Actscelerate.com

Link

Buying antibiotics without a prescription

Acts-perienced Poster Posts: 11849 **4/26/18 10:15 pm**

A lot of Americans who go abroad don't realize that not every country has the same controls on medicines. Where I live, drug stores do not sell narcotics over the counter without a prescription, or so I hear. I never tried to buy any.

But they will sell antibiotics. I've had some kind of upper respiratory thing that feels almost like cold, and I kind of felt like I had a fever half the time. I either had it for two weeks or had one, then another. So I decided to get some amoxicillin to get rid of it. But they didn't have the $.75 amoxicillin for it, and they were going to charge me 2 or 3 bucks for the fancy brand. I thought I'd ask about erythromycin. They use amoxicillin all the time here, and I figured the bug might be less likely to be resistant to erythromycin. They gave me a strip of 10 for 3 days. I figured that was too short, but decided to look it up before I went next door to buy some more. The web says 7 days for upper respiratory so I went back and bought another strip today.

It does seem to be helping. I feel better, at least.

If I had gone to the doctor, I probably would have spent $20 or $30 (which my employer could refund if I filled out all the online forms, which is a hassle), and I would have wasted probably an hour or an hour and a half of my time. I can look up how long to take an antibiotic. When I was here before, they'd give amoxicillin for the common cold. Now they are a bit more reserved about that.

If you do go abroad to a developing country and you need antibiotics, you may just be able to buy them at the drug store. I had a throat infection by the time I got off a long flight to China for a job interview I had once. I stopped at a drug store and bought some amoxicillin before I got to the campus I was applying at.

If you get a prescription, you can legally bring a supply of an antibiotic back with you into the US, too when you go back, but it expires after a while.
_________________
Link

UncleJD

Golf Cart Mafia Consigliere Posts: 3147 **4/27/18 8:49 am**

Our daughter went to Italy for 3 months when she graduated high-school. One day she got really ill and of course we were worried sick. To our surprise and relief, her host family just took her to the drugstore, told her symptoms, and the pharmacist gave her antibiotics for about 10 euro, whereas here in the good ol' USofA it would have been a $200 office visit and another 3 hour delay waiting for a USDA approved $100 drug. I was shocked that amid all the cries of "European social medicine", that they do something right and that it would save HUGE amounts of money in this country.

I now get upset every time someone has to go to the doctor for an obvious infection.

Link

Acts-perienced Poster Posts: 11849 **4/27/18 11:03 am**

When my son was four, I took him to an urgent care in Columbus. He'd been coughing all night for several nights and I was really concerned for his health and his life. After 7 hours of waiting, at a so-called urgent care, the doctor gave him nothing at all.

He had a terrible night again and got worse. I took him to another doctor. After 5 hours or so, the doctor gave him some amoxillin. My son spit out most of the first dose. He did get better and survived.

Some time later, we were at a church gathering at a park. The kids were throwing rocks into the river, and someone hit my three-year-old in the head with a rock. Someone from church escourted us to a branch of our hospital in Dayton. We might have been the first ones in line, or there may have been another child or two there. Service was fast and professional, not the downtown Columbus madhouse. After that, I figured we'd drive an extra 12 or 15 miles so as not to wait in line. I didn't have any time to wait when I was in the MBA program.

In Indonesia, you can usually just go to the hospital to see a doctor, at least during the day, and they see you in about 10 minutes to half an hour in my experience, a drop in. I think I have spent $30 or $40 with medicine. A filling at the expensive dentist was about $60.
_________________
Link

Nature Boy Florida

Acts-pert Poster Posts: 16646 **4/27/18 12:09 pm**

Guys - I hate to be the bearer of bad news - but widespread use of antibiotics has caused them to not be as effective anymore.

Now I see where the widespread comes from. Self medicating from symptoms is old school.

Now they can test in the office and see if you have an actual infection - or if that is ruled out - it is a virus and the medication does no good - and usually you will get better anyway.
_________________
Whether you like it or not, learn to love it, because its the best thing going today!

UncleJD

Golf Cart Mafia Consigliere Posts: 3147 **4/27/18 12:34 pm**

Nature Boy Florida

Acts-pert Poster Posts: 16646 **4/27/18 2:24 pm**

Cojak

01000001 01100011 01110100 01110011 Posts: 24285 **4/27/18 9:46 pm**

I know very little about medicine. I have had one prescription in my life. But in Mexico I learned something by several other travelers. I was there for dental work. The other had bought Prescription drugs (they had prescriptions). The drugs they bought were labeled 'Packaged in the USA' at about a third the price here in the USA.

Side note. I just had a tooth pulled in /Belmont, NC. Bill $430.00. I had a root canal, 3 fillings and three caps for less than that in Mexico. That hurt! LOL

Sumting wong here!
_________________
Some facts but mostly just my opinion!
jacsher@aol.com
http://shipslog-jack.blogspot.com/

Link

Acts-perienced Poster Posts: 11849 **4/28/18 2:17 am**

Link

Acts-perienced Poster Posts: 11849 **4/28/18 2:23 am**

Mark Ledbetter

Wal-Mart $4 plan

Golf Cart Mafia Associate Posts: 2109 **4/28/18 7:38 am**

While visiting the Ukraine I noticed a dispensary where individuals walk in and get what they want/need.

Wal-Mart offers a plan where you bring your prescription and if it is on their list of generics you can get a 30-day supply for $4, 90-day, $10. You don't have to use your insurance card.
_________________
God-Honoring
Christ-Centered
Bible-Based
Spirit-Led
(This is how I want to be)