In our modern world of miracle drugs and instant gratification from pain, sometimes it’s not the pain that will get you. Sometimes it’s the cure that will lay you out and make you miss the pain.

The following is a list of the side effects from a pill designed to help you not get sleepy. I worked third shift a lot of years and when I first heard of this pill it sounded like something I could have used back then. But then I read the side effects. I soon realized that if I had taken this pill back then it’s highly probable I would have been going out on disability much sooner than I eventually did. See what you think.

I’m not going to mention this pill, just to be on the safe side, but everything I name as side effects was retrieved straight off the companies web page.

Side effects of the pill to help you stay alert:

1. May cause serious rash or allergic condition that may affect parts of your body such as your liver or blood cells. Any of these may need to be treated in a hospital and may be life threatening. If you develop a skin rash, hives, sores in your mouth, blisters, peeling, or yellowing of your skin or eyes, trouble swallowing or breathing, dark urine, or fever, stop taking this medication and call your doctor right away or get emergency help.

2. You may develop mental symptoms including: depression, feeling anxious, sensing things that are not really there, increase in activity (mania), thoughts of suicide, aggression, or other mental problems.

3. Symptoms of heart problems including: chest pain, abnormal heart beats, and trouble breathing.

4. Common side effects are headache, nausea, feeling nervous, stuffy nose, diarrhea, back pain, feeling anxious, trouble sleeping, dizziness, and upset stomach. These are not all the side effects of this medication.

5. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of this medication to the F.D.A.

Well, I don’t know about you but I think I would risk getting a little sleepy! And this is only one pill. What if we have to add a whole recipe of pills daily that our doctors seem to think we can’t live without?

Now I know there are some wonderful medications out there that in all likelihood are saving lives as we speak, and God bless them! I just hope the medical profession will remember that we are not all pharmacists, and we might need a little help mixing and matching our daily batch of “you need these pills”.

Maybe instead of taking the pill we should just read the side effects. If I was nodding off, that would sure wake me up!

I’ll be right back.