Explains it

Bill was home today so I took advantage of a couple of hours to get some pre-trip errands run sans kids.

Pick up Typhoid preventive for Kenya trip from Dr- Check
Target run for more sunscreen and a travel first aid kit- Check
Bank - Check
Gas-Check
Library Hold Pick up-Check

I even had time to run by a local running store to try on a new pair of shoes, something LONG on the to-do list. You get the picture that without dragging a temperamental toddler and ever questioning 6 year old was almost as good as a vacation

Last stop the pharmacy to pick up all family medications. I typically pair with a grocery run with prescription pick up since they are in the same place.  As I'm waiting child-free I am checking through the prescriptions and notice that I am missing one.  I mention it to the Pharmacist and she finds it.  I comment that it's sixty 500 mg tablets.  

"What I have here is 1000 mg, are you sure you have the right medicine." Hold the phone as I think how when I fill up my old people sized weekly pill keeper I've been putting TWO of these tablets not ONE.  The pharmacist looks back and has been filling this dose since moving all prescriptions here last December.  


Before you ask how did you miss taking a double dose I've been taking the same amount off-label for PCOS for 11 years. Long story short, because the new pharmacy fills all Diabetes drugs for free I didn't realize that the default 60 tablet supply was giving me 60 tablets at the higher dose.   

I feel a little stupid for all these months when I picked up prescriptions and looked to make sure I had the right ones and the right number of pills.  Somehow I missed the dosage.  Kinda important, right? 


I had the pharmacist look up overdosing side effects including: extreme tiredness and depletion of Vit B 12 stores. 


Flashforward to how for the last 6 months I've been SO tired.  Like falling asleep by 9:30/10 pm many nights tired or even struggling to make it to the end of the school day.  I've had no energy to exercise outside of walking the dog even though I've wanted to get back to a routine. 


Only since school ending have I been back in a gym, even adding some running back oh so slowly.  Thinking it was all just related to two major surgeries recovery and returning to work I pushed it off and kept going while just dragging through the day living on caffeine until I could crash at night.   


So what to do?  I contacted my plastic surgeon's office remembering that I'd done extensive blood work before both surgeries. I don't remember anything from blood work turning up negative, just my EKG having to be repeated.  Still it's a good indicator if the double dose is part of the tiredness factor.


What to take from this story?  


1.  Double even triple check prescriptions.  At least this was MY prescription.    
2.  Don't take the kids when picking up prescriptions.  Sadly one month recently BOTH boys were in the middle of meltdown mode and I walked out leaving an entire cart of groceries at the pharmacy pick up window.  


Wow, kinda glad this happened.  It kinda explains a part of the persistent tiredness.  Kinda glad I have about a month before Kenya to try rebuild some energy especially since the pre-trip vaccinations are not a walk in the park. 


SCARY!