From 2010
The other day I came home from work with a headache. As my husband and I were going out to our favourite Indian restaurant and I didn’t have to cook tea, I thought I would go to bed for an hour.
In the bathroom, I reached into the medicine cupboard, grabbed two headache tablets before climbing into bed. It was pleasant after a busy day with sounds from outside drifting in. I dozed and when hubby came in; I knew he couldn’t resist and grabbed a half-hour himself, too.
The headache had gone when I woke, but decided not to drink, and volunteered to drive to the restaurant. We had a lovely meal and when we had finished; I felt fidgety. I put this down to eating too much and needing to get my comfy clothes on.
We walked back to the car, and I didn’t feel too good. I was suddenly cold. I drove home feeling positively strange, almost disorientated. Perhaps I was coming down with something.
I was looking forward to the evening ahead. The second part of Silent Witness was on and the Celebrity Big Brother final.
On the settee, I felt chilly again and reached for the blanket. I’m not one for dozing while watching the television, but I could feel sleep creeping up on me. I longed to close my eyes and knew if I did, I would miss my programmes. So I fought it and started getting the twitches. Something pulsated in my neck and my legs jumped for no reason. It was a peculiar sensation.
I went up to the bathroom, feeling dizzy, and it was only when I sat there I remembered the two headache pills I had popped earlier.
I pulled them from the cupboard and realised with horror they weren’t painkillers. The packet just looked like them.
When we went to America last year, a guy from hubby’s work gave him some tablets which he said his wife takes to help her sleep on long-haul flights. The label said extra strength and will cause drowsiness. Do not drive or operate machinery!
Not only had I taken them, but I had driven too – I was high!
Karen J. Mossman 