When I go to Europe, for example. However, that's only for medications I already have a prescription for, NOT med's I have no prescription for like pain meds or antibiotics... the way my backpacking friend did. You're the first person I've heard of that did that in the USA. No chance in hell any of my doctors would do that.

Which brings up a cheat I do. I get Swimmer's Ear so often that I never finish my antibiotics which they say you MUST do under threat of eternal damnation.... that so I have a few when I feel Swimmers Ear coming on. Just did this... a few weeks ago? I felt the first pangs of Swimmers ear and opened up my unused supply of antibiotics and stopped it in it's tracks.... I was the happiest person in the world.

Oh, and I do NOT think you misread me but just in case - I'm all FOR pain meds. My point was that in my experience the overuse has doctors, mine anyway, almost refusing to prescribe them unless you're actually bleeding for a gaping wound.