3 ms·

I can speak for some parts of Europe when I say that most antibiotics and majority of drugs definitely need prescription. There are several good reasons for it

I can speak for some parts of Europe when I say that most antibiotics and majority of drugs definitely need prescription. There are several good reasons for it. 1. Antibiotic overuse is a serious issue. If people could just get them without prescription they would use them for flu etc. Because they wouldn't be able to tell that it's a viral infection. Over time this would lead to even more antibiotic resistant pathogens than we have now. Plus there is the whole "kills your gut biome" thing. 2. Our healthcare is heavily subsidized and practically universal. The antibiotics and many other medications are, indirectly, payed for by government, with prices negotiated and set trough complicated process involving semi-state insurance companies and government. Letting people buy drugs without prescription could lead to abuse, like exporting them to third countries. Causing shortages etc.

JPLeRouzic 3y ago
Some antibiotics are authorized in Europe for veterinary use: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/report/infographic-categorisation-antibiotics-use-animals-prudent-responsible-use_en.pdf https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/report/infographic-ca...
- seszett 3y ago
  They are generally only available for professionals, and those that can easily be bought as a private person are much more expensive than the human version. I haven't heard of anyone doing that (why would anyone do that, actually?) instead of just going to a human doctor to get a prescription for human drugs.
- samus 3y ago
  Which is indeed one of the strongest arguments against industrialized meat production.
A_D_E_P_T 3y ago
I suppose it depends where in Europe. I spend most of my time in the south and east -- where, e.g., Serbia doesn't even have a prescription system. You can literally buy whatever you want, and doctors won't write you a formal prescription -- they'll give you some product names to pass along to the pharmacist. Bulgaria and other Balkan countries are similar, which is why they're so popular with steroid users and dealers. (I can confirm that you can buy testosterone and other bodybuilding drugs without a prescription, and without any fuss.) In the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary, it's mixed, but generally _much_ more relaxed than the US. In many cases, even if a prescription is "required," pharmacists won't stand on principle. I realize that one can't generalize across the entire continent, but there are certainly regions where things are more like Thailand or China than they're like the USA. And it's really no big deal.

JPLeRouzic 3y ago

Some antibiotics are authorized in Europe for veterinary use: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/report/infographic-categorisation-antibiotics-use-animals-prudent-responsible-use_en.pdf https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/report/infographic-ca...

seszett 3y ago
They are generally only available for professionals, and those that can easily be bought as a private person are much more expensive than the human version. I haven't heard of anyone doing that (why would anyone do that, actually?) instead of just going to a human doctor to get a prescription for human drugs.
samus 3y ago
Which is indeed one of the strongest arguments against industrialized meat production.

A_D_E_P_T 3y ago

I suppose it depends where in Europe. I spend most of my time in the south and east -- where, e.g., Serbia doesn't even have a prescription system. You can literally buy whatever you want, and doctors won't write you a formal prescription -- they'll give you some product names to pass along to the pharmacist. Bulgaria and other Balkan countries are similar, which is why they're so popular with steroid users and dealers. (I can confirm that you can buy testosterone and other bodybuilding drugs without a prescription, and without any fuss.) In the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary, it's mixed, but generally _much_ more relaxed than the US. In many cases, even if a prescription is "required," pharmacists won't stand on principle. I realize that one can't generalize across the entire continent, but there are certainly regions where things are more like Thailand or China than they're like the USA. And it's really no big deal.