OTC but only at the pharmacy

[lavender_jane]

I caught a cold the other day. Not that big a deal except finding medications down here isn't as easy as it is in the US. First of all, everything is different. There's no Nyquil or Sudafed or any of the other medicines I know. They have equivalents down here but I actually have to work to find out what they are. So, I go the medicine aisle in the

Comments

[ameliabeare]

Over here it's turning into a control scheme, where certain medications that can be abused have to be bought at a pharmacy. I can't get anything with codeine in it from Woolworths, for instance, but harmless stuff like paracetamol I can get in spades. They're worried about the two or three people in every ten thousand people who might crush up a pill and inject it.

Frankly, I'm a great supporter of Darwinism and if people want to do something that stupid, let them.

I'm not sure how it is in New Zealand, but I suspect it may be similar. From a pharmacy - or chemist as we still prefer to call them - staff are obliged to discuss with people how medication is taken. At Woollies, they just scan it through and pretend to be interested in your day.

Also! Feel better soon! <3

[lavender_jane]

In the US, you can buy any OTC medication at pretty much any grocery store. However, nothing containing codeine or any other kind of narcotic is available without a prescription. I can understand not wanting to sell codeine at Woolworths. It can be dangerous if taken incorrectly even if the person has no intention of abusing it. But that can also be said about most other OTC meds too. Paracetamol, or Acetaminophen as it's known in the US, can cause liver damage and even prolonged, agonizing death if taken in large quantities. So it's not really a harmless drug. I think you have the right of it, though. It's a control issue. It's the same reason I can't get anything with pseudo-ephedrine down here. Those few people who abuse it ruined it for the rest of us. It's the only thing that works for my allergies and I've yet to find anything down here that makes a dent.

Thanks! I do feel much better.