Do I need a prescription to get meds ?

@Suzi Masterson

Hi Suzi

Right you can get antibiotics from a pharmacy .. I had a bad infection in my eye after cleaning out my pool full of dead frogs etc  and must have infected my eye... it was closed up an badly swollen .. I just pointed at it and she said infected which I confirmed an she promptly gave me steroidal antibiotic cream and eye drops .. started disappearing within days ... but some pain killers no . However my Bulgarian friend sent me a picture of a drug containing paracetamol and codine. Which is over the counter drug .. prescription drug co codamol in UK .. quite strong .. I use for lower back pain now an again .. old age creeping on ...

I'll dig out the name off WhatsApp for you ...

Phil

Paracofdal

You can look it up on Google seems to be 3 active ingredients ... Once you have the details just speek to your doc and ask the question regarding your son and usage ...   Bulgarian drugs seem to be stronger ....

Paratramol is another ... Looks strong 37mg codine by the looks ... I believe co codamol are 20 mg codine

This information on medications is so useful it maybe needs its own thread so its more findable?

Yes your right ...  I always take picture on the phones of any meds I get in BG coz you think your gonna remember but after 6 months in UK you forget so makes it easy when you go to pharmacy  you can just show a picture .. mind you IV never been to a pharmacy where at least one person spoke English

Phil

@philip Mckay

Co-codamol in the UK come in three strengths 8mg, 15mg and 30mg, all with 500mg paracetamol. The lowest strength can be purchased over the counter at a pharmacist, but the higher strengths are only available on prescription.

@Jules999

Even as a non-medical professional, I'm pretty sure that co-codamol is bad news, and best avoided, if you can.

@philip Mckay

Afff... you're not 21 anymore... you can't go throwing yourself around the mountain! :-) Get well soon, eh.

But you can't beat 800 lv. If you did this in a US resort, probably just the machine-that-goes-ping would be more than that.

@gwynj

You're right Gwyn, I'd avoid anything opiate based wherever possible! I was only pointing the strengths out to Phil as he seemed to think they were 20mg.

@philip Mckay

thank you the plan is to go to the gp, get referred  and they can sort everything.

Hello everyone,

Please note that I have created this new topic on the Bulgaria forum so that you may better discuss the topic.

All the best

Bhavna

Sometimes short-term use of a codeine containing painkiller is okay, though that should be VERY short-term (3 days, maximum) unless there's a good reason.

Hubby has a chronic genetic condition causing severe bone and joint pain, and though he wants to be on minimal pain relief  and not dependent on prescription meds, when his pain gets severe his GP prescribes co-codamol with 30mg codeine. After a flare forces him onto pain medication rather than go cold turkey with associated side effects, he substitutes a lower strength over-the-counter version to wean himself back off the codeine, until he's reduced his daily codeine dose low enough to stop. So it's good to know he can obtain those in Bulgaria if needed.

It appears that in Bulgaria, the over-the-counter Parafcodal Philip mentioned DOES contain 20mg codeine, a dose that's not available in the UK, either prescription or over-the-counter. The other one mentioned as 37.5mg is tramadol, not codeine, a synthetic opiate and possibly less likely to cause addiction. But NO painkiller is ideal for long term use.

Some aptekas out here sell allsorts. Mums the word expats!

@janemulberry

when you live in chronic pain its about getting through the day rather than worrying about long term effects.

you are absolutely correct no use of any meds long term is ideal. ideally our bodies would work as they should,

my son has complex phsyical issues and is only 3 years out of a wheel chair. he falls easily and lives in chronic pain.

im thrilled hes off morphine. he was on that for a few years. i have things id like to try to help my son. my  UK GP wouldnt hear of it and just wanted to pump him full of the easy option medications.

im hoping to find a gp that will work with my son and me to get him off medications.

if i just try on my own here in the UK its medical neglect. i want a GP to be on board. but hey ho. the nhs is about the easy answer for the doctors not whats the est for the patient.

i  know trying he can go back onto the meds if needed. not trying they will stop working and hell end up on stronger and stronger meds until there arent any more.

he hates taking them. hes only 13. its awful to see as his mum

fingers crossed the doctors have more common sense

im keen to learn the difference in price with furniture. if anyone knows id be greatful.

its costing me over £15k to move us. im looking to cut costs where i can, even if it means starting again.

im not attached to any of our furniture so im trying to find out if its cost effective to buy new sofas etc when we move. the van cost is £3.5k to move the furniture. the personal bits (kids toys clothes etc) will fit into the van when we take the dogs with us.

we have no way to use the furniture when we get it as we are moving into a renovation (as im sure most of us do )

anything we cant fit i the horse transporter has offered to bring anything we cant fit in.

Suzi, I'm so sorry your son is living with chronic pain. It must be heartbreaking. I hope it's possible to get him some better help to manage the symptoms.

To check new furniture prices look at Praktiker and emag. Delivery is usually free or low cost. Also your nearest town is likely to have a furniture shop or two, ours does and they deliver free. There are online sites similar to ebay where people can list their second-hand furniture but until my Bulgarian improves enough to make phone calls buying that way isn't really an option!

I think you may find only taking personal stuff and buying new to furnish the Bg house might work out a little cheaper than trying to move everything. Because we're slowly transitioning between houses and I'm furnishing the Bg house a room at a time while still living in the UK, and moving smaller stuff over a suitcase at a time, we won't be taking any of our furniture with us.

@gwynj

Lol

IV already ordered a Moto cross armoured vest and a couple of rugby tops with Eva protection on the shoulders.. biceps and chest  .... This is the 3rd time iv hurt  my  collar bone  and suspect IV broken before back in 2020 when COVID started and on the same slope ..yasterabets 2 the popangelov run. Famous Bulgarian skier by all accounts ..  But we were traveling home the next day and within a few days COVID hit coz I remember getting a phone from work telling me we were just put on permanent  12hr shifts due to the loss of manpower ..  I thought I'd got a frozen shoulder but I recon I'd busted it cos it's almost the same feeling ..

Next time I'll have 2 inches of Eva and hard plastic to top it off .... I ummed and ard about this Moto cross vest and in the end didn't buy... Uugh  I never thought about rugby .... Oh well better late than never 🥴

I certainly would not want to to have this injury in UK  don't trust them ! .. 800 lev is cheap and even cheaper cos IV only got  £100 excess to pay ...

And I should get quite a lot back on my season ticket aswell  ..

This is the 2nd time iv had BG state hospital medical staff treat me and cannot praise them enough.. yes the hospital is somewhat run down but the treatment is 1st class

@philip Mckay same here mate cant fault the doctors.