Several of my friends right now are nursing colds of varying degrees...my friends T and B have had the "In the Bed for Days and Feel Like Death" variety, while I have been nursing the edge of a cold for a few days. It started out with a scratchy, borderline sore throat with achy ears and a headache. Today it has moved a bit into my nose, where I am sure it will take up residence for a few days.
If I were at home, I would have the well illuminated, aisles chocked full of remedies waiting for my self diagnosis. Stuffy nose? Runny nose? Congestion? Sneezing? At the local CVS or Walgreen's, they have something for each one of those maladies. Combination of all of the above? Oh, yes, the word that is the beacon in the fog of any illness: NYQUIL. And, of course, it's sidekick: DAYQUIL.
When I go back to the States or visit England, I always stock up on the over the counter meds. I am used to the anonymous, impersonal self diagnosis that probably keeps all of us doped up on too much medicine, and I must say, I like it!
In Germany, there is only the up-close, self effacing, potentially embarrassing telling all of your problems to the Pharmacist person in the white jacket who then diagnoses what you need to cure what it is that you have told them is ailing you. Not a lot here is over the counter, not even aspirin. Yup, you gotta ask for that...at least that is normally behind the counter. If you are in need of the real-deal drugs, the White Jacket person (and what training does this person have anyhow?!) has to go into some sort of back room that holds all of the good drugs hostage and retrieve what it is they think will cure you.
And, the pharmacies (Apothekes) are not all open every day-most of them are not open after 2 pm on Saturdays and all but the "Emergency Pharmacy" is open on Sunday. This is an Apotheke that takes turns with the others in their vicinity to open on a Sunday-you find the location of this Emergency Pharmacy either from the sign on the door of your local one or in the neighborhood papers that they leave in your vestibule (and my landlord whisks away as fast as he can).
But here, in the seclusion of a remote Sbahn station, the price of your privacy is just as far as the coin in your pocketbook...you can get by pressing the corresponding (#): (1) 20 Bandaids.....(2) 1 Dressing Pack-maybe an Ace bandage?... (3) 5 Pre-moistened Disinfecting wipes.....(4) 5 Kleenex...(5) 1 Emergency Shower (huh?) (6) tampons, and the like...and that's just the first few.
You can also buy various health related tests.....for (9) pregnancy, (10) prostate disease, (11) sobriety, (13) a drug test, (14) for the flu, and for a (15) UTI.
Someone from this company must be a thinker: you'll notice that the (7) 4 pack of condoms are right next to the (8) mouthwash spray.
This is a very interesting topic. I remember going to an Apothecary in France one summer after I had fallen and skinned my knees, and the White Coat insisted on cleaning me up and putting the bandages on like I was a toddler! Which was both endearing, and strange.
ReplyDeleteYou've made me appreciate our ability to take those anonymous late-night trips to Walgreen's to stock up on otc meds. Definitely preferable than going to the train station.
Last note, the last paragraph is very funny. :) xo
I live in Munich too and I know just how u feel! I miss Walgreens so much everytime I have a sniffle...or want something at 10pm...
ReplyDeleteHey,
ReplyDeleteI just read this and remembered my own time in Munich. It´s interesting to read how an expat sees the city (I´m German by the way).
As for the Apotheke: Anyone who wants to open an Apotheke needs to have a pharmaceutical degree. It´s a very long and hard course of study and actually harder to get in and to complete than medical school. The clerks at the counter might also be PTA`s, that is a Pharmaceutical- Technical- Assistent. That means they have a three- year professional training. Each apotheke has a laboratory in the back, where the pharmacist makes salves and solutions and sometimes even pills from scratch, according to prescriptions from the doctor. So basically, an Apotheke in Germany is more like an outpost of the doctor`s and less like an ordinary shop. Has some advantages, really!
Anonymous, thanks for the info! It makes sense that the PTA's would have training and probably an apprentice-type position here. And, a little insight as to what goes on behind the curtain is always a good thing! I do find it funny about us American-types: we come from a place where the drug companies are all over television with their commercials, but yet we still don't like to talk about our ailments to a stranger...even one prepared to help! Living here, I can now appreciate the differences more, but when you're sick I guess it is easy to fall back on what you know. Thanks again!
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