“Dammit! I already take thirty-eight pills a day!
They barely fit in my weekly pillboxes, and now I have to add one more each
day!”
This is
an excerpt from my novel Mexico For Better or For Worse. While the story of
expats Jake and Lindsay is fiction, it depicts many people's fears about moving
to Mexico permanently. One of the most common questions I receive is, "How
will I find the medication I need?" Jake and Lindsay discover that it's
possible in most cases. I hope you enjoy the story and learn some things about life as an expat in Mexico at the same time.
Jake had the stock bottles for his vitamins, minerals,
including magnesium for restless legs and sleep, fish oil, CoQ10, and other
nutritional supplements, plus eight prescription medication bottles lined up in
an arch, a rainbow of colors, on the Equipale dining table on their
outdoor patio. His prescription meds included carbidopa/levodopa for
Parkinson’s, l-methylfolate to aid in depression and Parkinson’s disease, a
mood stabilizer and an antidepressant for bipolar disorder, one anti-cholesterol
med, one to relieve urinary difficulty, and one for acid reflux. He had no
desire ever to add another prescription medication to his regimen.
He faced the perfectly arranged bottles, labels turned
precisely toward him, with his two weekly pillboxes settled within the arch. He
had designed his routine for filling his pillboxes and never deviated so he
wouldn’t make a mistake. He popped open the lids of all twenty-eight
compartments and strapped a big pink rubber band around one week’s pillbox lids
to hold them open and out of his way and a large purple rubber band to hold
open the second week’s pillbox compartments. He flattened the wrinkled list of
medications and supplements beside the pillboxes for his reference—ready to
work. The scowl on his face made it clear he was annoyed about preparing his
next two-week supply of pills. He worked from the top of his list and did not
like to be interrupted once he started filling the boxes for fear of losing his
place.
“What are you adding?” Lindsay asked, leaning over to peer
at his Medication List.
“Wellbutrin SR 150 mg. We bought this two months ago at the local
pharmacy so I could try it for two weeks instead of the Wellbutrin XL 300 mg we
brought from Arizona. It’s high time I use it and see how it makes me feel.”
“That’s good. Hopefully, you won’t notice any difference.
Remember that you’ll take one of the 150 mg tablets with your morning pills at
around 9:00 AM, but you’ll take the second 150 mg dose in the early afternoon,
no later than 3:00, or it might keep you awake at night. It’s for your
depression and gives you energy during the day. So, you won’t put a tablet into
your evening box.” Lindsay thought, I explained this to Jake in April when
he bought the Wellbutrin 150 mg, but he doesn’t remember two months later.
“How will I remember to take it in the middle of the day?
Why does this have to be so complicated?” Jake rested his forehead in his hand
and shook his head slowly from side to side. He looked overwhelmed.
Any change in medication treatment or routine gets harder
for Jake each year. All I can do is try to keep it simple for him.
She replied, “You have your phone alarm set for 3:00 so you can remember to
take your levodopa. You can take your Wellbutrin at the same time as your 3:00
carbidopa/levodopa dose.”
“So that means I have to carry more pills in my pocket for
my 3:00 meds. It still means I’ll be taking thirty-nine pills each day
now! I hate it!”
“I know. I’m sorry, babe. Try to think of the
positive—Wellbutrin has been the best antidepressant you’ve ever taken, right?”
“Definitely. In the twenty years that I’ve taken drugs for
depression, Wellbutrin was the first one that made me feel normal again.”
“And levodopa has helped your Parkinson’s symptoms, right?”
“Yeah, it has. Sorry I’m complaining. Thanks for your help
with this.”
“It’s okay. So, after taking Wellbutrin 150 mg twice daily
for a couple of days, let me know how you feel. I don’t expect you’ll notice
any difference. The important thing is to remember to take that second dose no
later than 3:00. I think I’ll set my phone alarm for 3:00, too, so I can help
you remember to take it.”
“It’ll be fine, I’m sure.”
Lindsay leaned over and gave Jake a hug and a kiss on his
cheek. “I love you,” she said with a smile.
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