Not having traveled outside the US I didn’t know about pharmacists selling antibiotics without a prescription.
I can see where that would be a problem.
I can remember doctors here prescribing antibiotics for every little sniffle mommies little darling might have.
I am glad to know that has changed.
I never had that problem because I don’t go to a doctor for every little ache or pain.
When my doctor sees me other than my annual check up he knows I am SICK.
He knows I tough it out until I’m over it or am one step away from needing a hospital bed.
He said he wishes more patients were like me.
There has been a big push recently for doctors to limit antibiotic use. The phenomenon you’ve described is quite a bit less common today.