Australian pharmacists are in an uproar over plans to sell ibuprofen over-the-counter. I remember the first time I tried to buy it in the UK and could only find packs of ten tablets. “Why can’t they sell bigger bottles?” I asked the Snook. “So people can’t kill themselves with it,” he replied. It’s much the same here in Oz. Meanwhile I’ve been jealously hoarding the 500-tablet bottle of Wal-Mart $7 off-brand ibuprofen I smuggled in last January. Seriously, if the stuff was going to kill me, I’d have kicked the bucket back in college.
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That blows my mind, Kris–I had no idea! Who–other than attention-seeking 13-year-olds–would actually attempt suicide with ibuprofen? Please. So what do runners in Australia and England take after runs if not ibuprofen? Soothing sips of tea? 🙂
Its so suiciders can’t OD on a 500 bottle of them! Like someone who’s determined to top themselves is not going to think of buying more packs or anything….
Dude. I live on a steady supply of ibuprofen. It’s the only stuff that works for me when it comes to menstrual pain and mild headaches. I thought acetaminophen was much harder on your liver, anyway?
By far the most popular choice here is “paracetamol”, which as I understand it is basically Tylenol. Everytime I take it I get queasy. All the ibuprofen here is branded and – on top of the small packets – they make you pay through the nose for it. I learned in London to just have Mom send me the jumbo Wal-Mart bottle once a year. The one good thing is that you can get small amounts of codeine here without a prescription, so I’ve been known to splurge on the “Nurofen Plus” (ibuprofen plus codeine) when I’ve got a killer headache.