Michelle Goff, mystery writer

I haven’t felt my best the past few days. Due to my symptoms – runny nose, stuffy nose, post-nasal drip, head pain, itchy and scratchy throat, congestion, general malaise – the culprit could be allergies, the sinus, or a cold.

In an attempt to ward off whatever it is, I’ve been taking the generic equivalent of liquid Mucinex. Trust me. It tastes just as good as its brand name equivalent.

Indeed, when I take my dose of liquid goodness from the handy little measuring cup that’s included with the miracle medicine, I make sure I enjoy every drop. After initially chugging it, I tilt my head, hold the dosing cup above said head, and let the last of the medicine drip into my grateful mouth.

While I’m not prepared to say the taste of liquid mucus medicine, generic or otherwise, makes feeling unwell worth it, I am prepared to say it helps knowing that I get to chug that dosing cup every four hours.

Of course, long-time readers might recall that I’ve previously mentioned a fondness for cough syrup. So, they shouldn’t be surprised to learn that I also have a penchant for liquid (generic) Mucinex. (By the way, if I’m ever forced to choose between the two, I’m picking cough syrup.)

But what surprises me is that more people don’t enjoy liquid medicine. Upon learning that I do, some folks have recoiled in horror and all but puked on my shoes. While making Mr. Yuk faces, one friend negatively compared such medicines to the liquid antibiotics we took as a child.

Gasping, I said, “I loved the pink – or was it light orange? – stuff.”

As my friend continued to be horrified, I explained that as a wee lass, I would pick off the crusty remnants of the pink – or light orange – medicine that gathered around the top of the bottle. And, yes, I would then eat said crusty remnants.

Those were the days.

If you think I’m some sort of freak for having picked off – and ingested – crustified medicine from the side of a bottle, you should know that I seem to have inherited a taste for liquid medications. According to my mom, when she was a wee lass, she would sneak and drink Pepto-Bismol.

The last time I tried it, Pepto made me gag. But since we’re on the subject of antacids, I do enjoy an occasional dose of the generic equivalent of liquid Mylanta.