Monday, October 27, 2008

Sleep is for the weak

I'm allergic to everything. Dust, pollen, mold, water, my own body oils, everything. I react to stuff 50 weeks of the year. It's not as bad as it was where I grew up, but I still require an unhealthy dose of drugs. On the plus side, my body spends so much time amping up the immune system to deal with that crap that I'm also immune to almost everything. There was that one bout with some crud that the doctors had no name for where I lost 30 lbs in a week.

About a week ago I tried a new allergy medication. To be fair, Yummy got it for me. I hate going up to the counter to pick up medications and she was good enough to pick it up for me. It works. It works really well. I mean REALLY well. No clogs or sniffles of any sort. I could eat anything I like. I probably could have driven the wheat truck to the grain elevator without needing an oxygen tent after. I was even immune to sleep!

That last bit concerned me a tad. Mom gives me some stuff when I return to Kansas that can eliminate the ability to sleep after a few days. This stuff obliterated that need after two doses. I still went to bed but I couldn't even doze. I stayed up and got some work done so I could call in sick to work the next day in case the need for sleep came the next day. I got an hour and a half between 6:30 am and 8 am and then was back up like I'd slept for at least 18 hours.

I switched back to my old stuff. It doesn't clear me up as well, but I can sleep.

The whole incident did leave me wondering something. This drug, as well as Sudafed, cough syrup, and others, you have to get over the counter and/of in limited quantities so that you can't start a meth lab in the garage. So if the unaltered meds can leave me that strung out but clear nosed what are the antihistamine/decongestant properties of crystal meth?

My boss/colonel/doctor says that it would be unethical and illegal to perform experiments to find out. I pointed out that we used to do LSD experiments on humans. We learned a lot but can't do those tests now. We decided we need to go to Mexico or South Korea or something like that and perform some experiments on people who aren't me. I prefer Mexico because it's warmer.

See, now I want a big block of crystal meth by the front door. A meth lick. I'll just give it a lick on the way out the door and go Kleenex free all day long.

7 comments:

lacochran said...

A number of years ago I had a cold and a date. I took some drug I hadn't taken before and felt better. Then, I wasn't just awake, I was hyper-awake. Like I'd never sleep again. Bouncing off the walls.

My date was delighted. :)

Ibid said...

This drug had... lets say "deleterious effects". The drug kept the mucus membranes from swelling, but there were other tissues that were also kept from swelling. Neither my date nor I were delighted.

Sweetly Single said...

I often try to avoid giving medical advice- but.... sigh allergies are something that I know plenty about!

There was a research group doing trials on the effects of caffeine on autistic children; what they found is that the hyper autistic children would calm down after they are given the drug. Mostly because instead of making them more hyper it shuts off that part of their brain and makes them calm.

The same can be said with some version of allergy medications. If you are even slightly a morning person even the day time meds will turn that off and make you comotose. OR they will make you so hyper your brain doesn't have a chance to catch up and shut down.... it all depends on that one little part of your brain.

Recently there is a belief that the allergen producing nerve ending is easily reached through the nose. Which of course makes sense.

From experience; both of us are allergy sufferers. My squirt has a long acting slow release pill called Singular.... it was the only thing that worked after he developed a resistance to all the over the counter stuff (sounds like you have) and for me I use an allergy nose spray.... it not only stopped the darn histamines but it helped stop my migranes..the only down fall of the spray is it can easily induce a resistance if over-used.

Both of these.... hit the root of the issue and doesn't stop mucous production.

Ibid said...

My impression of the impact of stimulants on the hyper was that they evened out the neurons firing. Inability to pay attention is supposedly due to irregular firing patterns. By giving someone stimulant like caffeine, sugar, or Ritalin you make the neurons fire more regularly.
It's completely contrary to what you'd think you'd need to do for a hyper kid but it works.

GreenCanary said...

This is why I love being immune to all known side effects of drugs. I can take anything and still function at my normal level of activity. I like to think this is because I'm Wonder Woman, but in actuality it's probably because I'm such a (prescription) drug fiend and have been my entire life.

Ibid said...

I'm sure I'd adapt before long. Either I'd even out and start sleeping again or else I'd grow wings and patrol above the city at night looking for members of the criminal element to swoop down and drag away screaming into the night.

Kate said...

Anything that says, "May cause excitability in children?" I'm doomed to be awake for a week. It's horrid.