View Full Version : Pain medication availability in the States
jjozgrunt
09-09-2014, 22:47
Just a quickie, are Vitamin I and pain killers such as paracetamol + codeine available over the counter in the States or do you need a prescription from a doctor?
BuckeyeBill
09-09-2014, 22:59
vitamin I is available OTC but Codeine is a controlled substance requiring a prescription.
Alligator
09-09-2014, 22:59
Ibuprofen is sold over the counter. The other I think is similar to tylenol with codeine and that needs a script. The codeine is schedule II narcotic.
BuckeyeBill
09-09-2014, 23:00
Vitamin I is also available in higher strength with a scrip.
GoldenBear
09-09-2014, 23:04
Just a quickie, are Vitamin I and pain killers such as paracetamol + codeine available over the counter in the States or do you need a prescription from a doctor?
The generic name for paracetamol is acetaminophen, and the common brand name in the USA is "Tylenol."
If there's a drug store in the USA that doesn't sell both ibupropen and acetaminophen, I'd be shocked.
Use of codeine, however, in almost any amount, requires a prescription in most areas of the US, and has been that way for many years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codeine#United_States
rocketsocks
09-10-2014, 00:13
About 25 years ago I went into a pharmacist armed with Colin Fletcher's book "the complete walker" In there he says you could sign for Tylenol with codeine without a script...I asked the pharmacist about this he said..."no way" and he had never heard this before and would opt not to dispense anyway...Can anyone elaborate on this? just curious.
About 25 years ago I went into a pharmacist armed with Colin Fletcher's book "the complete walker" In there he says you could sign for Tylenol with codeine without a script...I asked the pharmacist about this he said..."no way" and he had never heard this before and would opt not to dispense anyway...Can anyone elaborate on this? just curious.
One can do this in Canada.......
About 25 years ago I went into a pharmacist armed with Colin Fletcher's book "the complete walker" In there he says you could sign for Tylenol with codeine without a script...I asked the pharmacist about this he said..."no way" and he had never heard this before and would opt not to dispense anyway...Can anyone elaborate on this? just curious.
It has been a while (15-20 years) but, Codeine was once available as an OTC cough suppressant in some states.
One can do this in Canada.......
TN.. Hey PoPo
BuckeyeBill
09-10-2014, 02:04
It has been a while (15-20 years) but, Codeine was once available as an OTC cough suppressant in some states.
Vick's Formula 44 with codeine remember it well.
jjozgrunt
09-10-2014, 07:41
Ok looks like I bring the paracetamol and codeine tabs from here. They are able to be bought in Oz OTC, 500mg paracetamol with either 5, 10 or 15mg codeine, no script required. I'll just get the doctor to list them with anything else I bring.
BuckeyeBill
09-10-2014, 12:48
Ok looks like I bring the paracetamol and codeine tabs from here. They are able to be bought in Oz OTC, 500mg paracetamol with either 5, 10 or 15mg codeine, no script required. I'll just get the doctor to list them with anything else I bring.
here in the states you will need to carry the paracetamol and codeine tabs in the bottle in which they are purchased as well as any other prescription medication you have.
My experience is ibuprofen around 600 mg works better than the OTC stuff one can get in Canada that includes codeine. Before he retired my old Doctor used to write me out a script for tylox in case I had a real broken bone issue on trail. Never did have to break it out. Also, to save me a few bucks he did give me free samples packs of some kinda percocet, but said that it was for mitigating pain to get to a safe place. Was an understanding doctor who for many years was the ringside doctor for most of the boxing matches in the state. Being tough is one thing being a fool just leads to long term injury. Pain is sometimes our bodies way of saying "Hey old guy slow down"
The Old Boot
09-10-2014, 16:25
My experience is ibuprofen around 600 mg works better than the OTC stuff one can get in Canada that includes codeine. Before he retired my old Doctor used to write me out a script for tylox in case I had a real broken bone issue on trail. Never did have to break it out. Pain is sometimes our bodies way of saying "Hey old guy slow down"
Using straight Vitamin I also avoids the nasty side effects of codeine as well!!
bangorme
09-10-2014, 16:35
Codeine cough suppressant is legal in Maine if you sign for it. That being said, almost no pharmacies will do it because of the "big brother is watching" problem. I called the state pharmacy regulators and they said it was optional for pharmacy. So, everyone makes out... except for the customer that is.
rocketsocks
09-10-2014, 16:48
here in the states you will need to carry the paracetamol and codeine tabs in the bottle in which they are purchased as well as any other prescription medication you have.yup, they're really cracking down on this, and having certain amounts of pills will get you jailed...don't know the specifics, just heard it on a news show last week. Way to many people abusing prescription drugs these days and doctors that right for the wrong reasons or over perscribing. Really screws it up for the ones that need it.
rocketsocks
09-10-2014, 16:50
One can do this in Canada.......yeah, heard that.
It has been a while (15-20 years) but, Codeine was once available as an OTC cough suppressant in some states.I remember these guys that would sit around on the same park bench drinkin this stuff as a kid and saying to my Mother that these guys are always sick....we laugh about this story to this day when it's told.
bigcranky
09-10-2014, 17:52
Ok looks like I bring the paracetamol and codeine tabs from here. They are able to be bought in Oz OTC, 500mg paracetamol with either 5, 10 or 15mg codeine, no script required. I'll just get the doctor to list them with anything else I bring.
Bring a copy of your prescription and be careful how many pills you bring. Wouldn't want the customs dudes thinking you're some sort of drug mule :)
I usually take Naproxin Sodium, brand name Aleve, which is an NSAID like ibuprofen but requires only two pills a day.
MuddyWaters
09-10-2014, 19:23
Do not put it in luggage, it will be confiscated by customs
. Carry it on you, and your name better be on the bottle. Which is hard OTC.
I've lost nonprescription stuff to customs, like vitamins.
Just Bill
09-11-2014, 09:54
Like any pushy American I will ask you- Do you really need the Codeine? We tough Americans don't use it, I would think you Aussies would be tough enough as well. :D
On a serious note- Living clean on the trail (from a fresh air, daily exercise- not a drug free standpoint) tends to make medicines in general more effective for most. Unless you have chronic pain or a habit, likely you would find Ibuprofen, Asprin, Aleve, Tylenol, ect. to be plenty. Just a thought, why complicate things?
Most people find Ibuprofen (motrin) most effective. Aleve for joints/back works well. Asprin/Tylenol for actual pain from injury- not as a preventive.
I would disagree with some regarding the Vitamin I- rather than pursuing the 600 or 800mg pills, I've found it better to just drip in the 200mg OTC pills more often to achieve the same overall dose. I know this is opposite doctor's advice when prescribed them, but my doc has told me for prevention the drip is better than the horse pills. The horse pills are for bigger trauma than the daily inflammation hikers see. If you are popping them only at night, you can always take more than one. That said, I've tried to avoid them as much as possible these days. I think the medicine, rather than vitamin strategy is more effective. Inflammation is a healthy response, and like any drug, constant use produces diminishing returns.
Another Kevin
09-11-2014, 11:32
My rule of thumb has been for several years, "If you need ibuprofen to sleep, take it. If you need ibuprofen to hike, get off trail or at least slow down."
For my forthcoming 15-day trip, I'm talking to a doc about possible emergency meds - with the understanding that they're carried only to assist in an evacuation. I'm hoping to talk him out of a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, some sort of antiprotozoal, and some sort of narcotic pain med. I'm not expecting to use any of the above, but since there's one point that I'm going to be over thirty miles from a trailhead, I start to think about how I'd keep it together long enough to get helped in the event of pneumonia, cellulitis, dysentery, or a broken bone.
I'm fine with the 200 mg OTC ibuprofen, dosed more frequently. (Or avoid the horse pills by doing the 600 mg dose with three of the OTC pills.) The docs find that most patients prefer infrequent dosing. That's why naproxen is so popular. It's marginally less effective than ibuprofen, and has a marginally worse side effects profile, but it needs to be dosed only twice a day, rather than four times.
Just swing by Mexico on your way to the US and drive in. You can get anything down there :)
Just swing by Mexico on your way to the US and drive in. You can get anything down there :)
Including an all expense paid inclusive stay in a Mexican prison. :)
Including an all expense paid inclusive stay in a Mexican prison. :)
If TV has taught me anything it's that to get out of a Mexican prison you just bribe the cops. So just make sure you bring extra money with you and you're good to go!
Kaptain Kangaroo
09-11-2014, 22:28
I wouldn't bother bringing anything from Australia. Vitamin I will do the job for most of the aches & pains you will get on the trail, & if it doesn't you probably should be seeing a doctor anyway.......Just make sure you have your travel insurance sorted !!!!
I had been lead to believe that Aussies felt no pain...I guess a little narcotics will do that for you.
Kaptain Kangaroo
09-12-2014, 00:52
I had been lead to believe that Aussies felt no pain...I guess a little narcotics will do that for you.
Probably more due to the beer !
Come to think of it ....... That would be more useful to pack than the codeine !
I'm pretty sure any script from your home doctor would be accepted and filled here in the US and any issue could be sorted out with communication between an MD here and there. Than your covered legally here because your medicine is basicly co-signed by two MD's.
On the Mexico thing as a kid I made a trip over there trying to make a few extra bucks , well more than a few and ended up getting robbed at gunpoint. I was with a mexican friend too. More of a chance of getting robbed or killed than arrested these days.
Francis Sawyer
09-12-2014, 09:02
Just my opinion; but if you require prescription narcotics for pain management , then hiking the AT is not for you.
colorado_rob
09-12-2014, 10:46
I've flown all over the world with various prescription drugs (high altitude meds, serious pain meds for emergency use including Oxycodone, Percocet, etc), almost always not in original bottles but in those tiny ziplocks because these were climbing/hiking trips. Never ever got burned when searched (maybe 25% of the time wound up with a TSA tag in luggage) and certainly never anything confiscated in a couple dozen international trips.
And I'm curious: what's the difference between an 800mg "prescription ibuprofen" and simply 4 non-prescription 200mg tablets? I think none, but perhaps I'm missing a point.
No difference at all in various ibuprofen strengths. That has always been a mystery to me too.
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And I'm curious: what's the difference between an 800mg "prescription ibuprofen" and simply 4 non-prescription 200mg tablets? I think none, but perhaps I'm missing a point.
If one tablet is good then 2 or 3 or 4 must be better. Therefore, OTC strength = 200mg. "Prescription strength" only insures that a healthcare professional has been involved to explain safe usage.
Also, a prescribed med, even at OTC strength, may be eligible for coverage by some insurance plans.
Old Grouse
09-12-2014, 13:47
If one tablet is good then 2 or 3 or 4 must be better. Therefore, OTC strength = 200mg. "Prescription strength" only insures that a healthcare professional has been involved to explain safe usage.
And collect a co-pay!
colorado_rob
09-12-2014, 13:53
Bottle of 500 200mg tabs store brand ibuprofen is 5 bucks on sale off and on. A penny for 200mg. 4 cents for 800mg. I doubt a perscrption buy with insurace co pay can come even close in pennies/mg.
Another Kevin
09-12-2014, 14:14
Just my opinion; but if you require prescription narcotics for pain management , then hiking the AT is not for you.
If you require them regularly, you're probably right. But a two-day supply to get me to a road in the event of an injury requiring evacuation is another story. In my earlier post, I was talking about the central Adirondacks - nearly as remote as the Hundred-Mile Wilderness, and less traveled since it's not a big-name trail like the A-T.
I've been in the situation where some codeine made the difference between a party's being able to self-rescue and needing to call the sheriff. This was in New Hampshire, nearly 40 years ago. I trashed a knee in a fall on wet talus. My companiions improvised a splint from a cut-up sleeping pad and some duct tape, and walked me out, but I wouldn't have been able to get to the road without the heavy-duty painkillers.
Until this summer when it was reclassifed as a schedule IV drug by the DEA Ultram (tramadol) was the hiker's best choice for on trail painkillers IMO.
Odd Man Out
09-12-2014, 22:48
My rule of thumb has been for several years, "If you need ibuprofen to sleep, take it. If you need ibuprofen to hike, get off trail or at least slow down."...
I like that AK. It's basically what I did last time out, but you summarized it well. I'm always very stiff and sore and don't sleep well at first, but walking usually helps ease the stiffness. That kink of pain is only a problem at night and then goes away once you get moving.
atraildreamer
09-13-2014, 15:39
Including an all expense paid inclusive stay in a Mexican prison. :)
A friend took a trip to Mexico and was able to LEGALLY buy all kinds of phamaceuticals in Mexican drugstores. He came back with a couple of bottles of antibiotics that he got for $3 a bottle of 100. These were not counterfeit drugs or generics, but name brand products. The markup on drugs in the USA is criminal.