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Drug prescribing differences between countries

Psychonauticunt

Psychonauticunt

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Jun 1, 2010
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I'm fairly sure lots of countries have data like this publicy accessible. I thought it'd be intFeresting to compare at what rates certain drugs are prescribed in different countries?

From the Finnish Medicines Agency:

(in DDD, Defined Daily Dose per 1000 residents /day)

OPIOIDS
Codeine 10,11
Tramadol 2,99
Other opioids 2,99
Oxycodone 1,32
Fentanyl 1,19
Buprenorphine 0,56
Morphine 0,27
Methadone 0,14
Hydromorphone 0,02


(NON-)BENZODIAZEPINES
Zopiclone 22,93
Temazepam 13,02
Diazepam 7,78
Zolpidem 6,89
Oxazepam 6,85
Alprazolam 6,48
Lorazepam 2,76
Clonazepam 0,98
Chlordiazepoxide 0,90
Nitrazepam 0,82
Midazolam 0,42
Clobazam 0,24
Triazolam 0,14


The opioid list doesn't come to any surprise to me, but the benzo list does. I know zopiclone and temazepam would be head and shoulders above the rest, but I thought zolpidem would be there too. I also would have thought that oxazepam scripts would be more common than diazepam scripts, and although alprazolam seems to bear the worst reputation for being addictive (the other one with a bad rep is midazolam cause Finnish junkies inject their Dormicum) among doctors there, it still seems to be prescribed quite a lot. Also surprised at clonazepam being below lorazepam, because I know tons of people with clonazepam scripts and like, one other with a lorazepam script.

I also find it strange that apparently temazepam is a not a first or even second choice benzodiazepine hypnotic, but rather more like breaking out the "big guns" in some countries; here we can clearly see it's far and away the most prescribed benzo.
 
doesnt surprise me the benzo list at all. diazepam i thought would be higher considering the vast amount of ailments it can treat, anxiety, muscle problems, pain so on. it's still the most widely used and prescribed benzo in the world i think. clonazepam again isn't that surprising as many doctors are hesitant to give it out - its normally prescribed for use with methadone maintenance in european countries, they aren't too keen on the stuff. alprazolam is the staple tool for treating anxiety disorders around the world. no surprise there either. it has high potential for abuse - and thats why shrinks love it. gets them to keep coming back to refill their scripts.
 
synthetix said:
doesnt surprise me the benzo list at all. diazepam i thought would be higher considering the vast amount of ailments it can treat, anxiety, muscle problems, pain so on. it's still the most widely used and prescribed benzo in the world i think. clonazepam again isn't that surprising as many doctors are hesitant to give it out - its normally prescribed for use with methadone maintenance in european countries, they aren't too keen on the stuff. alprazolam is the staple tool for treating anxiety disorders around the world. no surprise there either. it has high potential for abuse - and thats why shrinks love it. gets them to keep coming back to refill their scripts.
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All true, although I think lorazepam is better at treating all ailments (apart from tapering/withdrawal) than diazepam, and along with that and midazolam is one they commonly use IV in a hospital setting.

I've never heard of clonazepam being prescribed with methadone maintenance; in Finland it's primarily for epilepsy but also quite common for panic disorder. Alprazolam may be the staple tool around the world but it has a stigma almost like "the crack of benzos" in Finland, and the general consensus among doctors is that it's the most addictive, easily abusable benzo there is.
 
I would've guessed alprazolam to have more rx's than diazepam. Atleast in Belgium they give out xanax waaay faster than giving out diazepam. Diazepam is a bitch to get actually.
 
From American Chemical Neuroscience:

Ten Most Prescribed Psychiatric Medications in 2011 (number of prescriptions, millions)
1. Alprazolam, 47.7
2. Citalopram, 37.8
3. Sertraline, 37.2
4. Lorazepam, 27.1
5. Fluoxetine, 24.5
6. Escitalopram, 23.7
7. Trazodone, 22.6
8. Duloxetine, 17.8
9. Diazepam, 14.7
10. Quetiapine, 14.2

Couldn't find one on benzos, and no other benzos made the top 25. Trying to find some more stats 'cause I'm bored. :P
 
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I heard in Paris you can just line up and buy suboxone without a script or anything.
 
Let's see, my first was Prozac. Then Zoloft. It was many years before I was prescribed Alprazolam, and that was a "mistake".
 
So in order to get to a product that you found to work through self medicating you have to jump through alot of hoops indeed'?
 
I know here in Belgium they have a benzo Prazepam not often prescribed other places, and France is an easy place to go to gte cheap OTC Codeine/EthylMorphine.

Belgium also has OTC Codeine but it's nasty, works in a pinch for w/d though.
 
^We have OTC ethylmorphine (codethyline) too but it's too expensive for what it is.

I used to get prazepam too for a while. Very mild, but a decent anxiolytic.
 
^^ ha, i always see your post n think your an old poster pillthrill who i believe lived n Iowa n i was like damn iowa has good otc opioids i guess

Psychonauticunt said:
From American Chemical Neuroscience:

Ten Most Prescribed Psychiatric Medications in 2011 (number of prescriptions, millions)
1. Alprazolam, 47.7
2. Citalopram, 37.8
3. Sertraline, 37.2
4. Lorazepam, 27.1
5. Fluoxetine, 24.5
6. Escitalopram, 23.7
7. Trazodone, 22.6
8. Duloxetine, 17.8
9. Diazepam, 14.7
10. Quetiapine, 14.2

Couldn't find one on benzos, and no other benzos made the top 25. Trying to find some more stats 'cause I'm bored. :P
Click to expand...

im surprised clonazepam isnt on there, diazepam isnt as easy to get anymore...or so i thought and drs try not to prescribe xanax as much (atleast not to me) ativan i know has become more common so that wasnt a surprise
 
LOGan1314 said:
I heard in Paris you can just line up and buy suboxone without a script or anything.
Click to expand...

Yeah no that's not true.
You can buy pure codeine OTC in France though. As far as prescriptions go, I can't find an official list but they'll give anyone benzos...literally anyone.
 
anyone benzos...literally anyone.
Click to expand...

Oh and it won't be pure Codeine, Tussipax - 15 tab/10 mg. Codeine + 10 mg. Ethylmorphine. I think wait never mind prices, but you could find change on the ground to buy a box.

France's drug laws for the most part resemble the USA(In what they approve/disapprove of), they have the highest jail sentences for Cannabis, etc. and they prescribe in a similar way as America their Pharmaceuticals. Though at least they aren't draconian and fill their cheap blood money codeine tablets with liver poison to deter use.

Moral is don't toke in France unless you can do it without getting jail time, I believe they still have quite a few year sentences for Cannabis.
 
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Yeah that's what I've heard and asked for in a few towns. They usually check the system, say it doesn't exist and give me Tussipax with a judgmental stare. If I'm not mistaken Paderyl has a tad more mg. per box correct? Lets just think of that 10 mg. Ethylmorphine in Tussipax as codeine so you would receive 300 mg. of Codeine(kinda).

Doesn't Paderyl have 400 mg. per box with a slightly higher price?
I'll guess I'll go hunting again tomorrow.

Thanks for the info.

Actually sorry I asked questions that would make you break the rules, I can simply find this on a search. Thanks again though.
 
Yeaah Paderyl is a bit tougher to buy cuz, well, since it's pure codeine pharmacists kinda suspect you wanna buy it to get high. Not all pharmacies have it in the first place either. I'm from Paris and they'd have it in about 1 out of 10 pharmacies, so if you're in a smaller town it might be even less.
Luckily for me, for some reason I apparently don't look like a drug user at all so they usually don't have any problem selling it to me haha. If only they knew...
 
Found some VERY old Dutch statistics, looking for new ones but no luck yet...

I know for a fact that the #1 is still the same; in fact last year I think it was the most commonly scripted prescription-only medicine in the Netherlands.

Number of prescriptions:

1. Oxazepam 26%
2. Temazepam 22,1%
3. Diazepam 12,1%
4. Zopiclone 5,2%
5. Lormetazepam 5,1%
6. Nitrazepam 5%
7. Lorazepam 4,8%
8. Zolpidem 3,6%
9. Alprazolam 3,5%
10. Bromazepam 2,6%

And in Defined Daily Doses per 1000 residents/day:

1. Temazepam 20,3%
2. Oxazepam 14,4%
3. Diazepam 11,7%
4. Lormetazepam 10,9%
5. Zopiclon 6,9%
6. Nitrazepam 6,9%
7. Lorazepam 6,8%
8. Zolpidem 4,3%
9. Alprazolam 3,5%
10. Clorazepate 2,4%

Old data, sure, but oxazepam is still the most prescribed benzo, and temazepam has always been offered as a first-line hypnotic both in the Netherlands and Finland, despite the 20mg temazepams being on the 1st list of the Opium Law as the only benzo - doesn't seem to mean they're any more controlled, unless produced/sold illicitly.
 
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