A weird thing about pain killers in Taiwan

I had my tonsils removed and the doctors would’t give me any hydrocodone or even Tramadol…I noticed unless you are dying of cancer, doctors here won’t prescribe any pain killers for some reason. It doesn’t make sense for patients to go through unnecessary suffering when it’s easily prevented.
On the other note, doctors here will give you benzos out like it’s candy. You can get valium, xanax, or whatever just walking into any clinic and say you have anxiety. (I do have panic attracts on occasion and do need them medically, but I know many people walking around with scripts of a variety of benzos from going from doctor to doctor.)\

[quote=“Andrew0409”]I had my tonsils removed and the doctors would’t give me any hydrocodone or even Tramadol…I noticed unless you are dying of cancer, doctors here won’t prescribe any pain killers for some reason. It doesn’t make sense for patients to go through unnecessary suffering when it’s easily prevented.
On the other note, doctors here will give you benzos out like it’s candy. You can get valium, xanax, or whatever just walking into any clinic and say you have anxiety. (I do have panic attracts on occasion and do need them medically, but I know many people walking around with scripts of a variety of benzos from going from doctor to doctor.)[/quote]

Same in a lot of Asian countries. Broken arm and crunched neck - nerves going haywire, crying in pain. Nope. They offered me something to ‘relax’. It kind of pushes my buttons because when they offer you what are generally used as psych meds to deal with physical pain, I get the impression that they are saying ‘Don’t be such a girlie’. But that’s my hang-up, I guess.

I once had a drawer with 200 Ambien and about 300 Klonopin (take as needed – I didn’t need them that often). I occasionally had fantasies about dumping them in someone’s water supply.

You can’t really get either in the UK.

I’ve managed with over the counter codeine with acetaminophen. I mean, it wasnt a major surgery by any case, and I wasn’t drying in pain, but it was a constant pain level that could be avoided with a 5mg of hydrocodone with acetaminophen. The most painful part is when i have to eat, every bite it actually extremely painful, and I’m a big guy, 190cm 92kg so I need to eat.

When I broke my wrist last year and had to have surgery, they sent me home with regular acetaminophen, but it was more than enough. I don’t think I even finished the bag they gave me.

For me, paracetamol (acetaminophen) doesn’t even touch the sides. Zero effect. Better off just drinking a bottle of whisky.

Doctors in Taiwan, and Japan too for that matter, are absolutely paranoid of “drug addiction”, from what? Two or three doses of an opiate? Get outta here. it’s a cultural thing. “All drugs are BAD, 'mkay?”

[quote=“urodacus”]For me, paracetamol (acetaminophen) doesn’t even touch the sides. Zero effect. Better off just drinking a bottle of whisky.

Doctors in Taiwan, and Japan too for that matter, are absolutely paranoid of “drug addiction”, from what? Two or three doses of an opiate? Get outta here. it’s a cultural thing. “All drugs are BAD, 'mkay?”[/quote]

Yet codeine is over the counter, they sell it for coughing, but I have some in pill form for general pain since I occasionally have really bad knee pains from a torn ligament from a car accident last year.

And like I said, any doc will hand you benzos here with no problem. benzo withdraw and addiction is even more dangerous than opiate. You can die from benzo withdraws.

I think it’s more like: Americans are obsessed with pain killers.

If you ever have a kidney stone, you’ll eat those words.