I don't have a medical reason to avoid drugs but I do ;) As miserable as I was, I didn't feel I need to contact my doctor. My wife felt differently. So a PA called me. She recommended Mucinex. I said I'm against drugs. She said she understood but she felt I should still consider it. My wife was happy to "do something" so bought the $22 package of Mucinex.

I figured I'll take it, my wife can move on and what can one pill do to me? It allowed me to sleep, yes, but the dryness of my cough was beyond uncomfortable. Like you, I'm not against drugs, I've just seen anyone taking a drug other than a painkiller than didn't have a side effect.

I've switched to what some Dr. recommended on YouTube. Hot water with some honey and/or ginger. Coughing tricks to bring up phlegm easily. He said all the cough medicines weren't worth it. I agreed with him on principle. Now I can agree based on experience ;)

Yet to think of all the people who must be addicted to Mucinex!!!

John Campbell as 3 million subs. Very conservatively, let's say there are 1 billion viewers on YT who understand English. That 3% of the population, which seems right to me.

The other 97% won't even listen to the stuff we're talking about without at least joking that "you're an anti-vaxxer". But it's not joke. Trying to explain why just tunes them out completely.

Here are a couple of other stories I've written by biotech. Real in the weeds stuff but just in case you're bored ;)

https://medium.com/@maxrottersman/bio-tech-2020s-the-great-complacency-3db923040b73

https://medium.com/@maxrottersman/bio-tech-2020s-economic-and-demographic-challenges-45422796b0e9