France - Over Medicated?!



I have a bit of an interesting comparison between the US and France and it has to do with medicine. You're likely aware that the French system is a Socialist one where the government ensures a universal healthcare system. This causes most care to be for all practical purposes, free. This includes medication as well. One marked difference is that almost all medication is not sold "over the counter". In many cases you need a prescription for basic things like cough medicine and in all cases you need to buy all medicine at a pharmacy. I think I would like to be reincarnated as a pharmacist in France because they have some monopoly going! You rarely see one without a line running out the door. They even often have a little play area for kids inside the pharmacy due to the length of time it takes to be served. This for the privilege of telling the pharmacist that you have a headache and would he/she be kind enough to bequeath upon you a bottle of aspirin...s'il vous plait. All you children out there...forget about wanting to become an astronaut or fireman...pharmacy owner is the new 'plastics' made famous by Dustin Hoffman in the Graduate.
Anyway, my story has to do with Helene who has a fairly annoying cold that she has had a hard time shaking. I told her this morning to go and see her Doctor which already is new because I doubt she would have bothered in the US or Canada but most people here visit their Doctors for n'importe quoi (almost anything). Therefore, when in France...do like the French, non? Well, Helene (whom I remind you is originally from this fine country) called me at work laughing (so I knew she had nothing serious) to tell me she had a "likely" "sinusite" which is roughly equivalent to a sinus infection. I don't want to belittle the diagnosis but my dear God, she was prescribed no less than FIVE medications!! In case you do not believe me, I have taken a photograph of this because I could hardly believe it myself. Remember, she essentially has a cold but here is the list:

1) Nasal Spray
2) Anti-inflammatory medicine...I think like an anithistamine
3) A mucus inhibitor (I'm not making this up!)
4) Antibiotics
5) Likely the best of all...medicine to insure that the antibiotics do no damage the intestinal lining!!!

Sacre Bleu!