A simple mistake or a Senior Moment.

If I have a matching set of shampoo/conditioner or day/night face creams etc I mark one of the bottles with a small dab of nail varnish.

I've lost count of the number of times I've used conditioner instead of shampoo - so now I do not buy matching sets.

A friend, who is barely into her 40s, had a horrid accident. She confused a tube of superglue with a medicated eye gel. I never had the heart to ask why she had two such differing products in the same place, but it resulted in a lot of pain and a trip to A & E.

Last week I washed my hair with conditioner.
A friend had to go to A and E after she squirted ear stuff into her eyes, the little bottles were near identical.

When I was going through a period of stress last year, I was cleaning my teeth and absent mindedly reached for the mouthwash and took a large swig and swirled it around my mouth, only to realise it was Flash liquid cleaner that I had left on the shelf in another absent minded moment. There followed lots of rinsing with cold water and no harm was done

Wouldn't you? I'm on daily disposables now, so won't be endangering my poor eyes again. The worst designed bottle I've come across is one containing ironing water that has an attractive picture of fruit on the front and looks very similar to the flavoured water I buy. I keep it on a high shelf with a sticky label on saying "Do not drink", much to DH's amusement. But this thread has reminded me to drop an email to Sainsburys about it.

maggiem, but how ridiculous that the containers are all very similar? Given that, per se, anyone using contact lenses has poor eyesight without them in? You would think they would colour code them at the very least

Well that is a relief Ana that we have both survived the error of mixing up the bottles.

Yes Hilda most chemists sell Kaolin and Morphine but as Ana said it is in the Pharmacy and they will only let you have one bottle and they give you the third degree as to why you want it and if you have been seen by a doctor.

I love your story Feetlebaum.

I've done that, AshTree. I've also showered with body lotion instead of shower gel. And mixed up my contact lens solutions, using the sterilizing solution instead of the saline to insert one. I had to work at home that day. In my defence, I am very short sighted, and the containers were all very similar.

I sprayed hairspray under my arms instead of deodorant once. Horribly sticky, so realised my mistake immediately!

Hilda, I haven't bought it for a couple of years but you had to ask for it at the pharmacy counter in Boots and tell them why you wanted it, it wasn't on display!

The miniscule amount of morphine would hardly have been an issue, I'd have thought...

My father once complained that he didn't think much of the shampoo he's just used in the bathroom - mother baffled - tuned out he'd picked up and used her urine sample she would be taking to her doctor's appointment later in the day... "It didn't lather much..."

When I was in Cornwall in the 60s, workers at the Clay dries with upset stomachs would chew on a hunk of dried China clay - which is also known as kaolin. Scrumpie would have to substitute for morphine!

No, nor me. Certainly haven't been able to get it in my area for many years! Why is this? Also disappeared "sal volatile" not sure if spelling is correct. This stopped sickness feeling immediately - haven't been able to get this for at least 30 odd years. Lasonil (for external piles) also went awol Pity really because all of these medicines/medications worked brilliantly!

I once liberally squirted Savlon ointment onto my toothbrush

Did not know you could still get kaolin and morphine!

I have done exactly the same thing, NanKate, taken a big gulp of what I thought was kaolin and morphine only to discover I'd grabbed the wrong bottle and it was actually calamine lotion!

Drank lots of water and had no ill-effects, but it did teach me to check properly in future!

Not quite but my mother once washed her hair with hand cream! She was only in her 30s at the time. Simply grabbed what she thought was the right one -just like you did!