Nobody is ever prescribed one drug. They are prescribed the first one, and the rest arrive on their own. You are not getting a statin. You are getting a statin, an anti-inflammatory for the legs it aches, a stomach tablet for the anti-inflammatory, and metformin for the blood sugar the statin's own label has warned about since 2012. You are not getting an antidepressant. You are getting an SSRI, a sleeping tablet for the nights it wrecks, Viagra for the bedroom it switches off, and a second antidepressant when the first one is doubled and the doubling does nothing. You are not getting a blood pressure tablet. You are getting amlodipine, a water tablet for the ankles it swells, a potassium tablet for the potassium the water tablet drains, and allopurinol for life for the gout the water tablet brings on. You are not getting an acid tablet. You are getting omeprazole, B12 injections for the B12 it stops you absorbing, a magnesium tablet for the magnesium it flushes, and a bone drug for the hips its own label says it thins. You are not getting metformin. You are getting metformin, more B12 for the B12 it strips, an anti-sickness tablet for the gut it upsets, and in time a second diabetes drug, because the plate it was meant to manage has never been mentioned. You are not getting a weight loss jab. You are getting semaglutide, an anti-nausea tablet for the mornings, a laxative for the gut it stalls, a protein shake for the muscle it eats, and a gallbladder appointment. Six first prescriptions. Twenty-four items on the repeat slip. Not one of the twenty-four treats a cause. Every one treats the one above it, and the first one treated a number.