath. Perhaps a few days in the country side would do you the world of good. |
 | Thanks for the entertaining write up!
John. |
 | OMG...I buy my meds at Boots everytime I go there..I have allergic rhinitis.
hope you're feeling better! |
 | Yeah.. you kind of get what you pay for over the counter. (My share of the experience: Telfast (for allergy) for my cold.) Hey, 2,205 Baht isn't bad for a Pharma lesson. You now know what you should get for your nasty cold next time. Hehe.
Get well soon, SSS. |
 | ginger tea works for me when im having sore throat or something like that...hehehe!
but hope yer feelin' better sweetie :D
|
 | Going to the drugstore directly to buy medicines for one's ailment is self-medication...that's the danger of it. You are right, money is of no concern when it comes to health. Hope you get well soon. |
| I think that the best thing that you can take for your malady is the to Kanchanaburi. They go every 30 minutes from the Southern Bus Terminal. |
| Sit by the river, breath decent air and get better. |
 | Um..., hope you are feeling better now.
Best wishes! |
 | kopeto wrote on Mar 2, edited on Mar 2 Are you ok? A mixed prescription drugs is not a good idea. You were lucky to get to hospital in time. It could be worst you know. Take care.
|
 | Oh....how could I miss this blog entry!!! You were lucky going to the hospital in time but it would be cheaper if you went to see a doctor in a clinic in stead. ;) |
| |
Hope you are feeling better soon. *sniggers* 
