Caught!

On August 31, 2006 I got caught speeding. The resulting fine could have been worse, much worse.

I had been on kidney dialysis and complained to Dr. Pawar that I had trouble sleeping at night. It had gone on for quite awhile and I just wanted to see what was available. It gets a little tiring to lay around and think half the night, or all night. Why couldn’t I just have a good full night’s sleep!

He suggested a medication which should work: Remeron. Between him and the charge nurse it was suggested that I take only half a pill. It might be too strong to take a whole one. So I took his prescription to the pharmacy and got the generic version which was less expensive: Mirtazapine 15 mg.

I’m the kind of person who doesn’t care to rely on drug medications so I waited awhile before I even tried it. It must have been a couple of weeks later when I was tossing and turning and generally feeling a little miserable about it. Suddenly I remembered the pills which were sitting in the bathroom medicine cabinet. In a burst of insight, or foolishness, I reasoned that it was the first time I took it, it might take awhile to kick in, why don’t I take the whole pill. I swallowed one and went back to bed again.

It wasn’t long before I saw the results, tiny flashes of light that bespoke a high dose of something. But I soon fell into a nice reasonably restful sleep until morning.

When I got up in the morning I felt a little groggy, which is often normal. I planned to go into town to do an errand and headed that way in my trusty red Ford Focus, all the way to Lexington Avenue in Mansfield. There the traffic was a little slow; a little too slow for me. I passed it all and then spotted a police car waiting on the sidelines. I didn’t bother slowing down. I wanted to get to my destination.

Sure enough. He took off with overheads blazing and caught up to me. Maybe it was the red car. I pulled over and he sauntered over and asked for my license and insurance. It just so happened that I had just bought the car a month or so before and the updated insurance was still at home in my desk drawer. I had the outdated insurance but he insisted on the current version.

He started talking, telling me what I have to do, but for some reason I hardly understood a word he said. Later I ascertained that he was telling me to go to the Municipal Building and pay the fine there, after verifying that I had the correct insurance. I was to call my insurance company and have them fax a copy of the updated insurance to them, and then I would pay my fine there.

Everything he was saying did not make sense to me. I couldn’t get it together in my mind what he was talking about. I asked him a question to make clear what he was saying. Apparently my question was rather garbled to him and he laughed. Fortunately, that’s all he did. I was in the throes of DUI (driving under the influence) and he didn’t catch it, or didn’t care to pursue it. Noticing that the fine was not posted on the ticket, I asked him how much it was. He repeated the indiscernible instructions, which I started to vaguely understand, and then let me go. At least I found out where I had to go to pay the fine.

The effects of the medicine gradually wore off. I went home to get my checkbook and then went to the Municipal Building office and presented the ticket. The clerk told me to call my insurance company to fax my proof of insurance. When she received it she presented me with the bill for the fine: $90.

Rather shaken by the experience I laid off the medication for awhile and when another bout of sleeplessness took over, I dared to take another dose. This time I cut the pill in half. I slept pretty good on a half ration but I took care not to drive, or at least drive conscientiously. I found that it was still too large a dose. So I cut the halves in half and took a quarter pill from then on. But I didn’t bother taking them after awhile. Now, almost 2 years later, I still have some left, all cut into quarters, which I’ll probably discard.

Usually you flush them down the toilet but that is frowned on these days. Recently there have been news items with information about the danger of discarding medicines in that fashion.

How to Dispose of Unwanted Medicines

DON’T FLUSH UNUSED MEDICINES Why? Because they can end up in our rivers and streams. To help protect our environment, throw unused, unwanted or expired over-the-counter and prescription medicines in the trash. Don’t flush medicines — except when specifically instructed by the label.

DO THROW IN THE TRASH The American Pharmacists Association recommends steps for safely disposing of pills and liquids. These steps will help prevent their misuse or accidental ingestion by children or pets.

• Keep the medicines in their original container. This will help identify the contents if they are accidentally ingested.
• Cross out your name and prescription number for safety.
• For pills: add some salt water to start dissolving them. For liquids: add something inedible like cat litter, dirt or ash.
• Seal the container and secure with duct or packing tape.
• Put the container in the trash as close to pickup time as possible. Do not put in the recycle bin.

I now live with the problem of sleeplessness in my own way. When I engage in prayer and meditation before retiring I am apt to be able to sleep. There are not as many bouts of sleeplessness to deal with. And you don't have to be religious to engage in meditation; it relaxes the mind and body, among other benefits.