While U.S. doctors are also supposed to consider alternatives to medication , many are swayed by insistent patients , says Dr. Anthony Ordman , who runs the long-term pain clinic at London 's Royal Free Hospital that he founded in 1997 . Britain 's Ian Semmons dealt with pain for years and did n't know options were available . He was in a coma, unable to move or speak until he died of complications from the surgery. Even drugs sold over the counter are restricted in pharmacies there . But the differences between the United States and UK may be blurring .
Britain 's Ian Semmons dealt with pain for years and did n't know options were available . He was in a coma, unable to move or speak until he died of complications from the surgery. Even drugs sold over the counter are restricted in pharmacies there . But the differences between the United States and UK may be blurring .