Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

"If there's one thing that unites us as people, it is that no matter what your race, creed, or sexual preference, there is a word that people use to describe you ... that is very nasty. It's what we all have in common. That and masturbation." -- Jon Stewart, on the Comedy Central television program The Daily Show, 2010-08-30

Ugh. For a couple weeks, I've been having frequent headaches, even more frequent bouts of dizziness and visual distortions, and spells of hyperacusis. This feels rather a lot like how the four-month migraine started, so I've taken steps to get more of the beta blocker that broke that cycle the last time. (It didn't prevent migraines entirely, but it did make them distinct events days or weeks apart instead of a daily, "I've been up fo four hours so now I'm falling over again," drill.)

That won't salvage my plan to go to a party tonight, alas, as I don't have the drug yet. I am annoyed. I'd been looking forward to seeing friends, not another night of deciding whether I feel well enough to watch television or not. (Sometimes the cocoa powder and basil remedy is enough to make me feel that I can drive; today, it was just swapping pain for dizziness.)

I've ordered the beta blocker from an overseas pharmacy, since my health coverage mess is still not sorted out. It's a place I've seen recommended by folks in the trans community as being reputable and selling stuff that matches what's on the label, but still, there are the nagging doubts because, well, there's been a lot of FUD about these places, and I'd long postponed trying any of them because I knew that some are rip-off joints and didn't know which to trust. From what I've been reading, this one sounds like a good bet, but how would I really know? (Well, I'll soon find out if they send me effective beta blockers, anyhow.)

Sheepie pointed out the risks, again, but also mentioned that counterfeit drugs have shown up in reputable US drug stores as well, apparently the result of counterfeiters having gained access to shipments and substituted their boxes for the authentic ones so they could sell the real drugs elsewhere. (More FUD, of confirmed by news & law enforecement? Will hit Google after dinner.) That got me wondering about my recent acid reflux trouble, where I've rather suddenly had to switch from taking Prilosec eight times a week, to having ten doses a week almost make me comfortable. I do know that bodies change, and mine does get used to some drugs (when I started taking Prilosec, then still prescription-only, every other day was enough for the first year or two), but this change took place awfully suddenly. So I've begun wondering: did my acid reflux get that much worse that quickly, did my body stop responding to Prilosec that quickly, or did I somehow get ahold of a bad (or counterfeit) batch of Prilosec?

First clue: if others in my area are experiencing the same thing, possibly a bad batch; if not, likely my body just being really annoying. (FWIW, while most generics work as well for me as name brands do, Prilosec and Zyrtec^[*] are the two where I notice a big difference. Right now, the Prilosec is working about as well as the generic version usually does, or maybe a little worse -- I'm still trying to find the just right dosing schedule.)

Related to the first paragraph: in my house, between the clutter I really do want to tidy someday, and the overall layout of the house, no matter where I walk I am close to a wall, furniture, or both. At Mom's house, there are proper open spaces, which is a much more visually pleasing effect, and usually more comfortable.

OTOH, this means that when I'm as dizzy at home as I am this evening, I can just lurch along, bouncing off walls to stay upright ... and at Mom's house, there's actually room to fall over. (I haven't fallen yet, but I noticed how much of a mistake it was not to have grabbed my cane earlier.)

Oddly, Canadian generic cetirizine does seem to work just as well as US name-brand Zyrtec, but the US generic cetirizine I've tried requires a double dose to get the same effect. This does, of course, leave open the possibility that (depending on how many US manufacturers there are) I might still be able to find a locally available generic that does work for me, but I've not encountered it yet.