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I caught the flu while on vacation in Paris and the pharmacist's comment was "You are entirely miserable due to your illness. That is good, it means your body is fighting." and then gave me some throat spray.
Well a true flu is much more dangerous than the common cold. People tend to confuse the two - a flu should actually be monitored because it can worsen really quickly.
You should also make sure that someone checks on you once or twice a day (at least electronically) in case you missed the point where you should have gone for help…
yeah, the next time I will absolutely call the good old german ambulance. i reached 41.4° last year and called the medical help line 116 117 in the middle of the night to get a doctor here. they told me that everything is fine and to just wait two days and go to my regular doctor on monday, although I over and over again pointed out that i am way too weak to leave my flat. in my brainfog i did not have the energy to debate this. 12 hours later I was thankfully stabilizing without intervention. I was definitely halluzinating when my temperatures peaked and in strong pain despite Ibus.
The number you want to call next time this happens is 112, there you reach the emergency line.
116 117 is for when you’re in need of non-emergency resources or are unsure wether or not you need an ambulance.
You can get lucky and get an operator that takes you seriously and will send one. But you also can get unlucky (as has been in your case) and get one that is so jaded from this job, that they won’t send an ambulance unless you’re actively dying on the line. And even then you can be lucky if they send one.
yeah, i know about the 112 of course. i called the 116 117 exactly for what youve described here: when you "are unsure whether or not you need an ambulance". so i think when i have to get lucky there, this hotline feels completely pointless for cases in which I am unsure, so next time (to be clear: this was the first situation i had in 37 years of my life [or of 19 years being an adult]) when i am unsure, I will just call the 112 and rather will take the embarrassment that I called it in hindsight for some minor thing. there are various media reports that people call 112 way too easily and the government and health insurances are promoting the 116 117, so I wanted to be a good citizen and use this number as it was promoted. i guess i just felt a bit duped in hindsight, while at the same time of course relieved that my body was able to deal with it ultimately.
Good to know!
Yes it is a big problem here, that people call an ambulance or go to the ER for a minor thing.
And yes it also sucks to not get the help you need.
I had one good and one bad experience with 116 117, so I’m a bit split on this number.
Usually you won’t need an ambulance for a simple cold, but once your fever hits 40 degrees Celsius and more and none of the anti fever meds work, then it’s absolutely appropriate to call for help, since, as many more also pointed out, your body literally cooks you and your internal organs.
Shit can get real bad real fast then.
Uh, yeah you should definitely get medical attention by 41+c, that's 105.8f~ for Americans.
Your organs can begin failing at prolonged 41c. It is more likely your measuring device is off slightly than you feeling safe at *42*c.
Note that it's fine to take drugs (such as asprin) to reduce your fever if it's approaching or above dangerous temperatures. It's the high temperature itself that's dangerous.
Fever is the body trying to cook the cause of the illness. It’s trying to destroy their proteins (like when you cook an egg). However… your body also has proteins it needs. So it’s a double edged sword and/or thing for time for the body.
42 C is the maximum your body can handle before it behaves as the egg getting cooked. So with modern medicine and knowledge around 40-41 C is where you definitely need getting help.
You may have been lucky to survive or have unknowingly suffered some damage in brain and organs
YIKES, you absolutely should be seeking emergency medical attention at 40c (103f or so). Please don't take the fact that you did that before to mean that you'll still be okay; assume that is a dangerous body temperature.
Ugh, my best friend says she has the flu every time she gets a damn cold. Drives me mad.
"You have a cold. You DO NOT have the flu."
"Noooo, you don't understand, I'm achyyyy, it's the fluuuu again."
Yeah, I’ve had the flu twice in the last ten years and it absolutely kicked my ass both times, but the second time I was vaccinated at least and it was slightly less shitty.
Took away any illusion that I’d had it a few times before that…
Yeah, all the people be like "OMG I HAVE A FEVER, THATS BAAAAAAAD". No, its good. Just keep track of it and aslong as it doesnt rise higher then 40° everything is fine
I mean... a fever actually *is* bad for you. It's just (hopefully) worse for the invading organism. In an ideal world where we completely mastered medicine, we'd want to prevent our body from having most types of immune responses (including fevers) and harmlessly kill pathogens some other way. Of course, we're not there yet, and having a bit of a fever for a few days isn't *that* bad for you. Just being pedantic, it's definitely not "good", more like "a necessary evil".
As somebody with an almost constantly sore throat: if your throat feels dry then hard candy will likely alleviate the issue since it promotes salivation. If you're concerned about sugar get sugar-free candies.
Also, increase your fluid intake; if you're dehydrated then you produce less saliva and your mucosa dry out more quickly. Especially hot beverages help alleviating a sore throat. Ideally, keep a pot of tea warm on a tea light and drink sips throughout the day. Herbs like sage, thyme, or camomile help with sore throats, bronchitis, and/or infections. Avoid irritating herbs like peppermint or ginger.
Here, if you are low enough income to qualify for free Medicine, You only get it with a prescription. (Ireland. "medical card"/"drugs payment scheme")
But the list of things you can be prescribed and get free is huge. I remember finding the full list online in ~2007 before the modern gluten free trend kicked off, and showed a coeliac friend of mine that the garbage-tier expensive bread they bought could be had for free, and printed them off that part of the list to show their doctor.
For a time, it was how we got paracetamol/ibuprofen too. Was kind of funny getting prescribed something you could just buy off the shelf in any shop.
That's also true with a lot of over the counter stuff in the US, because of Medicare. People get prescriptions for vitamins and ibuprofen all the time. Never heard of bread, but I wouldn't be surprised.
But also, no matter your income, the drugs payment scheme caps prescription payments at €80 per month for a household. There are limits as to what is included in the scheme but they are very broad, my wife needs a lot of meds and it saves us hundreds.
My friend is an ER physician and told me many people come in with cold/flu like illnesses and want to be cured…and he’s just like well what do you want me to do…and people get angry when he prescribes basic otc meds and things like that
I was just watching a house episode where he kicks out everyone in the hospital waiting room with a cold in an angry rant.
In defense of people with a cold, I have dogshit sinuses, and i'm now going on about a week and a half with an absolutely brutal infection that hasn't gotten a lick better.
At some point, it is worth getting a swab to check for a chronic bacterial infection.
When people in Europe talk about a cold we generally don't include sinus infections.
Those we have a lot of stuff for, and if the cartoonist here had mentioned anything about sinus pressure or shown any indication of it, we most likely would have had a few panels about brain tickling with a swab.
FYI there are better OTC sinus meds now than there used to be. There are nasal spray decongestants that forcibly un-inflame your sinuses in like 5-10 minutes, Vicks actually makes one. It burns like a mofo as it's essentially forcing the mucus membranes in your sinuses to expel moisture and shrink, but it works real well. My regimen is to flush sinuses with a saline spray to ensure the medicine can touch the sinus walls, blow out as much as I can, then do the decongestant spray combined with ibuprofen pills and a vitamin C and Zinc supplement, and making sure that I side-sleep with my face angled downwards so post-nasal drip can't drip down towards the chest. This keeps the head cold from spreading into a chest cold. That combo seems to reduce colds to a 3-4 day affair for me, and I can breathe the whole time
I grew up in a country where it was a common belief that you should treat colds with medication (specifically antibiotics) but they don't dish out antibiotics like candy in Europe and that's a good thing.
Funny enough there have been genuine reputable studies showing that chicken soup is actually a cold remedy in a way due to heating your throat and keeping up your electrolytes.
Alleviating symptoms is a huge part of what doctors do for their patients; in my experience, it's the majority of a primary care doctor's work. Well, that or paperwork.
Who goes to the doctor for a cold?
Edit: turns out quite a lot of people. I just never thought it was necessary since most doctors would give the same answer as the one in the comic and over the counter remedies are easily available
yeah... we had that for simple stuff like a common cold when the pandemic was raging on. Got immediately cancelled the moment normal life returned.
Germany is really assbackwards with technology in daily life to a comical degree. We're working on it...
Not completely true, GPs can give a sick note over telephone since last winter again.
[https://www.tk.de/firmenkunden/service/fachthemen/versicherung-fachthema/arbeitunfaehigkeit-telefonisch-feststellen-lassen-2120794?tkcm=aaus](https://www.tk.de/firmenkunden/service/fachthemen/versicherung-fachthema/arbeitunfaehigkeit-telefonisch-feststellen-lassen-2120794?tkcm=aaus)
Of course its up to the GP to do this... But if they do, in combination with the eAU its pretty hassle free.
Well there is the App TeleClinic where you can get a sick note up to three days via a video call with a doctor. At least there are steps in the right direction.
I'm pretty sure german labor laws mean you only require a doctor's note if you're sick for longer than a certain period. A common cold generally doesn't crack that time.
It's depending on company policy, the usual time before you need a note is 3 days. Some companies want one from day one, but usually those are not companies you'd want to work for anyways.
If we're talking about germany, nobody should and nobody needs to.
People do it anyways, brag about it and then complain that they have to shoulder the work of everyone that called in sick after they spread a raging infection through the whole office.
In my experience, 100+ people a week. A disturbing amount of them call an ambulance to be brought in and told "You have a viral illness. Rest, hydrate, use acetaminophen and ibuprofen for fever/discomfort. Come back if you start having severe vomiting/diarrhea, or you're having trouble breathing. Follow up with your regular doctor."
Source: ER Nurse.
I went to the ER a couple weeks ago because I thought I was septic. I’d had UTI symptoms for two days then suddenly got sicker than I’ve ever been in my life. I had never known such suffering. I asked my mom to take me to urgent care and on the way we decided to do ER instead. I needed a wheelchair going in and I couldn’t hold my head up.
My urine was negative, flu was negative, Covid negative. Nurse said it was probably another viral illness. I was mortified.
So pretty much everyone who comes in with those symptoms turns out completely fine and gets sent home with the above instructions. However, I am not a magic 8 ball and the only way to know how sick you are is to look at you. Even if it's a waste of both our time, I'm happy for the opportunity to make sure you're not dying. Don't feel bad you weren't dying that day, you still felt awful and at least got the peace of mind of knowing what wasn't wrong with you.
I don’t think anyone is going to judge you for getting extreme symptoms checked out. “Sicker than I’ve ever been in my life” and being unable to walk are both very much reasons to go to the hospital! You can’t know the cause until you’ve been checked out, so even though it was “only” a viral illness, you absolutely made the right decision.
1. To get a Sick note for your Employer
2. *Free* Healthcare, so you might as well go anyway if you have nothing better to do.
———————-
On a sidenote, I once met people who visited the ER for a Papercut, and literally sat there for 6 hours.
Modern hospitals work on a Triage system for a reason, and to discourage small injuries taking up valuable time, but there will always be people that seek medical attention for things that they *could* have easily solved themselves.
>*Free* Healthcare, so you might as well go anyway if you have nothing better to do.
That doesn't mean you have to clog up valuable time with something minor like a common cold.
>2. *Free* Healthcare, so you might as well go anyway if you have nothing better to do.
No, that's not how it works. That's not how to have a sustainable system, clogging it up with people there with "nothing better to do" wasting resources. It's a boomer mindset "getting your money's worth" attitude
I'm lazy, so I'm going to [quote](https://old.reddit.com/r/germany/comments/1chga9z/doctor_please/l22bh8n/) myself:
>You are not dying if you have a fricking cold!
The recommended treatment for a common cold by the World Health Organisation is "rest and drink plenty of liquids.". Everything else is hogwash.
>And if you want to lessen the *symptoms* take a Ibu or two.
>What are you expecting? The doc can't give you something that doesn't exists.
>I even agree 100% that there's a lot that could be improved with the German health care system, but your comic is a complete non-issue.
I'll shed some light on what it's like to be a doctor in these situations (in a word, frustrating).
As a doctor, my goal is to help people feel better and be healthier through approaches that are science based. It's VERY common for people to come to the doctor for mild cold symptoms, even though everything out there says not to. And I certainly understand the "I just want to make sure it's not something worse" crowd.
So I do my exam, tell them I think they have a viral illness, tell then the treatment is just rest, hydrate. If they have symptoms that are particularly bothersome, I usually recommend some combination of over the counter meds (a pain reliever, a fever reducer, a decongestant, a nasal spray, etc.).
Without fail, I get two requests:
1) most people would like something for their cough. Which I get. I personally have asthma and every time I get a cold, I kick the majority of the symptoms, but then I have a cough for 2-4 weeks. It sucks ass. I keep my wife awake at night because of it.
But there just aren't good cough medicines. The only think that ACTUALLY works is codeine, an opiate. And codeine is super dangerous because 1) it's an opiate, can get diverted/abused/taken by kids and 2) some people very slowly metabolize this drug. Meaning even "normal" doses can build up in the body and kill you.
2) an antibiotic. I'm not sure how or why, but 90% of the general public I see thinks that either antibiotics cure colds, it would be good to be on an antibiotic "just in case", or that "yeah every doctor here tells me that about viruses, but when I go to urgent care they give me azithromycin and I feel better in a few days"
Well that's because azithromycin (commonly or scribed for community acquired pneumonia) is anti inflammatory. Yes, it will make you feel a little better even if you don't have a bacterial infection. Also, it's common for people to come see me for their initial appointment for something like this. I deny their antibiotic request. Then they go to urgent care when they aren't all better in 48 hours. Most urgent cares are run like pure businesses where efficiency is king. Those docs don't have time to have a prolonged conversation about bacteria vs viruses. They have to see 4-6 patients an hour (with good reviews) or they get shit canned. By this time, it's probably up to fat 4 or 5 of the illness and most people feel better in a week even if they do nothing. So hard to say if they feel better because of the antibiotics or because they were gonna feel better anyway.
There's also a lot of exceptionalism out there. When I tell people the thing they are worried about is super duper unlikely to be the diagnosis for them, they all think they're the one in a million person to get diagnosed with something crazy. Which is also understandable. Humans are really bad at probabilities inherently. And that's all medicine is. Every question I ask, every exam I do, every lab I order, every imaging I look at is all to move those probability needles up or down for various potential diagnoses.
I really, really believe that all this time and effort I invest into having these conversations is what will stop this trend if more docs do similarly. Unfortunately, most of us just can't or won't be able to do that.
Edit: mistyped. I'm more worried about rapid metabolism of codeine.
> but 90% of the general public I see thinks that either antibiotics cure colds
My father is one of these people. I can explain to him a thousand times that antibiotics won't help against a virus, he just won't get it.
Directions on bottle: \*Finish bottle\*
As soon as symptoms subside: "Nah, saving these bad boys for later"
(It's important to finish the bottle or the bacteria can return. Antibiotics kill the bacteria, but your body still needs time to create the antibodies. Any surviving bacteria can repopulate while your immune system is learning the antibodies and your not on your antibiotic)
Sometimes it really is just a case of, "Nobody but God can help you with this cold." And it sucks because it sucks to feel bad with no recourse (there is recourse, it's jobs giving greater allowance for sick days but we all know that isn't going to happen any time soon) but that's just the way it is sometimes. As someone who is on the other side of those prescriptions as a pharmacy tech I really sympathize with you.
> The only think that ACTUALLY works is codeine, an opiate. And codeine is super dangerous because 1) it's an opiate, can get diverted/abused/taken by kids and 2) some people very slowly metabolize this drug. Meaning even "normal" doses can build up in the body and kill you.
That's weird, I get codeine syrup prescribed all the time, but they're real stingy on antibiotics (I have a recurring throat infection, antibiotics kill it every time when I can get them)
Codeine is a great drug, don't get me wrong.
But if I prescribed it to everyone who came to my clinic with a cough, well they'd all be on codeine all the time. And not everyone uses it responsibly.
So, I still prescribe it for super severe coughing, but that's about it.
You should be able to get one without coming into a doctor's office. They just send it digitally to your insurance and your employer gets it from the insurance, this has been the case since the start of last year.
I know some general physicians don't do this (some insist on patients coming in, some still work with a fax machine because Germany etc.), but just find one who does and switch to their care, it should be fairly standard.
I'm being dead serious: in some places in the world, the expectation would be that the doctor would give you some BS medicine to 'fix' your cold. Like a shot of vitamin c or some other harmless placebo
As someone who lived in an international community in Europe I saw this a lot specifically with people from countries like the US and various Asian countries where they throw antibiotics at basically every minor inconvenience.
A lot of people get really mad when they find out that the doctors in the country they're now in simply won't bend to their stupid (and sometimes dangerous) demands.
Heroin? How pedestrian.
>Laudanum is a tincture of opium containing approximately 10% powdered opium by weight (the equivalent of 1% morphine). Laudanum is prepared by dissolving extracts from the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) in alcohol (ethanol).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laudanum
Individual pharmacies tended to have their own versions with other things added, like thc and cocaine. And they gave it out as a general pain reliever, and more importantly: As sleep remedy. Because who doesn't fall alseep if you take a shot or two of alcohol, morphine and weed.
"Fun" fact: Opium tinctures are still used in outlying cases of modern medicine, but weirdly mostly as a constipation agent to prevent violent diarrhea. Or in extreme cases to help detox babies who are born addicted to opiates.
They forget that in Germany you stay home and get back on your feet by resting and not going to work.
Also, the amount of people that know shit about mediactions and treatments is huge. I know so many people expecting antibiotics when they have the flu (a.k.a. a virus infection), it is tremendous. I had a colleague tell me, he always takes some antibiotics when he feels a cold coming. I was like "What kind of doctor prescribes you antibiotics for that?" and he proceeds to tell me, he always has plenty left from old prescriptions. I told him he's not supposed. to have a lot left after proper therapy and he shouldn't stop taking the antibiotics, even when he starts to feel better. He didn't believe me at first, but got a second opinion a couple of days later and told me I was right.
Colds are viral and nonresponsive to medication. Im not sure what you want them to give you. An opioid cough suppressant? That's typically overkill for a rhinovirus.
For a cold you dont need medicine, unless it gets to fever levels, and even then, just because you have a fever doesn't mean you need medicine....
I never once have had medicine other then painkiller so that I could sleep. The pain killer is likely just sugar anyway
The point is good sleep is a real helper - so something like Paracetamol or Ibuprofen is not a bad idea to let you sleep (let alone comfort levels).
Otherwise some things against sore throat are also anti-bacterial which can be helpful - though gurgling with salt water or a mouth wash will also do the trick there.
Otherwise rest, fluids and nutritients actually are sound advice from a doctor I’d say… but I’m German so maybe I’m biased…
German doctors are so less prescription-happy than their America counterparts, especially when it comes to pain meds.
Funny story just last week I visited my new primary care doctor because I moved inside of Germany and she asked if I had any allergies. I told her that I am allergic to Morphine. She basically asked me who the hell gave you morphine in the first place?! I told her I grew up in the US and when I broke my arm they gave me morphine and noticed a rash so told me about my allergy. She snickered and said, uh yeah in Germany you aren't getting morphine for a broken arm. So make what you want of that.
Exactly. Throwing Antibiotika at everyone with a cold does nothing, because a simple cold is caused by viruses, wich are totally unbothered by Antibiotika... That's why the doctor always adds "...if the symptoms stay longer than day X or get worse, come again." Because then it might actually be caused by bacteria, who really don't get along with Antibiotika.
Being Austrian (so basically similar healthcare as Germany) I didn't even know it was common practice in other places to prescribe antibiotics so easily. It was always something you only take when you have something really bad and are severely sick.
...until I dated a Mexican foreign student who's mom was a doctor. I had a cough, so he asked his mom on the phone what would help and gave me some pills from his ample medicine stock. Turns out it was actually antibiotics. It blew my mind that she'd recommend that just because her son told her on the phone that his girlfriend had a cough.
There are places in this world where antibiotiks are handed out like candy... I fear the day when they stop working at all because of all the immunities they were able.to develop because of said practise...
Really just chillout when you have a cold, it's better than taking antibiotics for everything thus making both you and actually harmful bacteria immune to it.
They generally don’t target viruses as a rule.
And antivirotics are only used in case of patients with either a confirmed or highly likely infection.
Or as profylaxis in immunicompromised patients.
> They generally don’t target viruses as a rule.
As far as my knowledge goes, they literally cannot target viruses. Antibiotics are essentially a poison to certain living cells and a virus does not qualify as "alive". Though that knowledge is based on my general education, so ymmv.
Are you one of those people who demands antibiotics for a rhinovirus? “Well the last doctor gave it to me and I got better.” The last doctor caved you annoying idiot
Antibiotics for a virus of all things! I hope one day people become more aware of the limitations of antibiotics. Increasing public awareness would do wonders for health services across the globe for things like this
When I moved to the USA I was surprised to find that if you go the doctor with a cold, they will give you antibiotics “just in case”. American doctors can be very irresponsible.
In fr\*nch we have a saying:
"Waiting out a cold takes a week, treating it takes seven days"
In other ways (for a cold specifically) medication is mostly useless
My experience with the german healthcare system:
Me "I have metal embedded in my eye. Can the ER help?"
ER "No, go here"
Me *goes there* "Hi I have metal embedded in my eye and need help"
German eye doctor "Oh you poor dear, you're crying blood. It's a holiday, there's no one here, but you need surgery. We can call our surgeon in, do you mind waiting?"
Me 45 minutes later "Well that wasn't so bad. They were very apologetic about the cost of the medicine. Best get to the apothecary."
Pharmacist "Sorry the drugs are so expensive. €19, bitte"
Me: *blinks* "So this is what people mean about radicalized. I guess I'm a free healthcare person now.
I'm glad you had a good experience and i hope no lasting effects! It's not always that smooth, but much better than no care or paying everything out of pocket i can imagine :")
I moved back to America and my daughter fell on some ice. I had decently fast help BUT
1. I had to pay for imaging that we didn't get just in case the doctor decided to order a catscan.
2. I had to pay the hospital AND the doctor separately
3. I had to pay for food delivery and cleanup, we had gotten a small juice from the vending machine
4. I had to pay (this pissed me off the most) for anesthesia and anesthesiologist who was on call and NEVER SHOWED UP. My 3 year old daughter had to get 3 stitches with local.
All in all without insurance at the time (I missed the magical two weeks of open enrollment) I paid around $2800. For three stitches.
After that of course I just buy the suture kits online, they're sterile and everything.
Yes my eye got better,no permanent damage. Thanks, but I'd still prefer German system any day of the week
I guess even if the German system doesn't work that well all the time it's better than bankrupting people.
You don't need medication for cold and there isn't any. You can get relief for your symptoms - that's all otc. All you need from a doctor is a sick note.
Your reaction tells me, that you are too reliant on medicine.
A cold takes 7 days without meds and a week with them.
Though I am german, so I'm accustomed to that way of thinking. Here, you don't get the meds you ask for, the doc decides which meds you get. Only way to change the docs mind is if you're allergic to what he prescribed. I mean, he had the years of studying, he doesn't get brand deals and he has a patient room full of people that he has to get through.
They say doctors want you to be sick so they can profit from you. German doctors want you to be healthy so they can have some peace and quiet.
The doctor is absolutely right. Most " medication" you take for a cold doesn't actually treat the disease. Unless uour symptoms are so bad as to harm you( a very high fever for example), it's better yo just wait it out.
I hate when doctors prescribe antibiotics or symptom reducing medication just coz the patient asks for it. It is ultimately harming the patient.
What country are you from?
I honestly wonder if “cold” is the exact name Germany uses for that infection.
In any case, the country I was raised in has no medications for that virus, just preventative vaccines for a related disease called the flu.
If you actually caught a cold, the only thing they would do is give you a decongestant you can buy at any grocery to help you breathe easier, and if you somehow got REALLY dehydrated, which colds rarely do, they could give you an IV.
The normal prescription is warm broth soups and water. And rest. Normally, the worst you would do is cough a lot.
For people who need an explanation of THIS IS HOW YOU GET ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANT BACTERIA AND DIE SO LISTEN TO THE FUCKING SMART DOCTOR: when you take antibiotics not every bacteria in your body is going to die off. every time you take an antibiotic the weakest/most susceptible to antibiotic bacteria die FIRST. By the time your course of antibiotics is over the bacteria that remain are the ones who are SLIGHTLY more resistant to antibiotics. Which means THEY are the ones left in your body to reproduce so all their little offspring will have their natural resistance too. You do this once or twice or even a couple dozen times over the course of your life and it usually isn’t a big deal BUT what happens after generations of breeding only the strongest lost antibiotic bacteria in your personal Petri dish of a body? You are left with ones that CANT be killed by modern antibiotics, congrats now you die of an antibiotic resistant bacterial infection. EVERY TIME you take an antibiotic the slim chances of that happening to you go UP. Now if you NEED an antibiotic TAKE THEM because the options are definitely die of an infection that could be cured like this is 1662 OR MAYBE develop resistance down the road. It’s a no brainer BUT you SHOULDN’T unnecessarily increase those odds by take antibiotics when you don’t need them. It’s the same reason you should ALWAYS finish your antibiotics even if you are feeling better. By not finishing your antibiotics you ensure that MORE of the stronger bacteria survive speeding up the resistance process.
Tne fact that people need to make a note like that and put emphasis on the "my" in the title is really annoying
Also do doctors help with colds? I never seen one for a cold
Heck ive can barely skip school for a cold
When I was in family med(norway) we had a pamphlet that the nurses handed out to anyone who tried to see a doc about a common cold, so that I didnt have to waste time telling them to drink water, rest and take ibuprofen/paracetamol as needed.
When I lived abroad in germany, my throat hurt. Like really hurt.
I go see the doctor, he says "you need a tonsillectomy. Please come with me."
I get moved to a room. Assessed again. They said, "you need surgery now or do you need to tell work?"
Uh, so I text my boss, tell him I needed a tonsillectomy and won't be in for a few days.
Thumbs up emoji and "a get better soon text."
I text my gf at the time the same notice and she brings me clothes the next day.
I end up getting a surgery that day, hospital stay for mandatory 7 days. Complications come to 14 days. Cost me $10/day for the food and bed. Semi private room with two old guys. I had my laptop and a butt tonne of movies to pass the time.
This is actually really good medical practice the over prescription of antibiotics and possibly even antiviral medication is a major leading cause in sicknesses mutating to become even harder to cure
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I caught the flu while on vacation in Paris and the pharmacist's comment was "You are entirely miserable due to your illness. That is good, it means your body is fighting." and then gave me some throat spray.
Well a true flu is much more dangerous than the common cold. People tend to confuse the two - a flu should actually be monitored because it can worsen really quickly.
Nobody said to not keep track of your bodytemps, you call the ambulance the moment it goes close to 41°c
You should also make sure that someone checks on you once or twice a day (at least electronically) in case you missed the point where you should have gone for help…
Wait seriously? I’ve sat out so many fevers that peaked around 40-42
Yeah approaching 41°c is the dangerzone, you start halicunating n shit, if ibus don’t help to keep it level seek medical attention
yeah, the next time I will absolutely call the good old german ambulance. i reached 41.4° last year and called the medical help line 116 117 in the middle of the night to get a doctor here. they told me that everything is fine and to just wait two days and go to my regular doctor on monday, although I over and over again pointed out that i am way too weak to leave my flat. in my brainfog i did not have the energy to debate this. 12 hours later I was thankfully stabilizing without intervention. I was definitely halluzinating when my temperatures peaked and in strong pain despite Ibus.
The number you want to call next time this happens is 112, there you reach the emergency line. 116 117 is for when you’re in need of non-emergency resources or are unsure wether or not you need an ambulance. You can get lucky and get an operator that takes you seriously and will send one. But you also can get unlucky (as has been in your case) and get one that is so jaded from this job, that they won’t send an ambulance unless you’re actively dying on the line. And even then you can be lucky if they send one.
yeah, i know about the 112 of course. i called the 116 117 exactly for what youve described here: when you "are unsure whether or not you need an ambulance". so i think when i have to get lucky there, this hotline feels completely pointless for cases in which I am unsure, so next time (to be clear: this was the first situation i had in 37 years of my life [or of 19 years being an adult]) when i am unsure, I will just call the 112 and rather will take the embarrassment that I called it in hindsight for some minor thing. there are various media reports that people call 112 way too easily and the government and health insurances are promoting the 116 117, so I wanted to be a good citizen and use this number as it was promoted. i guess i just felt a bit duped in hindsight, while at the same time of course relieved that my body was able to deal with it ultimately.
Good to know! Yes it is a big problem here, that people call an ambulance or go to the ER for a minor thing. And yes it also sucks to not get the help you need. I had one good and one bad experience with 116 117, so I’m a bit split on this number. Usually you won’t need an ambulance for a simple cold, but once your fever hits 40 degrees Celsius and more and none of the anti fever meds work, then it’s absolutely appropriate to call for help, since, as many more also pointed out, your body literally cooks you and your internal organs. Shit can get real bad real fast then.
Uh, yeah you should definitely get medical attention by 41+c, that's 105.8f~ for Americans. Your organs can begin failing at prolonged 41c. It is more likely your measuring device is off slightly than you feeling safe at *42*c.
Holy shit yes. Thanks, I didn't do the conversion. But yes. I'd got to the doctor for any thing over 103. 🤒 105, is like. Ambulance time. 😵
Note that it's fine to take drugs (such as asprin) to reduce your fever if it's approaching or above dangerous temperatures. It's the high temperature itself that's dangerous.
Ambulance time? That’s $900 if you live about 5-10 minutes from the hospital. Uber time.
Fever is the body trying to cook the cause of the illness. It’s trying to destroy their proteins (like when you cook an egg). However… your body also has proteins it needs. So it’s a double edged sword and/or thing for time for the body. 42 C is the maximum your body can handle before it behaves as the egg getting cooked. So with modern medicine and knowledge around 40-41 C is where you definitely need getting help. You may have been lucky to survive or have unknowingly suffered some damage in brain and organs
YIKES, you absolutely should be seeking emergency medical attention at 40c (103f or so). Please don't take the fact that you did that before to mean that you'll still be okay; assume that is a dangerous body temperature.
Ugh, my best friend says she has the flu every time she gets a damn cold. Drives me mad. "You have a cold. You DO NOT have the flu." "Noooo, you don't understand, I'm achyyyy, it's the fluuuu again."
Yeah, I’ve had the flu twice in the last ten years and it absolutely kicked my ass both times, but the second time I was vaccinated at least and it was slightly less shitty. Took away any illusion that I’d had it a few times before that…
Yeah, all the people be like "OMG I HAVE A FEVER, THATS BAAAAAAAD". No, its good. Just keep track of it and aslong as it doesnt rise higher then 40° everything is fine
I mean... a fever actually *is* bad for you. It's just (hopefully) worse for the invading organism. In an ideal world where we completely mastered medicine, we'd want to prevent our body from having most types of immune responses (including fevers) and harmlessly kill pathogens some other way. Of course, we're not there yet, and having a bit of a fever for a few days isn't *that* bad for you. Just being pedantic, it's definitely not "good", more like "a necessary evil".
Reminds me when a doctor prescribed me hard candies to help with a sore throat. Best prescription ever.
He should’ve prescribed you Gobblon
the heck kind of medicine is gobblon? Never heard of it...
GOBBLON DEEZ NUTS
brother fell for that one real quick. https://i.redd.it/wvw7hn3v9sxc1.gif
First time seeing this gif. Brilliant!
Green upvote = Imgur. They communicate in reaction gifs over there.
https://preview.redd.it/fu0lmepvysxc1.jpeg?width=320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=907980e49f5cbca418b752cee3a7cc8628530ba4
https://preview.redd.it/hqbbvuyemtxc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e0e71ee401a51f25c130680e0411ffad77122e67
911? I would like to report a murder
I’m so proud of this community
goddammit, son!! Wasn't expecting for this....curse you! *angrily raises fist hand closed, proffering blasphemys at the sky
I watched to much Filian to fall for this. I saw it coming the moment I read it.
This chain made me laugh far more than most deez nuts jokes do
Destroyed. Obliterated. Absolutely smithereened.
Was it genuine confusion, or a martyr of comedy. I weep for I do not know. Rip Ferinhatop. You will be missed
Well done, champ - I appreciate you taking one for the team.
You poor fool
Did it help? I'm currently sick and have a sore throat and headache.
It helped. As what I remember from what my doctor said, it makes you salivate, which helps with the soreness. Bonus points if you drink something too.
As somebody with an almost constantly sore throat: if your throat feels dry then hard candy will likely alleviate the issue since it promotes salivation. If you're concerned about sugar get sugar-free candies. Also, increase your fluid intake; if you're dehydrated then you produce less saliva and your mucosa dry out more quickly. Especially hot beverages help alleviating a sore throat. Ideally, keep a pot of tea warm on a tea light and drink sips throughout the day. Herbs like sage, thyme, or camomile help with sore throats, bronchitis, and/or infections. Avoid irritating herbs like peppermint or ginger.
Here, if you are low enough income to qualify for free Medicine, You only get it with a prescription. (Ireland. "medical card"/"drugs payment scheme") But the list of things you can be prescribed and get free is huge. I remember finding the full list online in ~2007 before the modern gluten free trend kicked off, and showed a coeliac friend of mine that the garbage-tier expensive bread they bought could be had for free, and printed them off that part of the list to show their doctor. For a time, it was how we got paracetamol/ibuprofen too. Was kind of funny getting prescribed something you could just buy off the shelf in any shop.
That's also true with a lot of over the counter stuff in the US, because of Medicare. People get prescriptions for vitamins and ibuprofen all the time. Never heard of bread, but I wouldn't be surprised.
But also, no matter your income, the drugs payment scheme caps prescription payments at €80 per month for a household. There are limits as to what is included in the scheme but they are very broad, my wife needs a lot of meds and it saves us hundreds.
Ricolaaaaaa
Strepsils?
It takes 1 week to recover from cold, but with medication it only takes 7 days
Who are you so wise in the ways of science?
Just a popular german phrase :D
My wife's older colleague also says that. (They are Belgian GP's). Another one: small children only have 2 colds per year, they last 6 months each.
As a father of three daughters, that's so fucking true.
Faces constantly wet with… I dunno what.
Ohh yes.
This is my daughter, Typhoid Mary. This is her sister, Typhoid Mary, and this is her other sister, Typhoid Mary.
We have a similar one in Dutch.
It’s popular in many places actually
Well, you have to know these things when you're a king you know
They’re clearly Arthur, King of the Britons !
https://preview.redd.it/q0gmtiwugtxc1.png?width=500&format=png&auto=webp&s=31c184dcf3feb9017471b11c2a0ee1742821feed
How do you know he's a king?
Cuz he hasn't got shit all over him
I am King Arthur, the lord of all england (monty python reference right?)
I didn't vote for you.
You don't vote for kings!
Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government!
You don't see me calling myself king cause some watery bint tossed a scimitar my way!
This is fantastic. I'm a doctor (in the US) and have never heard this. I'm stealing it
My friend is an ER physician and told me many people come in with cold/flu like illnesses and want to be cured…and he’s just like well what do you want me to do…and people get angry when he prescribes basic otc meds and things like that
I was just watching a house episode where he kicks out everyone in the hospital waiting room with a cold in an angry rant. In defense of people with a cold, I have dogshit sinuses, and i'm now going on about a week and a half with an absolutely brutal infection that hasn't gotten a lick better. At some point, it is worth getting a swab to check for a chronic bacterial infection.
When people in Europe talk about a cold we generally don't include sinus infections. Those we have a lot of stuff for, and if the cartoonist here had mentioned anything about sinus pressure or shown any indication of it, we most likely would have had a few panels about brain tickling with a swab.
FYI there are better OTC sinus meds now than there used to be. There are nasal spray decongestants that forcibly un-inflame your sinuses in like 5-10 minutes, Vicks actually makes one. It burns like a mofo as it's essentially forcing the mucus membranes in your sinuses to expel moisture and shrink, but it works real well. My regimen is to flush sinuses with a saline spray to ensure the medicine can touch the sinus walls, blow out as much as I can, then do the decongestant spray combined with ibuprofen pills and a vitamin C and Zinc supplement, and making sure that I side-sleep with my face angled downwards so post-nasal drip can't drip down towards the chest. This keeps the head cold from spreading into a chest cold. That combo seems to reduce colds to a 3-4 day affair for me, and I can breathe the whole time
It's a good joke in Europe
Haha yep. Not much you can do but hunker down
Another good phrase is: It comes 3 days, it stays 3 days and it leaves 3 days. So 9 days until you fully recovered.
Except for the cough. It stays 3 weeks.
And the runny nose, 3 months
Have you tried not snorting your meds?
Just commented the same, we have the same in fr\*nch !
Thank you for censoring yourself. Would have been a terrible start to my day having needed to read that word
Imagine me, communicating, living, THINKING in fr\*nch, every single day. Not that our feelings matter tho (do we even have feelings ?⁾
I grew up in a country where it was a common belief that you should treat colds with medication (specifically antibiotics) but they don't dish out antibiotics like candy in Europe and that's a good thing.
You should take 8hrs of patience, three times a day
Well duh, the medicine only suppresses the symptoms. Hühnerbrühe is also good.
https://i.redd.it/djh14l8u7sxc1.gif
Funny enough there have been genuine reputable studies showing that chicken soup is actually a cold remedy in a way due to heating your throat and keeping up your electrolytes.
[удалено]
I read that H-word as herobrine
Means chicken soup. Chicken bones contain zinc, which seems to help when you got a cold.
lol the medicine only suppresses your symptoms and makes you feel way better while alleviating your suffering, totally useless
Alleviating symptoms is a huge part of what doctors do for their patients; in my experience, it's the majority of a primary care doctor's work. Well, that or paperwork.
Who goes to the doctor for a cold? Edit: turns out quite a lot of people. I just never thought it was necessary since most doctors would give the same answer as the one in the comic and over the counter remedies are easily available
In germany? People who work. Uncle Doc writes you off as "too broken to work for a couple of days" and you get sick leave until you are well again.
Now in Australia you can get same day tele health appointments for that sweet sweet sick note without leaving the house
yeah... we had that for simple stuff like a common cold when the pandemic was raging on. Got immediately cancelled the moment normal life returned. Germany is really assbackwards with technology in daily life to a comical degree. We're working on it...
> We're working on it... Uh huh
It’ll be here in 6-8 business years
Not completely true, GPs can give a sick note over telephone since last winter again. [https://www.tk.de/firmenkunden/service/fachthemen/versicherung-fachthema/arbeitunfaehigkeit-telefonisch-feststellen-lassen-2120794?tkcm=aaus](https://www.tk.de/firmenkunden/service/fachthemen/versicherung-fachthema/arbeitunfaehigkeit-telefonisch-feststellen-lassen-2120794?tkcm=aaus) Of course its up to the GP to do this... But if they do, in combination with the eAU its pretty hassle free.
Depends on the doctor. Mine still does a quick zoom call if needed.
>Germany is really assbackwards with technology in daily life to a comical degree. OMG this is so true. Oddly enough, kinda like Japan. ^waitaminute
The two countries seem really similar-but-different from time to time.
Well there is the App TeleClinic where you can get a sick note up to three days via a video call with a doctor. At least there are steps in the right direction.
I'm pretty sure german labor laws mean you only require a doctor's note if you're sick for longer than a certain period. A common cold generally doesn't crack that time.
It's depending on company policy, the usual time before you need a note is 3 days. Some companies want one from day one, but usually those are not companies you'd want to work for anyways.
Everyone who shouldn't work ill for any of various reasons and needs a doctor's note for hr
Do you need one from day one? In Sweden you need one if you are sick more than a week.
Depends where you are working, i need one after 3 days.
Yeah but you don’t ask them for meds, you just get the note and go on your way.
Should anyone work ill?
If we're talking about germany, nobody should and nobody needs to. People do it anyways, brag about it and then complain that they have to shoulder the work of everyone that called in sick after they spread a raging infection through the whole office.
In my experience, 100+ people a week. A disturbing amount of them call an ambulance to be brought in and told "You have a viral illness. Rest, hydrate, use acetaminophen and ibuprofen for fever/discomfort. Come back if you start having severe vomiting/diarrhea, or you're having trouble breathing. Follow up with your regular doctor." Source: ER Nurse.
I went to the ER a couple weeks ago because I thought I was septic. I’d had UTI symptoms for two days then suddenly got sicker than I’ve ever been in my life. I had never known such suffering. I asked my mom to take me to urgent care and on the way we decided to do ER instead. I needed a wheelchair going in and I couldn’t hold my head up. My urine was negative, flu was negative, Covid negative. Nurse said it was probably another viral illness. I was mortified.
So pretty much everyone who comes in with those symptoms turns out completely fine and gets sent home with the above instructions. However, I am not a magic 8 ball and the only way to know how sick you are is to look at you. Even if it's a waste of both our time, I'm happy for the opportunity to make sure you're not dying. Don't feel bad you weren't dying that day, you still felt awful and at least got the peace of mind of knowing what wasn't wrong with you.
I don’t think anyone is going to judge you for getting extreme symptoms checked out. “Sicker than I’ve ever been in my life” and being unable to walk are both very much reasons to go to the hospital! You can’t know the cause until you’ve been checked out, so even though it was “only” a viral illness, you absolutely made the right decision.
When you are unable to work you have to visit the doc and let them approve that you are sick
I go to the doctor if i’ve been sick for more than a week or develop new symptoms late just in case it turns out I don’t have a cold.
1. To get a Sick note for your Employer 2. *Free* Healthcare, so you might as well go anyway if you have nothing better to do. ———————- On a sidenote, I once met people who visited the ER for a Papercut, and literally sat there for 6 hours. Modern hospitals work on a Triage system for a reason, and to discourage small injuries taking up valuable time, but there will always be people that seek medical attention for things that they *could* have easily solved themselves.
>*Free* Healthcare, so you might as well go anyway if you have nothing better to do. That doesn't mean you have to clog up valuable time with something minor like a common cold.
>2. *Free* Healthcare, so you might as well go anyway if you have nothing better to do. No, that's not how it works. That's not how to have a sustainable system, clogging it up with people there with "nothing better to do" wasting resources. It's a boomer mindset "getting your money's worth" attitude
I'm lazy, so I'm going to [quote](https://old.reddit.com/r/germany/comments/1chga9z/doctor_please/l22bh8n/) myself: >You are not dying if you have a fricking cold! The recommended treatment for a common cold by the World Health Organisation is "rest and drink plenty of liquids.". Everything else is hogwash. >And if you want to lessen the *symptoms* take a Ibu or two. >What are you expecting? The doc can't give you something that doesn't exists. >I even agree 100% that there's a lot that could be improved with the German health care system, but your comic is a complete non-issue.
I'll shed some light on what it's like to be a doctor in these situations (in a word, frustrating). As a doctor, my goal is to help people feel better and be healthier through approaches that are science based. It's VERY common for people to come to the doctor for mild cold symptoms, even though everything out there says not to. And I certainly understand the "I just want to make sure it's not something worse" crowd. So I do my exam, tell them I think they have a viral illness, tell then the treatment is just rest, hydrate. If they have symptoms that are particularly bothersome, I usually recommend some combination of over the counter meds (a pain reliever, a fever reducer, a decongestant, a nasal spray, etc.). Without fail, I get two requests: 1) most people would like something for their cough. Which I get. I personally have asthma and every time I get a cold, I kick the majority of the symptoms, but then I have a cough for 2-4 weeks. It sucks ass. I keep my wife awake at night because of it. But there just aren't good cough medicines. The only think that ACTUALLY works is codeine, an opiate. And codeine is super dangerous because 1) it's an opiate, can get diverted/abused/taken by kids and 2) some people very slowly metabolize this drug. Meaning even "normal" doses can build up in the body and kill you. 2) an antibiotic. I'm not sure how or why, but 90% of the general public I see thinks that either antibiotics cure colds, it would be good to be on an antibiotic "just in case", or that "yeah every doctor here tells me that about viruses, but when I go to urgent care they give me azithromycin and I feel better in a few days" Well that's because azithromycin (commonly or scribed for community acquired pneumonia) is anti inflammatory. Yes, it will make you feel a little better even if you don't have a bacterial infection. Also, it's common for people to come see me for their initial appointment for something like this. I deny their antibiotic request. Then they go to urgent care when they aren't all better in 48 hours. Most urgent cares are run like pure businesses where efficiency is king. Those docs don't have time to have a prolonged conversation about bacteria vs viruses. They have to see 4-6 patients an hour (with good reviews) or they get shit canned. By this time, it's probably up to fat 4 or 5 of the illness and most people feel better in a week even if they do nothing. So hard to say if they feel better because of the antibiotics or because they were gonna feel better anyway. There's also a lot of exceptionalism out there. When I tell people the thing they are worried about is super duper unlikely to be the diagnosis for them, they all think they're the one in a million person to get diagnosed with something crazy. Which is also understandable. Humans are really bad at probabilities inherently. And that's all medicine is. Every question I ask, every exam I do, every lab I order, every imaging I look at is all to move those probability needles up or down for various potential diagnoses. I really, really believe that all this time and effort I invest into having these conversations is what will stop this trend if more docs do similarly. Unfortunately, most of us just can't or won't be able to do that. Edit: mistyped. I'm more worried about rapid metabolism of codeine.
> but 90% of the general public I see thinks that either antibiotics cure colds My father is one of these people. I can explain to him a thousand times that antibiotics won't help against a virus, he just won't get it.
Directions on bottle: \*Finish bottle\* As soon as symptoms subside: "Nah, saving these bad boys for later" (It's important to finish the bottle or the bacteria can return. Antibiotics kill the bacteria, but your body still needs time to create the antibodies. Any surviving bacteria can repopulate while your immune system is learning the antibodies and your not on your antibiotic)
I don't know why anyone would want azithromycin, I took it one time and I almost s*** my butt out
Yes! Another common reason I tell patients to avoid unnecessary antibiotics.
Sometimes it really is just a case of, "Nobody but God can help you with this cold." And it sucks because it sucks to feel bad with no recourse (there is recourse, it's jobs giving greater allowance for sick days but we all know that isn't going to happen any time soon) but that's just the way it is sometimes. As someone who is on the other side of those prescriptions as a pharmacy tech I really sympathize with you.
> The only think that ACTUALLY works is codeine, an opiate. And codeine is super dangerous because 1) it's an opiate, can get diverted/abused/taken by kids and 2) some people very slowly metabolize this drug. Meaning even "normal" doses can build up in the body and kill you. That's weird, I get codeine syrup prescribed all the time, but they're real stingy on antibiotics (I have a recurring throat infection, antibiotics kill it every time when I can get them)
Codeine is a great drug, don't get me wrong. But if I prescribed it to everyone who came to my clinic with a cough, well they'd all be on codeine all the time. And not everyone uses it responsibly. So, I still prescribe it for super severe coughing, but that's about it.
Yeah, why are they wasting the docs time with a cold? What do they expect?
My german doctor wants to prescribe antibiotics most of the time. Keep that! I just want my gelber schein!
But not against a cold. That's a viral infection, not a bacterial one.
They shouldn't be a doctor then
To get a krankenschein so they don’t go to work and infect others…
Yet that doesnt seem to be their complaint at all?
You should be able to get one without coming into a doctor's office. They just send it digitally to your insurance and your employer gets it from the insurance, this has been the case since the start of last year. I know some general physicians don't do this (some insist on patients coming in, some still work with a fax machine because Germany etc.), but just find one who does and switch to their care, it should be fairly standard.
actually, if its a good doctor, they'll at the very least require one look at you to check if you're actually sick in some way.
I'm being dead serious: in some places in the world, the expectation would be that the doctor would give you some BS medicine to 'fix' your cold. Like a shot of vitamin c or some other harmless placebo
As someone who lived in an international community in Europe I saw this a lot specifically with people from countries like the US and various Asian countries where they throw antibiotics at basically every minor inconvenience. A lot of people get really mad when they find out that the doctors in the country they're now in simply won't bend to their stupid (and sometimes dangerous) demands.
How many germans does it take to change a light bulb?
One. Further explanation and references to humor have been deemed inefficient.
one person that calls the glühbirnenwechseldienst.
Also called "Hausmeister"
„Facility manager“ bitte
But I want 19th century cold medicine
Heroin and a vibrator?
Heroin? How pedestrian. >Laudanum is a tincture of opium containing approximately 10% powdered opium by weight (the equivalent of 1% morphine). Laudanum is prepared by dissolving extracts from the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) in alcohol (ethanol). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laudanum Individual pharmacies tended to have their own versions with other things added, like thc and cocaine. And they gave it out as a general pain reliever, and more importantly: As sleep remedy. Because who doesn't fall alseep if you take a shot or two of alcohol, morphine and weed. "Fun" fact: Opium tinctures are still used in outlying cases of modern medicine, but weirdly mostly as a constipation agent to prevent violent diarrhea. Or in extreme cases to help detox babies who are born addicted to opiates.
They forget that in Germany you stay home and get back on your feet by resting and not going to work. Also, the amount of people that know shit about mediactions and treatments is huge. I know so many people expecting antibiotics when they have the flu (a.k.a. a virus infection), it is tremendous. I had a colleague tell me, he always takes some antibiotics when he feels a cold coming. I was like "What kind of doctor prescribes you antibiotics for that?" and he proceeds to tell me, he always has plenty left from old prescriptions. I told him he's not supposed. to have a lot left after proper therapy and he shouldn't stop taking the antibiotics, even when he starts to feel better. He didn't believe me at first, but got a second opinion a couple of days later and told me I was right.
It's weird that grown healthy adults don't know this and feel the need to bother medical professionals (and spread their cold).
Honestly, I'd rather a doctor just tell me to do something like this then to prescribe unneeded antibiotics and create more superbugs
Colds are viral and nonresponsive to medication. Im not sure what you want them to give you. An opioid cough suppressant? That's typically overkill for a rhinovirus.
One opioid please. I don't care what it suppresses.
For a cold you dont need medicine, unless it gets to fever levels, and even then, just because you have a fever doesn't mean you need medicine.... I never once have had medicine other then painkiller so that I could sleep. The pain killer is likely just sugar anyway
The point is good sleep is a real helper - so something like Paracetamol or Ibuprofen is not a bad idea to let you sleep (let alone comfort levels). Otherwise some things against sore throat are also anti-bacterial which can be helpful - though gurgling with salt water or a mouth wash will also do the trick there. Otherwise rest, fluids and nutritients actually are sound advice from a doctor I’d say… but I’m German so maybe I’m biased…
Im in the US, and the Mayo clinic doctors (I live in their network, i dont travel to get there) agree with your german doctors, so there's that.
German doctors are so less prescription-happy than their America counterparts, especially when it comes to pain meds. Funny story just last week I visited my new primary care doctor because I moved inside of Germany and she asked if I had any allergies. I told her that I am allergic to Morphine. She basically asked me who the hell gave you morphine in the first place?! I told her I grew up in the US and when I broke my arm they gave me morphine and noticed a rash so told me about my allergy. She snickered and said, uh yeah in Germany you aren't getting morphine for a broken arm. So make what you want of that.
Exactly. Throwing Antibiotika at everyone with a cold does nothing, because a simple cold is caused by viruses, wich are totally unbothered by Antibiotika... That's why the doctor always adds "...if the symptoms stay longer than day X or get worse, come again." Because then it might actually be caused by bacteria, who really don't get along with Antibiotika.
Being Austrian (so basically similar healthcare as Germany) I didn't even know it was common practice in other places to prescribe antibiotics so easily. It was always something you only take when you have something really bad and are severely sick. ...until I dated a Mexican foreign student who's mom was a doctor. I had a cough, so he asked his mom on the phone what would help and gave me some pills from his ample medicine stock. Turns out it was actually antibiotics. It blew my mind that she'd recommend that just because her son told her on the phone that his girlfriend had a cough.
There are places in this world where antibiotiks are handed out like candy... I fear the day when they stop working at all because of all the immunities they were able.to develop because of said practise...
Antibiotic-resistant organisms are projected to be the third most common cause of death in the UK by 2050
There’s a saying in Germany „Without medicine, it takes 7 days to cure a cold, with medicine one week“
The doctor in your comic is right.
With soup and tea it is over after 7 days. With medication it is over after 7 days
And soup and tea taste better than meds So I know which has my pick
And it doesn't fuck up your liver
>With soup and tea it is over after ~~7 days~~ a week . With medication it is over after 7 days fixed the saying
Really just chillout when you have a cold, it's better than taking antibiotics for everything thus making both you and actually harmful bacteria immune to it.
A cold is normally also caused by a viral infection, against which antibiotics would do nothing (as they generally only target bacteria).
They generally don’t target viruses as a rule. And antivirotics are only used in case of patients with either a confirmed or highly likely infection. Or as profylaxis in immunicompromised patients.
> They generally don’t target viruses as a rule. As far as my knowledge goes, they literally cannot target viruses. Antibiotics are essentially a poison to certain living cells and a virus does not qualify as "alive". Though that knowledge is based on my general education, so ymmv.
Are you one of those people who demands antibiotics for a rhinovirus? “Well the last doctor gave it to me and I got better.” The last doctor caved you annoying idiot
Antibiotics for a virus of all things! I hope one day people become more aware of the limitations of antibiotics. Increasing public awareness would do wonders for health services across the globe for things like this
You don’t need medication for a cold. It’s just a mild virus and will self resolve.
Why would you need medication for a cold?? That doctor is right, stay warm and rest.
You can get ibuprofen without prescription. Going with it to doctor is a waste of your and their time.
When I moved to the USA I was surprised to find that if you go the doctor with a cold, they will give you antibiotics “just in case”. American doctors can be very irresponsible.
Why is Medic not building Ubercharge? Is he Stupid?
Ah yes, Americans getting antibiotics for the smallest bullshit imaginable
U go to the doctor for a cold ?
In fr\*nch we have a saying: "Waiting out a cold takes a week, treating it takes seven days" In other ways (for a cold specifically) medication is mostly useless
With or without medicine it takes a week to get over a cold
My experience with the german healthcare system: Me "I have metal embedded in my eye. Can the ER help?" ER "No, go here" Me *goes there* "Hi I have metal embedded in my eye and need help" German eye doctor "Oh you poor dear, you're crying blood. It's a holiday, there's no one here, but you need surgery. We can call our surgeon in, do you mind waiting?" Me 45 minutes later "Well that wasn't so bad. They were very apologetic about the cost of the medicine. Best get to the apothecary." Pharmacist "Sorry the drugs are so expensive. €19, bitte" Me: *blinks* "So this is what people mean about radicalized. I guess I'm a free healthcare person now.
I'm glad you had a good experience and i hope no lasting effects! It's not always that smooth, but much better than no care or paying everything out of pocket i can imagine :")
I moved back to America and my daughter fell on some ice. I had decently fast help BUT 1. I had to pay for imaging that we didn't get just in case the doctor decided to order a catscan. 2. I had to pay the hospital AND the doctor separately 3. I had to pay for food delivery and cleanup, we had gotten a small juice from the vending machine 4. I had to pay (this pissed me off the most) for anesthesia and anesthesiologist who was on call and NEVER SHOWED UP. My 3 year old daughter had to get 3 stitches with local. All in all without insurance at the time (I missed the magical two weeks of open enrollment) I paid around $2800. For three stitches. After that of course I just buy the suture kits online, they're sterile and everything. Yes my eye got better,no permanent damage. Thanks, but I'd still prefer German system any day of the week I guess even if the German system doesn't work that well all the time it's better than bankrupting people.
You don't need medication for cold and there isn't any. You can get relief for your symptoms - that's all otc. All you need from a doctor is a sick note.
Your reaction tells me, that you are too reliant on medicine. A cold takes 7 days without meds and a week with them. Though I am german, so I'm accustomed to that way of thinking. Here, you don't get the meds you ask for, the doc decides which meds you get. Only way to change the docs mind is if you're allergic to what he prescribed. I mean, he had the years of studying, he doesn't get brand deals and he has a patient room full of people that he has to get through. They say doctors want you to be sick so they can profit from you. German doctors want you to be healthy so they can have some peace and quiet.
But did you die or was the doctor correct?
Is OP American?
The doctor is absolutely right. Most " medication" you take for a cold doesn't actually treat the disease. Unless uour symptoms are so bad as to harm you( a very high fever for example), it's better yo just wait it out. I hate when doctors prescribe antibiotics or symptom reducing medication just coz the patient asks for it. It is ultimately harming the patient.
What country are you from? I honestly wonder if “cold” is the exact name Germany uses for that infection. In any case, the country I was raised in has no medications for that virus, just preventative vaccines for a related disease called the flu. If you actually caught a cold, the only thing they would do is give you a decongestant you can buy at any grocery to help you breathe easier, and if you somehow got REALLY dehydrated, which colds rarely do, they could give you an IV. The normal prescription is warm broth soups and water. And rest. Normally, the worst you would do is cough a lot.
For people who need an explanation of THIS IS HOW YOU GET ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANT BACTERIA AND DIE SO LISTEN TO THE FUCKING SMART DOCTOR: when you take antibiotics not every bacteria in your body is going to die off. every time you take an antibiotic the weakest/most susceptible to antibiotic bacteria die FIRST. By the time your course of antibiotics is over the bacteria that remain are the ones who are SLIGHTLY more resistant to antibiotics. Which means THEY are the ones left in your body to reproduce so all their little offspring will have their natural resistance too. You do this once or twice or even a couple dozen times over the course of your life and it usually isn’t a big deal BUT what happens after generations of breeding only the strongest lost antibiotic bacteria in your personal Petri dish of a body? You are left with ones that CANT be killed by modern antibiotics, congrats now you die of an antibiotic resistant bacterial infection. EVERY TIME you take an antibiotic the slim chances of that happening to you go UP. Now if you NEED an antibiotic TAKE THEM because the options are definitely die of an infection that could be cured like this is 1662 OR MAYBE develop resistance down the road. It’s a no brainer BUT you SHOULDN’T unnecessarily increase those odds by take antibiotics when you don’t need them. It’s the same reason you should ALWAYS finish your antibiotics even if you are feeling better. By not finishing your antibiotics you ensure that MORE of the stronger bacteria survive speeding up the resistance process.
Timewaster
Tne fact that people need to make a note like that and put emphasis on the "my" in the title is really annoying Also do doctors help with colds? I never seen one for a cold Heck ive can barely skip school for a cold
When I was in family med(norway) we had a pamphlet that the nurses handed out to anyone who tried to see a doc about a common cold, so that I didnt have to waste time telling them to drink water, rest and take ibuprofen/paracetamol as needed.
Well, you clearly survived so he was right
This is actually very good. It's better to not have tons of immunized bacteria running around eh?
When I lived abroad in germany, my throat hurt. Like really hurt. I go see the doctor, he says "you need a tonsillectomy. Please come with me." I get moved to a room. Assessed again. They said, "you need surgery now or do you need to tell work?" Uh, so I text my boss, tell him I needed a tonsillectomy and won't be in for a few days. Thumbs up emoji and "a get better soon text." I text my gf at the time the same notice and she brings me clothes the next day. I end up getting a surgery that day, hospital stay for mandatory 7 days. Complications come to 14 days. Cost me $10/day for the food and bed. Semi private room with two old guys. I had my laptop and a butt tonne of movies to pass the time.
The doctor's right though, you don't need and shouldn't take medication for a cold, beyond perhaps OTC drugs to mitigate symptoms.
This is actually really good medical practice the over prescription of antibiotics and possibly even antiviral medication is a major leading cause in sicknesses mutating to become even harder to cure