Gamin'Gal :  That is terrible! I am so very sorry you have to go through that so young. I wish I didn't have to take meds I never take pain medicene anymore unless it's terrible.. I guess it's been quite a while sense I have had to take it.. I am never sick and haven't been in over 3 years except I got a terrible cold a while ago but I just took some cough drops.. I am a pretty healthy person but I have no choice but to take my depression and mood disorder medication.. if I don't take it.. it gets pretty bad.. I can go about a week without my depression until I start getting really sick.. one of the side effects of my medication is coughing and if I am off of my depression for so long you can tell in my face that something is wrong.. I have pictures of me when I was terribly sick after not taking it over a week because I couldn't get anybody to get down to the store and get it.. I don't see anything wrong with cough drops though.. like eirinn was mentioning. I wish I didn't have to take medication for my problems but the truth is I have no choice. I hope I never get sick like I did again it was terrible.. other than my depression and mood problems I am a pretty healthy person.. or at least that is what the doctors said and I feel healthy with is also a good thing.

I have to keep ibuprofen on my at all times. My boss man even keeps a bottle in the office for me just in case I get caught without mine at work. Reason being, I get migraine headaches sporadically. If I can catch them RIGHT when I feel the pang in the back of my neck and take some ibuprofen, I can cut it off at the pass before it gets started. If I don't catch it? It quickly degrades into a sick migraine headache where I can't keep anything down. People ask me why I don't take aspirin and instead go for the ibuprofen. Answer: I'm fatally allergic to aspirin. A baby aspirin when I was little caused me asphyxiation and nearly killed me.

About the cough drops that Eirinn briefly mentioned: When I had bronchitis at the end of last November, cough drops effectively prevented my coughing. I was really pleased that my coughing could be controlled.

After the sickness was gone, I still felt like eating (sucking) them. I kept using them for a week more and realized that I might be addicted. I immediately threw away the one I was sucking and stayed away from them. 

It seems like a simple Halls can cause so much trouble. I would hate to think about the long term effects of addiction to more potent medicines. (Especially since they are flavored to taste better, too)