That's okay, we have a drug for that now, too.
Makes you wonder how these guys got anything done, what with their legs spasming about under the table and all...
(...and for the record, yeah, I have that whole twitchy leg thing going on. And no, I don't want any dope to make it go away. I've managed to cowboy up this long, so I think I can make it the rest of the way just fine, thanks.)
In other news, I have 'i wanna choke stupid people' syndrome. Is there a pill for that?
ReplyDelete-sayuncle
What I'm most tired of from the "just take this pill" crowd is the listings of disgusting side effects. Particularly on anything involving the gastrointestinal system. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know, the only drugs those guys used were the ones that they serve at the local tavern. As long as you have caffeine and/or ale, what else do you need?
ReplyDeleteDopalex: Now for sufferers of restless leg syndrome!
ReplyDeleteSide effects: Restless legs...
"In other news, I have 'i wanna choke stupid people' syndrome. Is there a pill for that?"
ReplyDeleteYes. It's quite large.
The hard part is getting the stupid person to hold still long enough for you to jam it down their throat.
As far as RLS goes, for many years (read many decades) people used quinine sulfate to alleviate the symptoms. Then, about 12 years ago the FDA decided that since they had not approved the use of quinine for RLS it was now to be contraindicated for RLS. Yes, this is the same quinine sulfate used to treat malaria. Anyway, as a result the supply of quinine startes to dry up as there are more effective (expensive) remedies for malaria. Lo and behold the RLS thing is a large enough problem that some drug company was able to make a product and profit. Quinine is pretty cheap, and there is no patent on it, which means any licensed manufacturer can make it... Heck, it occurs naturally in cinchona bark, like salcylic acid does in wilow bark.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, the FF had easy acess to alcohol and nicotine naturally, likely slightly inebriated most of the time as potable water tended to be in the form of small beer. Marijuana is a subclass of hemp, there are numerous mushrooms, etc... with mind altering effects, not to mention, as noted above, many of our original meds are plant based. Sadly I have not seen any primary sources that would give us a true feel as to what the pharmacopia of the 18th century in America was really like.
Would that be the same quinine that's in, say, tonic water?
ReplyDeletePretty sure it is Dr. Strangegun.
ReplyDeleteSeems to me that if you sucked down enough Gin & Tonic's your RLS would ease up.
You might not be able to talk anymore, but...
Gregg, thanks for the "psychopathology" of why this "new drug" had to come to market. FF's definitely grew hemp in quantity, but I've yet to see real evidence that it was for smoking. Rope uses a lot of hemp, and they used a lot of rope. For pretty good commentaries on the 18th cent. pharmacopia, see the works of Dr. Benj. Rush, a FF. Fair warning: he was the daddy of all non-smoking activists.
ReplyDeleteI've had RLS for decades.
ReplyDeleteIf it's real bad and the fidgeting keeps me from sleeping at night, I either walk the dog for a bit outside, or pour myself a shot of something like Red Breast, and that does the trick.
(That, or I roll over, wake up Mrs. G-98, and put the extra energy to good use...)
Being a natural spaz without the aid of coffee, I have the urge to bounce my legs when I am forced to sit in one spot for any length of time. Husband is baffled by this, but considering he is one of the most too-tightly-wrapped, neurotic humans I've ever met and also taking into account the fact that he DOESN'T bounce his legs, I take this as a mark of distinction. In a good way. If asked, I'll say it's indicative of my state of relaxed readiness to spring into action. I'd say if you and I are any indication, other people should be taking a pill to foster this condition, rather than quash it.
ReplyDeleteJustin, you're slightly incorrect. It is a large pill, to be sure, but it's a suppository. Roughly the size of a small gourd.
ReplyDeleteHence, the high rate of non-compliance.
Regards,
Rabbit.
RLS AKA "The Jimmy Leg"
ReplyDeleteIn the year 3535
ReplyDeleteAin't gonna need to tell the truth, tell no lies.
Everything you think, do and say, is in the pill you took today.
3535? Maybe a bit sooner?