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In most European countries, opioid painkillers will only be administered in hospitals when pain is so strong that you can't fight it with Ibuprofen or Aspirin (e.g. after surgeries).

I don't know a single person here in Europe who got a recipe for opioids by a GP or after leaving the hospital. That's not because pain is not treated but because doctors realise how dangerous opioids are.



In the most European countries co-codamol is OTC without a prescription.

I think it's quite common to get co-codamol or dihydrocodeine from a GP in the UK. However, this is really weak in comparison to the high-dose oxy or hydrocodone that US doctors seem to prescribe.


CO-Codamol has a comparably low codeine content which would likely make it less addictive (only guessing, not a doctor). It's a prescription drug in the UK.

Will probably depend on the doctor but the GPs I have seen in the UK have preferred Ibuprofen if it can treat the pain.


It's not a prescription drug. You can get up to 12mg/500mg OTC at a pharmacy.

FWIW you can also get 8mg/500mg dihydrocodone without a prescription OTC in the UK.


Anything containing codeine is prescription afaik in Belgium. Pure paracetamol-based painkillers is OTC.




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