Medications

Just curious about something. I work as a Pharmacy Assistant in a Pharmacy, (Drugstore) and there's something I've noticed about people from USA. They ask for things which in Australia are blatantly prescription medications only such as strong pain killers and antibiotics. I can appreciate differences in regulations of painkillers in different countries but antibiotics?? They're over prescribed as it is. But seriously are they really available over the counter because I find that VERY hard to believe.

Though some of the pain killers that are requested and claims that they are over the counter in USA are questionable at best as they contain opiates or are classified as controlled drugs.

Maybe I'm not being as sympathetic as I should be because I'm tired of hearing, "You can't get anything over the counter in this country."

I can't think of any antibiotic that is OTC here, except antibiotic ointment such as "Triple Antibiotic Ointment", or something such as Neosporin. Some pain killers have eventually come out with an over the counter version of a by prescription only med, such as Advil which is Naproxyn.

Interesting subject (I'm a retired RN), I'd love to know specifically what folks are claiming they get otc here?

I don't think there are any antibiotics that you can get over the counter here in the USA & I'm pretty sure you can't get any hard core painkillers of the counter either. They are pretty srict here about drugs. Sounds like some American's are trying to see if they can get away with getting these drugs in Australia.

We don't have Excedrin on our shelves over the counter. Though we do have aspirin on our shelves for over the counter sales.

I wouldn't call aspirin a strong pain reliever either but it wouldn't be one that I would recommend for taking for long term pain either.

And I just love the ignorant, possibly arrogant travellers who give a name of a medication and expect us to know what it has in it in order to give them the same thing under a different name or a similiar thing when they themselves don't know what is in it.

Ok...here's some of the things that I can remember at the moment.

Antibiotics - Hogwash to this one.

Diclofenac sodium strengths greater than 25mg.

Medications for gout

Have been asked for antibiotic ointments which I am afraid are NOT available over the counter.

Antibiotic eye drops for cases of allergy related conjunctivitis. Prescription only over here.

We do sell Naproxyn over the counter BUT only at low dose. Can't remember the strength.

No oral antibiotic meds are OTC in the US (which is a good thing, since their over use in general has helped make the beasties they fight even more resistant!)There are some topical ointments that are sold without prescription, including ones with low strength cortisone.

There is a process in the US through which certain drugs become OTC, so there are painkillers such as the non-steroid anti-imflammatory drugs (so called NSAIDS, such as Ibuprofen and Naproxyn) which have become OTC. However, none of those drugs contain narcotics or controlled substances of any type.

I think though that in certain countries, controls on medications are much lax. Years ago, someone I know purchased a substntial quantity of valium in a pharmacy in Egypt w/o a script. She was stupid enough to bring it through customs but didn;t get caught!

one of my former vets told me that he got quite a few strangers show up at his vet practice with a cat or dog, claiming to be from out of town, and needing meds like valium to calm the animal for the return trip. He even got people with the same story but no pets along. I think in general, he gave no one any of these meds. (Valium is used sometimes to stimulate a cat's appetite, but I think that is used in the injection form.)

Lucia, that is exactly what the Pharmacist and I thought. We just couldn't believe it when we had to explain to two American women why what they wanted were not available OTC, (over the counter, I'm sick of typing the whole thing out now ).

We too have low strength hydrocortisone creams and ointments that are sold OTC and ibuprofen as well.

Oral contraception is strictly prescription only and that goes for the morning after pill as well, though that may change next year. Prostinor-2, (spelling may be incorrect here), is currently being negotiated between the regulatory bodies.

Ibuprofen, 200 mg. is OTC. My prescription dosage was 600-800 mg, so I take 3 or 4.

Cimetidine (Tagamet), famotidine (Pepcid AC) and rantidine are OTC for stomach acid control. Last week, Prilosec was added to the OTC list, too.

Some formerly prescription antihistamines and decongestants are available OTC: Actifed, Sudafed, Dimetapp, Benadryl. Paregoric may be obtained from the pharmacist, w/o a prescription but, one has to sign the "red book", for it.

Prescriptions for certain narcotics have to be written on special DEA forms and doctors have to have a DEA license to write them.

Many people go to Mexico for their prescriptions. When I bought meds for my mother's dog, the clerk at the farmacia had a pad of pre-signed prescription blanks and just filled in the name of the medication. Americans can bring back a 30-day supply of meds, with a valid prescription. In some border towns, doctors charge $10, just to write a prescription.

Although there has been talk of making some antibiotics OTC over the last 7 years it hasn't happened yet. We do have OTC antibiotic ointments available without a prescription. As far as pain killers, only things like ibuprofen, tylenol, asprin and an OTC version of Naprosin are OTC. Maybe they mistakenly think they are easier to get in Australia as they are in some other countries.

Maybe the people aren't so much ignorant as they think you might have a resource to easily cross match.

Originally posted by Pat & Alix
Some pain killers have eventually come out with an over the counter version of a by prescription only med, such as Advil which is Naproxyn.

Interesting subject (I'm a retired RN), I'd love to know specifically what folks are claiming they get otc here?

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Advil is Ibuprofen but there are OTC versions of Naproxen Sodium available without prescription in 220mg.

My apologies! This is what I get for posting when it is so late and I'm barely awake! I meant to write Aleve, not Advil, as being the otc med one can get that is naproxyn sodium.

Originally posted by Pat & Alix
My apologies! This is what I get for posting when it is so late and I'm barely awake! I meant to write Aleve, not Advil, as being the otc med one can get that is naproxyn sodium.

Click to expand...

No Problem! I figured that's what you meant! Everything does seem to blend together late at night (or too early in the morning)!