Dear LPG, 

Being a lady of a certain age is something I try to forget for the most part but we all slow up a bit even though apart from that life goes on.  I bet that there are many persons of pensionable age who think this way, but once you get to the stage when the work commute is not a daily occurrence there are so many options out there for you.

I stopped working, (going out each morning to earn the money that I live on), years ago and not having to do that does come with a very special freedom until your days start to become populated with more visits to make contact with your GP.  

Things seem to get a bit more complicated in the health department as you get older and we all seem to have to make more room in our lives for the collection of a new commodity.  The pills and other bits of medication that become part of our daily diet.

I think that while our bodies are getting used to the things we have to swallow, rub on or inhale to maintain our good health, or at least keep it going as best we can, the packs of pills, bottles of liquid and tubes of creams have a habit of overtaking a notable space in our homes.   Then there are the over-the-counter preparations that our friends recommend, and the natural remedies that represent the remedial gambles that did not quite pay off.

According to some information I read on the internet, we oldies can go from being virtually medication-free to having a daily collection of pills to pop before you know it.  This most probably comes as no surprise to many of us but makes for a sobering read in itself.  I also found some information about the amount of drugs that never actually get used and the national resulting cost.  I have to say that the national statistics surprised me somewhat but, when you break it down on a personal level, and take a look at the assortment that you are slowly amassing, the statistics look more plausible.  If got me thinking that perhaps my unused stash could do with a little thinning out.

Part of the problem is the collection of medicines that age before you get around to using them but even if they are younger than that, once prescribed and then rejected, they all have to be binned.  The big problem is that all too often we don’t get around to getting rid of the ones we are never going to use.  I have found a few bits of online information about just how much money it all costs nationally but perhaps taking a look at getting rid of our personal stash in the same way might be a way forward.

I have found some information on the subject that might make for interesting reading and suggest each of our personal pill collections may well be another assortment of souvenirs that we perhaps need to sort out from time to time so that we can be a bit more mindful when collecting those items included in our repeat prescriptions that don’t get used as often, and perhaps taking some of them back to the pharmacy each time we visit to collect our latest consignment could help to lower this particular statistic.

OC, Catford.

OC shares what she found…

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