Holy kamole.

Here's an object lesson for everybody: Before you leave the examining room, ask your doctor what she plans to prescribe for your condition.

I don't like narcotics. They make me sleepy and sick and fuzzy-headed, so I prefer not to take them whenever possible. I have made this clear and asked that it be noted in my chart at every doc I see.

Today I went to the usual place for a sinus infection. While I was there, seeing an MD that I don't normally see, I mentioned that the cough that went with my URI was keeping me up at night. He told me he'd give me something to calm the cough.

He gave me Flutuss HC. I had to Google it, having never heard of it before. It's promethazine (Phenergan) and codeine. Narcotic, yes. Combination of two drugs that will guarantee sleep, no joke. I've had patients on both drugs who came close to not breathing any more. Fuzzy-head-making and quease-inducing? You bet.

It may be time to dig out the Tessalon Perles (it knocks me out, but it's relatively short-acting in my system) and just go with that.

Meanwhile, I have a bottle of stuff I can't use. If I'd just asked a simple question or two, or reconfirmed that I don't like narcotics, I could've saved both my insurance company and myself some dough.