Saoirse wrote:
And on top of everything else, the rules regarding what is dangerous and what isn't seem to change on a regular basis. And that cannot make it any easier for someone who struggles with extreme reactions to things.
I remember years ago an American friend couldn't believe that Codeine could be bought 'over the counter' in Ireland. It could only be bought in U.S. with a prescription as apparently it is highly addictive. There doesn't seem to be great consistency across countries about these things.
It can? Yes, it is very addictive (it's a synthetic opiate), but it's also the best thing I know of to quiet a hacking cough. As your friend said, you have to have a prescription here, and there are also limitations in many states as to how often you can buy it.
A medication that used to be available over the counter here, and now is more closely regulated, is pseudoephedrine. You still don't need a prescription for it, but now, in order to buy it, you have to sign in at the pharmacist's window, and there are strict limitations on how much you can buy and how often (the reason isn't that it's dangerous to use, but that it can be used to make meth).
Redwolf