Germany has a few issues atm but one of them is the availability of a wide range of medications (over 400 different meds according to a pharma news article) that are used to manage or treat depression, chronic pain and cancer symptomes.
But not only for the reasons the article said. Sure, having those products not available might bring financial harm to pharmacies and apothecaries.
But some of those medications, as I said, are used to treat symptoms of very serious health problems. Some are even hospital medications. So when the guy interviewed in the article called this an "Ärgernis" I kind of. Flinched.
I dont have an apropriate single english word to explain this. "Ärgernis" to my understanding sits somewhere between "this is annoying", "this is irritating" and "this makes me angry".
As someone dependant on those medications, let me tell you, it is NOT an Ärgernis. It is down right terrifiying to know a medication I need to take in order to live my daily life might be nationally unavailable until January 2027. Thats over 6 months.
Even taking a dose just slightly lower than my prescribed amount leads to me being in daily pain, not sleeping correctly, waking up with stiff muscles and struggeling to do mandatory things like cleaning the dishes or showering.
And Im only one person with symptoms that are rated at mild to average severity and I dodged withdrawel by taking some lower amount of meds I had left.
This is not an Ärgernis, this is INFURIATING. This is HORRYIFING. When I learned, I kid you not, I sat down in the street and cried because I feared I would lose my ability to live daily life again. Ive only got back to living again, after months of struggle, and I am NOT willing to go back.
So while I know that the guy didnt mean to offend and that he probably only sees this from a medical standpoint, calling it an Ärgernis is making my blood boil. Hundreds or maybe thousands of people in all of Germany suffering withdrawel and getting their autonomy stolen because suddenly the symptoms are suffucating again isnt just irritating or annoying or a reason to be angry, its something that should never have happened.
And even though I asked my doctors and pharmacists and tried to read articles (some of which are only shared for people within medical context so I couldnt read them) I dont even know WHY.
HOW could this happen? I could understand a few weeks but MONTHS? These are not over the counter meds, they are prescribed and heavily regulated. Were importing most of them.
And thats what scares me. Germany didnt decide to cancel the subscription. But if the countries we order from cant deliver it literally threatens my life. Not only quality of life, which is bad enough but doesnt sound severe enough, it threatens my ability to take care of myself because suddenly Im fighting symptoms severe enough to steal away my ability to cook, clean, leave the house or shower.
This should not have happened, but it has. And honestly there should be a backup plan for this but there isnt and thats a problem.
For anyone interested this is the article (its in german)
