I have a chronic migraine that is primarily triggered by stress and presents as sinus pressure, followed by what feels like a sinus headache.
I’ve known for over 15 years that phenylephedrine is ineffective as a treatment for my sinus pressure. Incidentally, every single doctor I have talked to has also confirmed that phenylephedrine was completely useless - sometimes moments after recommending it - once I push back against it. Every pharmacy tech and pharmacist recommends the stuff, too.
(It’s fine now. We figured it out a few years ago, and got me on a preventative migraine medicine that has changed my life.)
But I say all that because recently I traveled to Iceland and found myself in need of cold medicine. It was a challenge, as a U.S. citizen. I didn’t understand they don’t have pharmacy aisles in grocery stores there where you pick from dozens or hundreds of options full of advertising speak.
Once I figured out you had to go to either a pharmacy or a chemist, it was easy. You go in, tell a person what you need or what your symptoms are, and this person works with you to find the right ting. They tell you the dosage, and sell you the medicine (which also has dosage information). Or they tell you to go to a proper doctor or hospital.
It was a shocking and eye-opening experience to me. It made me realize that in the U.S. we’re treated as if we’re consumers, even in our times of (sometimes desperate) need. There’s no care, no consideration, no actual human-focused effort for helping people.
From the top down, we’re treated as chattel, to be exploited and mislead. Bilked out of our money and health.