That depends on where you live.

Jeeezus HE. Christ, my granny did the same only with rum..
two fingers rrrrum, forefinger and pinky hot water, honey and lemon.
Your cold was not cured but you wern`t bothered and sure as hell looked forward to the next cold.
Still like that tipple today.

Self medication can be very dangerous, and I'd thought even more so with young children and babies. I totally understand why chemist's will not freely sell medicines they feel can present some danger without medical supervision. In my eyes, a sign of good professionalism and safety first.

Out of interest, which drug did you ask for? There are many drugs, traditional or modern, sold in some countries which are listed as unsafe in others.

When my baby was born, someone bought me an amber neckless, which is meant to help with teething - I didn't want her to wear it, thought that babies wearing any kind of jewellery was silly. Nevertheless, I put it on her (this person wanted to know why she wasn't wearing it....

Anyway, to get to my point, the only times in the 2 years she's been alive that she's cried from teething pain is when I'd forgotten to put it back on after a bath! Of course, those times, I hadn't realised I'd forgotten and when I saw the neckless in the bathroom... Well, to be honest, for me it happened more than enough times to convince me that it works!

OT - I was in the pharmacy and a grandma was interested in the amber necklesses, which were situated next to plastic amber-style necklesses. Why on earth would you want to buy an amber-style neckless which has no link to helping teething pains, just for the style!? Some people are silly!

I would like to point out that herbal medications can also have serious side effects, they are just not as well documented as with regular medicines.

Absolutely, which is why it is best not to give any medication without professional advice from a chemist, doctor or other health professional, especially for infants.

For instance, quote from FDA:
Painkillers dangerous for teething babies

It's common practice for some mommies to rub Anbesol or Orajel on their babies sore gums when they're teething.
But The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning that an ingredient in these pain relievers is linked to a serious illness.
Benzocaine, the main ingredient in liquids or gels applied to gums and mouth to reduce pain, is related to a rare condition called methemoglobinemia. The condition causes greatly reduced levels of oxygen to flow through the bloodstream. It can cause death in the most severe cases.
Benzocaine drugs are sold under brands such as Anbesol, Hurrricaine, Orajel, Baby Orajel, Orabase and other store brands. The disease has been detected with all strengths of benzocaine, including concentrations as low as 7.5 percent.
The cases occured mostly in children ages two years and under who used the painkillers for teething.
The FDA is saying children under two shouldn't use the drugs unless directed by a physician. Instead, they suggest giving the child a teething ring chilled in the refrigerator or gently rubbing or massaging the child's gums with your finger.
Read more from the FDA here.

..any pharmacy selling cough syrup I would not take serious...cough syrup is the biggest medicine scam ever...not sure why it is not banned...

as for teething, the only thing that helped our child was voltaren drops applied directly on the gum...all the herbs, ice, etc was totally worthless...

About "Doctors don't sell anything, if they do they are criminals! (but, they CAN give you a free sample, labeled as such)."

Round here most of the doctors have well stocked rooms with medicines they supply & you get a bill afterwards.
Nor sure what your definition is of selling??

Really it works? Last time i had a cold it lasted for a week. Next time instead of throat pastilles im having a bottle of whiskey next to my bed!

The question is to me?

Well yes as you are the OP saying a chemist was not happy to sell a drug for teething. Would be interested to know which drug it was and what was the reason given? The chemist would not be unhappy to sell and offer an alternative for no good reason (unless there is a financial one, which is indeed a possibility).

Ah, ok - I didn't know if it was for one of the other points in the thread

I went to two apotheke in the centre of Bern and asked for "something for my three month old baby for sore gums". They both brought something herbal. I then said "I'd prefer something with medication". The first said "We don't have anything like that but can order". The second sold me something.

But the point wasn't that they wouldn't sell - maybe my writing isn't clear - but that I am surprised that they don't offer the two options on at least an equal footing.

(By the way....its not a single episode. It happened with a previous child in the same way and if I ever show up at a pharmacy with man-flu ever again and get offered tea - I'm gonna go crazy)

My (Swiss) sister-in-law has gotten the amber necklaces for both of her boys for teething relief. Seems a bit odd to me as when I was last "teething" (breaking in my wisdom teeth) a nice piece of bubblegum that had been chewed until it was on the tough side worked wonders back there. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have had the same effect if it were hung around my neck.

She also saw some "far seer" someone who prayed, said some pagan words, something, I wasn't there, I dunno... whatever was said, however it happened, it seemed to have worked some.

S-i-l DID also use some clove gel stuff on her first son's gums, I know she's using something else for the little one, but I'm not sure what it is. (The cloves before I could smell so it was obvious)


My own sis has two boys that are similar age to my Swiss nephews and she gets them some teething rings that are safe to put in the fridge. They are a bit "nubbly" and chewing / gumming these, especially when chilled, seems to help a lot. This is one example something like what she used.



I have seen similar products in the baby shops here too. (I pointed one out the other day to my m-i-l which she's going to give to my littlest nephew for Christmas. )

__________________
The Joys of Opticianry

Selling is selling, and no doctor here does that, they give you a prescription that you must take to a pharmacy, same with hospitals (which can be annoying, especially on a Sunday)

Tom

"stronger" is subjective and this is one more thing I can't get used to in Switzerland. Things that are over the counter in the US require a prescription in Switzerland, and things that require a prescription in the US are over the counter in many other countries. It just defies all logic.

I'm with the OP on this. We shouldn't have to go see a doctor if we know what kind of medicine we need for simple problems.

Our pediatrician in Basel used to give us the med and he would add it on the bill.

a lot of doctors do sell medics directly and put it on the bill. It's actually a revenue stream for them. There was a proposal for a law to prevent them for selling medics directly but there was a huge protest from the swiss association of general practitioner. Another study showed the link between the medics they prescribe and the marketing material/sponsorships they receive from pharma companies.

Tom - you're wrong. Or maybe it only applies to your canton/village/street... For the antibiotics and analgesics, my doctor has a good stock. I only have to go to the pharmacy if it's something more exotic.

I found this "In 17 cantons, self-dispensation (by doctors) is completely or partly permitted; in nine cantons – Aargau, Basel-Stadt as well as Romandy and Ticino – there is a dispensing ban for doctors."

Ah, that explains why I get my drugs directly from by GP (BL), but get a script from my specialist (BS).