Painkillers off the Shelves
Submitted by Jackfrost80 on Fri, 2018-03-02 08:26
Interested in the opinions of others especially Crasny in regard to the removal of codeine as an over the counter medication.
I suffer from the occassional migraine and copped a beauty last Sunday morning after being out fishing all day the day before. I woke up at around 6am with a killer headache and pain in my eyes at which point I'd normally bomb a couple of Mersyndol and go back to sleep and wake up a bit groggy but generally ok. Having nothing in the house I had to sit there in hell with worsening symptoms until my medical centre opens at 9am and ended up so bad I was puking and then had to get in my car and drive down there and beg to be put on a walk in list and sit there in pain for 80 minutes to see a doctor and finally get a script for some codeine tabs which had me right in about an hour.
As well as costing me $20 out of pocket for the medicare gap and Australian taxpayers the $35 medicare rebate I got slugged $26 for something that cost me $8!! when I needed the same tablets after my knee surgery.
I got to thinking about people that live in regional areas where there may only be one doctor in the town, so what are they going to do if they suffer from a similar circumstance or even a woman with severe period pain? What about people that can't afford the $20+ out of pocket doctor fee plus the inflated cost of the product, are they going to now present at emergency and tie up the hospital system? Seems like a very ill thought out policy that is going to unnecessarily cost taxpayers when all that had to be done was put in much tighter controls similar to the ones in place for cold and flu tablets.
____________________________________________________________________________
Officially off the Pies bandwagon
squidvicious1
Posts: 824
Date Joined: 22/07/10
Lack of water during fishing
Lack of water during fishing might be a cause of dehydration leading to your migraine.
Deckie
Posts: 1296
Date Joined: 03/04/09
Aspalgin.
A nurse in the emergency ward a few years ago put me onto Aspalgin for my migrains.
Thankfully I don't need them very often, but when I get feel one coming on they are my go-to.
Two Panadol & two Aspalgin knock it over fairly quick.
Not saying it will work for everyone, but worth a try.
They were over the counter but not sure now.
Hope you get it sorted, nothing like a migraine to make ya wish you were dead. Lol...
Cheers & Stay safe
robert1979
Posts: 224
Date Joined: 13/05/12
I suffer from migraines
I suffer from migraines occasionally, the key for me is prevention. Talk to your doctor about imigran which you take at the first signs. It's not a painkiller but stops it coming on in the first place. Also understanding triggers, as pointed out above dehydration is a big one for me. Drinking heaps of water and eating plenty whilst on the water helps. None of the off the shelf helps me, even codiene.
solly
Posts: 375
Date Joined: 11/09/05
Yep happened to us last week
My wife had a root canel done and the next few day she was in alot of pain,we couldnt get any mersyndol or nurofen plus which normally sorts her out . I went to the chemist and they said the strongest off the shelf was a mixter of 500mg paracedermol and 200mg nurofen. Only 1 every 8 hours .Needless to say she wasnt impressed and said they didnt work at all.
There are two types of people ,do'ers and watchers
Right now the do'ers are the doing it
And the watchers are watching us do it
crasny1
Posts: 7002
Date Joined: 16/10/08
Yes
Its been a "pain".
But as usual a few has ruined it for the majority. We have been inundated with people asking for what I would term simple analgesic scripts that they normally would use responsibly without concerns.
BUT have also seen a few that have clearly slipped under the radar abusing it, and now with restrictions, had to face the music of controlled withdrawal due addiction. One person used 60!!! Nurofen Plus's a day. How the person survived is beyond me.
And if it is a True or Classical Migraine then the Triptans (ie Imigran and its sisters) can be a Godsend. But lots of "migraines" in general publics eyes is just bad headaches. Migraine has specific features like an Aura (you feel it coming on with odd vision, hearing etc effects), then the pain which is one sided, mostly behind an eye, associated with Nausea (and Vomiting) and Light fright (photophobia). Not everyone has all the features.
But if it is a Migraine the Triptans can be fantastic.
"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk
Dale
Posts: 7930
Date Joined: 13/09/05
Yep, I got a script from my doctor on Monday for some Nurofen Plus 30s since the bloody do gooders all thought we were harming ourselves. Went across the road to the chemist, walked out $28 poorer for a product that used to cost me $12 or thereabouts. It has given the chemists a licence to rip off the punters.
"Just because you are a Character, Doesn't mean you have Character."
Mr Wolf
little johnny
Posts: 5355
Date Joined: 04/12/11
Dale it not the
Chemist , it's the goverment that's makes the most. My wife has worked in pharmacy since she was 15. There was that many people addicted to it , they thought they had to do something about it. Unfortunately ones who do need it get stuffed around. Cold and flu tablets ( new ones) haven't got any in. So there not going to be any good now.
Tom M
Posts: 661
Date Joined: 22/09/15
Pain..dering should I say
Pain..dering should I say pandering to the few again stuffing it up for those in need it most. As for the extra cost is it any wonder poly's can't run a budget.
Tom M
Faulkner Family
Posts: 18023
Date Joined: 11/03/08
as mentioned, a few have
as mentioned, a few have stuffed it for the many that actually need it . Sandy is a sufferer of bad headachs (not quite the migrane level) quite often due to a bad neck . We tried to get a couple of packs of nurofen plus just before the new laws came in and the chemist had run out (silver sands area) . I dont suffer from serious pain myself other than a crook back so i dont take anything generally but on aoccasions.
If they were to introduce the methiod as mentioned like the cold and flu i feel it would have been satisfactory and for those without a drivers licence use use your medicare card which then could be put in the computer system which can be used oz wide to see when last purchased.
It realy sux for those that genuinly need them on the odd occasion . Its not good seeing someone it real pain and you cant help them
RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together
hezzy
Posts: 1521
Date Joined: 27/11/09
iv taken merysndol for back
iv taken merysndol for back pain on the odd occasion and usually will buy a pack every 12 months or so, they where handy to help relax the muscles for better sleep or a visit to the chiro with the analgesic in them
the local chemist has offered us a ''pharmacy brand '' option to try , that he says will be ok to replace the active ingredient in the now removed over the counter pain killers
time will tell if this is agood move or not
hezzy
OFW 11
evil flourishes when good men do nothing
grantarctic1
Posts: 2546
Date Joined: 03/03/11
I too
I too have suffered migraine all my life, including aura to my vision probably 50% of the time.
When I was young I found myself taking so much codeine that it became a problem and looked to milder forms of pain relief.
As a result learned what to take and when, but i still need to keep stronger tablets available for when I really need them. As said above, it is a pain and a larger cost to get a prescription for my needs.
However I don’t understand how our government can’t look to other countries to see the repercussions of removing access to these products.
In the USA many states are now having heroin epidemics as a direct result of this decision. People will want to continue taking opioids no matter what we do, and if they can’t get it in a pharmaceutical form they will shift to an illegal alterative.
This is why they are having more deaths now from heroine, than they ever did from codeine and other prescription opioids.
Louis Theroux has warned Australia to brace itself for a Heroin epidemic, like the ones affecting many American towns, and has shown that removing access to codeine and other medications has had a significant influence on the amount of people turning to Heroin.
From what I’ve seen in society, I have to agree with him. There will always be some people within our communities that want to take drugs, you cut of one avenue and they will turn to another alterative. No amount of prohibition, incarceration or fines will ever change this.
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4976076/Louis-Theroux-warns-Australia-heroin-addiction-codeine-ban.html
timboon
Posts: 2954
Date Joined: 14/11/10
For those that suffer
For those that suffer migranes throw in a little patch of poppys and keep a little resin handy....
Throw a bit in the old peace pipe and float like monkey magic......
Paul H
Posts: 2104
Date Joined: 18/01/07
A week after they were taken
A week after they were taken off the over the counter list my daugfhter went to the dr and was given a prescription for pain killers went to the chemist to get them and all out of stock - fortunately I had some at home - double the dose but just gave her half a tab
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uncle
Posts: 9474
Date Joined: 10/02/07
Yep agree its frog shit
Doctors will love it easy money.imagine the extra drain on medicare. Just wrong!
all aggressive fish love bigjohnsjigs
ranmar850
Posts: 2702
Date Joined: 12/08/12
All this makes you realise something?
how utterly reliant ( addicted) we have become to these things? And they are highly addictive--it was just that the legal drug pushers were making a kiilling from them. Heroin epidemic?
Only the junkies that were reliant on over the counter drugs will now "turn" to heroin. If you were a regular user of these things, don't look down on junkies. Yes, there are chronic pain sufferers, and they will now get prescriptions and repeats of prescriptions. Too many people were grabbing these things for an ordinary headache or twinge somewhere.
Anyone else on here old enough to remember Bex powder addicts? If not, read this www.news.com.au/national/cancer-council-nsw-bex-powder-killed-more-than-pain/news-story/7637adcfe85ce4aa20e1bc267b8113ac
D_d_001
Posts: 1522
Date Joined: 09/03/13
Sometimes it's impossible
Sometimes it's impossible (without paying a premium) to get repeat prescriptions. I have to go monthly for a new prescription which makes it hard to travel away. Only because some medication is not on the "approved list" for repeats. Luckily there are plenty of Dr's around who bulk bill.
uncle
Posts: 9474
Date Joined: 10/02/07
Wow any thoughts on alcohol and social drugs
My missus and I have taken shit like that for 60 years without getting hooked. Don't put us in the same basket.
all aggressive fish love bigjohnsjigs
uncle
Posts: 9474
Date Joined: 10/02/07
Also strange there was none available for a month
Before the ban.more money for the chemist and manufacturer now!!! I was lucky I had 2 big codis for a sore head while I was having a stroke.saved me I reakon
all aggressive fish love bigjohnsjigs
timboon
Posts: 2954
Date Joined: 14/11/10
60 years?? No wonder you are
60 years??
No wonder you are a pies supporter Unc....
uncle
Posts: 9474
Date Joined: 10/02/07
Isn't that funny The price
Isn't that funny
The price of drugs off the selves has doubled.gouging!!
all aggressive fish love bigjohnsjigs