finland is notoriously "conservative" (read: medieaval) about pain medication.

[cimorene]

Dear Finnish doctors:

There's nothing cool about pain. It doesn't build character. It doesn't bring you closer to any higher powers. It doesn't lead to philosophical epiphanies. At best, it increases your tolerance. More likely, it interferes with your eating and sleeping habits. All it has to do is keep you awake a few nights to convert you to a semi-useless and extremely unhappy lump of seething resentment. So, you know, if someone comes to you in agonising pain because of some kind of medical problem, and they can't even sleep, then I think that fucking ibuprofen is not really the answer. A good clue would be if they've already been taking ibuprofen and it didn't help. The beautiful thing about your medical degree is that all kinds of options for pain relief for your patients are available to you with the use of something called a prescription book, and many of these are ones they couldn't buy at the drug store without your help! If you want to earn acclaim and admiration from your colleagues and patients, you could even try using something strong enough to actually fight the pain!

An extra-special note to Finnish dentists: Try anaesthetic when performing root canals, oral surgeries, and even just your average cavity fillings! Your patients will like it and they won't become a) weaklings or b) hardened drug addicts, honest! Fuck sisu.

No love,
Cim

P.S. You guys aren't nearly as cool as the Finnish cops.

Comments

[vass]

At best, it increases your tolerance.

Actually, I read somewhere that the reverse is the case, that the longer and more often you're in pain, the worse your tolerance gets. It wears you down.

[emmuzka.livejournal.com]

I agree with your view on Finnish pain meds policy. Guess what my mother was offered after a hip prosthetic surgery? Ibuprofen. Yeah, right. (Thankfully she got better meds after she threw a fit) Toothache is especially what it seems like the doctors are *instructed* to deny prescription medication. Maybe it's their way to try stop people for jonesing drugs, as toothache is one of the pains that is extremely subjective experience and difficult to "prove".

On the other hand, after my wisdom teeth were pulled out and my request of prescription pain meds were laughed at, I found out that I actually didn't need anything, not even Burana. If they would have given me the recipe, I would have taken the drugs without listening my body if they were really needed.

But yeah, I feel sorry for Finnish chronic pain patients who are expected to survive with like, taking up yoga or something. On a larger picture, I feel like the pain meds policy follows Finland's general drug policies. When drugs can't be advertised straight to the consumers, drug companies have to advertise straight to the doctors. It's not financially profitable to advertise pain meds because they are cheaper than drugs for blood pressure and diabetes and such and their patents are so old that the meds are interchangeable. So no point advertising. So there is no force lobbying the use of pain meds. So the situation doesn't change from what it was decades ago.

Personally, I'm one of those annoying "You can't pop a pill for every illness and sorrow"-people who have never even experienced excruciating pain in my life, so. I wouldn't want to see the medication policy to change to what it is in the States.

[wildestranger.livejournal.com]

My friends in Finland have had similar problems with their dentists, but they found that private doctors are much more happy to provide drugs during and after treatments. Perhaps you might consider getting a private dentist? I understand they are not much more expensive.

[anglepoiselamp.livejournal.com]

Yup. Basically you have to specifically ask for the anaesthetic every time at the dentist.

And recently I went to the doctor to get something stronger for my joint pains (they get pretty severe at times and I can't sleep or, say, hold a pen) and told them I've tried all sorts of pain medication, of which only one has helped (Orudis, a prescription-strength anti-inflammatory). Their solution? Telling me to buy over-the-counter paracetamol. Which hasn't ever been effective for me, for anything.

[brownbetty]

Ugh, pain is terrible! My sympathy!

The only pain that's difficult to get treatment for here is menstrual pain. They're always like "Have you tried B vitamins? What about hot pads?"

But when I got my wisdom teeth out I got a bunch of codeine without so much as asking for it, so I saved it for my menstrual cramps.