Childproof Irritation


I have been taking medications since I was 2 years old. My oldest med is digoxin, a heart med which helps keep the heart healthy and the rhythm function stable. Since I have a congenital heart defect, my doctors way back then thought this med would help to keep it functioning better. I used to take the digoxin by dropper, and I still remember loving the taste and wishing my mom could give me more when it was time to take it! Ha! Eventually I moved on to the tiny pill form of digoxin, and that meant the beginning of childproof caps. I never worried about that for a very long time because my parents (well, my mom  mostly) gave me my pill to take every day. This also included pills like antibiotics and such for the times I was sick. There were a LOT of those times for me growing up. Being sick sure stunk big time!!

Years down the road when I began to keep track of taking my meds on my own, I struggled with trying to open the stupid childproof caps on the bottles. Of course, I would try and try to open it, but if I couldn't, I could just hand it to my mom or dad, and voila! It was opened, and I could take my pill!

This all changed when I moved out on my own. If I forgot to say something to my pharmacy about having a regular cap instead of the impossible childproof cap, then I was in trouble! I started making it known at my local pharmacy that I wasn't able to open up most of my meds very easily if there was a childproof cap, so they finally started to put it into my records that I needed a regular cap. I'd say about 95% of the time, that is what I receive when I pick up a prescription.

I receive my two PH meds from a pharmacy called Accredo. I get a call each month for refills, and I have to provide a bunch of information. My Tracleer comes in a bottle with a childproof cap, but ironically, it's the only one I've never had a problem with, and that's amazing!  My Revatio is a whoooooooole other story. It has to be about the worst childproof cap I've ever encountered!! I usually spend at least 15 minutes trying to get the darn thing open. I have hurt the palms of my hands trying to get it to open. I admit I've tried using knives to pry it open. One time I wished I had a chainsaw to get it apart!! I've sworn up and down and I've even shot it across the room in utter frustration. Sometimes if I leave it alone for awhile, I can open it right away when I try again. It's as if I loosened it up enough during the first round of irritation that it just opened at will on the second try.

You would think that I would've asked Accredo by now if it was possible to NOT HAVE A CHILDPROOF CAP ON MY REVATIO?????  HELLO????

Soooo, today while I was doing my Revatio reorder, I finally remembered to ask to talk to a pharmacist about this!!! And guess what?? The pharmacist told me they'd make a note in my file to make sure I would always get a regular cap when my Revatio comes every month. YIPPEE!!! I'm really very proud of myself for actually asking about this! Let's just hope when it arrives next week that the memo wasn't ignored, and that I can open up the bottle peacefully and calmy and without injuries!!!

Comments

lady jicky said…
I had to smile reading this today.
I hate those child proof bottles and they drive me nuts too!!
2:35 AM
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