Getting rid of the little Russian within, or better living through chemistry

No, don't take me literally, I am not pregnant.

For some reasons most Russians believe that drugs (at least the kind that a doctor prescribes) are bad for you. I have a theory that this belief has something to do with the quality of Russian drugs, but even then it is excessive. It is also a part of the belief that "anything unnatural is bad for you" in spite of the overwhelming evidence that life expectations have risen sharply with the invention of all these unnatural drug substances.

That, by the way, is why Russia has so many abortions and drug-resistant bacteria. When I was a teenager most young women who used birth-control pills at all used them by buying them and putting them in the drawer without actually eating them as directed. Then, if she missed a period, the woman would eat a whole month's supply at once. This often worked, too.

The drug-resistant bacteria appear when Russians in their infinite wisdom start eating antibiotics and then stop as soon as the symptoms disappear. And it's not like they don't know any better: the doctors that prescribe said antibiotics keep stressing that they should be taken until the bitter end; it's just that the population is not listening.

Now, I take my birth-control pills and my antibiotics properly, but I tend to lapse on much anything else. Yesterday during a work-related checkup I had a nurse actually remind me to take my medication.

The medication in question is nothing dramatic: various antihistamines (usually Kestine) and fluticasone propionate (a nasal spray that helps with runny nose). I have never had any side effects from either. So why the hell do I always need somebody to remind me to use these as the first resort and not the last?

Feeling much better today, BTW, after using the fluticasone propionate as directed.