Comments on: Thorny drug problem in France http://www.francethisway.com/wp/drug-problem-in-france/2007/01/ Living in France and daily life for a UK expat in the French blog! Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:42:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Boris http://www.francethisway.com/wp/drug-problem-in-france/2007/01/comment-page-1/#comment-3527 Boris Wed, 28 Feb 2007 18:21:40 +0000 http://www.francethisway.com/wp/drug-problem-in-france/2007/01/#comment-3527 Hmm, I sense a pattern emerging here...I'm glad everyone has similar experiences to ourselves. I love the story about the doctor prescribing antibiotics, Carrie, sadly completely believable. I have to admit I haven't been to the doctors once in five years in France, except accompanying someone else, but luckily (?) my wife and children keep me supplied with anecdotes. Long may it stay that way. Meanwhile, I hope I don't come across as a grumpy old git, always moaning about this that and the other. I do sometimes exagerate a teensy-tiny bit for the sake of making the blog more lively, and really I'm enjoying myself! But yes, there are surely things I would change if I were the next president... Hmm, I sense a pattern emerging here…I’m glad everyone has similar experiences to ourselves. I love the story about the doctor prescribing antibiotics, Carrie, sadly completely believable.

I have to admit I haven’t been to the doctors once in five years in France, except accompanying someone else, but luckily (?) my wife and children keep me supplied with anecdotes. Long may it stay that way.

Meanwhile, I hope I don’t come across as a grumpy old git, always moaning about this that and the other. I do sometimes exagerate a teensy-tiny bit for the sake of making the blog more lively, and really I’m enjoying myself! But yes, there are surely things I would change if I were the next president…

]]> By: Carrie http://www.francethisway.com/wp/drug-problem-in-france/2007/01/comment-page-1/#comment-3526 Carrie Wed, 28 Feb 2007 17:42:11 +0000 http://www.francethisway.com/wp/drug-problem-in-france/2007/01/#comment-3526 I live in Morzine in Haute Savoie and working as an estate agent could not at first believe my colleagues' propensity to rush off to the doctor at the first sign of a sniffle. And have you ever noticed the extensive medical vocabulary of the average French person? I also couldn't believe the proportions of the average household medicine cabinet, and I've seen a few, but after perhaps 3 visits to the doctor each by me and my boyfriend over the space of 3 years we are starting to have quite a sizeable collection ourselves. I was even prescribed antibiotics for a bacterial infection with the doctor's full admission that really they wouldn't do anything but, and I quote "sometimes it's quite nice to take some antibiotics and give the immune system a bit of a rest anyway"!!! Once I was prescribed 5 medications all to be taken in conjunction with one another and so I started at work - it was all I could do to get home and I certainly shouldn't have been driving. I am surprised by the French lack of reliance on alternative medicines or therapies despite the fact that they love their kiné and ostéo and often take their babies from a very young age. I remember turning up for work one day with just the beginnings of a sore throat that had come on that morning and being told off for not having been to the doctor yet! (they ridiculed me when I said I would wait to see for at least several days as it might go by itself. As if!) It's all quite a paradoxical mix of hypochondriachal and stoical. (I find it comical) Nobody here believes in resting and letting the body naturally heal, they soldier on and you're just not permitted a kiss and you have to hope for the best that you don't catch their airborne bugs. A friend even recently asked me to look after her chickenpox-ridden child so that she and her husband would not have to take time off work! And ever tried getting vaccinations to go abroad? It cost us 350€ for the two of us to have our jabs to go to Indonesia last year! Your website is a gem and it is so interesting to read the comments and the moans that we have been accumulating during 3 years of living, renovating, being employed and running a business in France. Nobody said it was easy but... nobody tells you (or would we listen?) how difficult so many things are to do in France. Thanks for making me feel normal!!! I am indulging myself here... I live in Morzine in Haute Savoie and working as an estate agent could not at first believe my colleagues’ propensity to rush off to the doctor at the first sign of a sniffle. And have you ever noticed the extensive medical vocabulary of the average French person? I also couldn’t believe the proportions of the average household medicine cabinet, and I’ve seen a few, but after perhaps 3 visits to the doctor each by me and my boyfriend over the space of 3 years we are starting to have quite a sizeable collection ourselves. I was even prescribed antibiotics for a bacterial infection with the doctor’s full admission that really they wouldn’t do anything but, and I quote “sometimes it’s quite nice to take some antibiotics and give the immune system a bit of a rest anyway”!!! Once I was prescribed 5 medications all to be taken in conjunction with one another and so I started at work – it was all I could do to get home and I certainly shouldn’t have been driving. I am surprised by the French lack of reliance on alternative medicines or therapies despite the fact that they love their kiné and ostéo and often take their babies from a very young age. I remember turning up for work one day with just the beginnings of a sore throat that had come on that morning and being told off for not having been to the doctor yet! (they ridiculed me when I said I would wait to see for at least several days as it might go by itself. As if!) It’s all quite a paradoxical mix of hypochondriachal and stoical. (I find it comical) Nobody here believes in resting and letting the body naturally heal, they soldier on and you’re just not permitted a kiss and you have to hope for the best that you don’t catch their airborne bugs. A friend even recently asked me to look after her chickenpox-ridden child so that she and her husband would not have to take time off work!
And ever tried getting vaccinations to go abroad? It cost us 350€ for the two of us to have our jabs to go to Indonesia last year!

Your website is a gem and it is so interesting to read the comments and the moans that we have been accumulating during 3 years of living, renovating, being employed and running a business in France. Nobody said it was easy but… nobody tells you (or would we listen?) how difficult so many things are to do in France. Thanks for making me feel normal!!! I am indulging myself here…

]]> By: Arnold http://www.francethisway.com/wp/drug-problem-in-france/2007/01/comment-page-1/#comment-2733 Arnold Sat, 20 Jan 2007 11:26:03 +0000 http://www.francethisway.com/wp/drug-problem-in-france/2007/01/#comment-2733 The other problem of course is the sheer waste of money of all this prescribing and the overpricing of the various pills and potions. Our little guys had a cough this week so off we went to the doctor. Total cost for two bottles of cough medicine was 2 x €24 for the visit itself, plus around €50 for the two bottles of medicine (if you exclude the rebate from the health insurance which, of course is paid by someone). So, 100€ for two bottles of medicine. In the UK the same stuff is available over the counter in the chemists for the equivalent of around 8€. The other problem of course is the sheer waste of money of all this prescribing and the overpricing of the various pills and potions.

Our little guys had a cough this week so off we went to the doctor. Total cost for two bottles of cough medicine was 2 x €24 for the visit itself, plus around €50 for the two bottles of medicine (if you exclude the rebate from the health insurance which, of course is paid by someone). So, 100€ for two bottles of medicine. In the UK the same stuff is available over the counter in the chemists for the equivalent of around 8€.

]]> By: Robert (Jura, France) http://www.francethisway.com/wp/drug-problem-in-france/2007/01/comment-page-1/#comment-2628 Robert (Jura, France) Tue, 16 Jan 2007 12:47:51 +0000 http://www.francethisway.com/wp/drug-problem-in-france/2007/01/#comment-2628 Absolutely right. I've tried several different doctor surgeries here (I live in the Jura, France) and they are all the same. Especially for anti-biotics which are perscribed for everything and every little injury. The patients seem to expect it, while the doctors seem to be worried that they have to perscribe everything to prevent possible lawsuits in case things go bad. You've probably seen the French goverment commercials trying to pursuade people that antibiotics are not automatically perscribed. Even the French president was on TV last year discussing this, noting that perscription rates are several times higher here than in Germany. What people seem to forget is that: - Most of this medication is not necessary - Over-perscribing makes drugs less effective than when necessary - It can actually make you ill (my wife is now refusing antibiotics as she has developed a reaction to them) So, glad to hear another voice of reason. Absolutely right. I’ve tried several different doctor surgeries here (I live in the Jura, France) and they are all the same. Especially for anti-biotics which are perscribed for everything and every little injury. The patients seem to expect it, while the doctors seem to be worried that they have to perscribe everything to prevent possible lawsuits in case things go bad.

You’ve probably seen the French goverment commercials trying to pursuade people that antibiotics are not automatically perscribed. Even the French president was on TV last year discussing this, noting that perscription rates are several times higher here than in Germany.

What people seem to forget is that:
- Most of this medication is not necessary
- Over-perscribing makes drugs less effective than when necessary
- It can actually make you ill (my wife is now refusing antibiotics as she has developed a reaction to them)

So, glad to hear another voice of reason.

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