Runaway Pills – Problems and Solutions

A week ago I shook a little pill out of its little bottle towards my waiting meaty paw. The pill made a break for freedom. It bounced out of my hand and left for parts unknown. I was sitting in my office chair, so the drop was less than two feet. I have carpet, so you would think it wouldn’t bounce.

I searched with an LED flashlight. Down a rabbit hole? A carpet vortex? A pill with legs? No pill. Yesterday I found it. It had dropped to the floor; went underneath my chair and continued on another three feet before making a 90 degree left-hand turn and finally stopping two feet under my table. The little pill went on a nine foot journey!

Today, another tiny pill, this one shaped like a flattened football escaped on the way to my mouth. I saw it fall. I saw it hit the carpet. I saw it escape down the alley between two white plastic file cabinets. I used my flashlight again and searched down the half inch alley and found . . . no pill. Nada. There must have been a get-a-way car waiting.

I thought to myself, I can’t be the only person experiencing disappearing medicine. I checked out the internet to see if anyone else has reported runaway pills. In turns out they have. Meaty paws, shaky hands, and tiny pills all work together to confound older people . . . not that I’m really in that group. I found a number of comments and finally read one that made the most sense, “With Mom I used a shot glass.” I tried it out a couple of times before I realized you’re supposed to put the pills in the glass.