[swlp21]

I don't think it is correct to say only one drug is measured in µg.

Levothyroxine (for underactive thyroid) is typically administered in µg doses - but patient confusion with the more common mg means most medical staff will translate any mg dose a patient claims to be taking to µg automatically.

It may be atypical, but it's certainly not rare for drugs to be µg doses.

[krustyburger]

I think the earlier commenter meant ‘drug’ as in street drug. But though that may have once been true, these days there are plenty of other designer drugs that come in tiny doses, many of them not as friendly as LSD.

[Kiro]

I don't understand why both are called drugs in English. My language also has the word "drugs" but it's used exclusively for street drugs.

[eru]

Drugs having to be government approved is a relatively recent development.

Perhaps about a hundred years, give or take. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Opium_Convention

The English language just hasn't caught on, yet. At least not completely.

In eg German, people generally differentiate between Medikamente and Drogen, but they still have a Drogerie which is essentially the same as a drug store.

[weinzierl]

> In eg German, people generally differentiate between Medikamente and Drogen, but they still have a Drogerie which is essentially the same as a drug store.

To add a little additional context 'Drogerie' mostly sells hygiene products, supplements and the like. They only sell 'Medikamente' which are allowed to be sold over the counter in Germany, which basically is Aspirin and everything that is even more harmless. You will not find the kind of drugs you typically get in a CVS in a German Drogerie.

Every serious drug is only sold in what is called 'Apotheke' = pharmacy.

In Germany Apotheke (pharmacy) and Drogerie (drug store) are very different. I think there is no real distinction between drug store and pharmacy in English, but I'm not sure. There is also Reformhaus which is pretty similar to a small Drogerie with a focus on healthy living.

EDIT: I checked my claim about the Aspirin and it seems I'm wrong. They are not even allowed to sell that. But it kind of reinforces my point: Drogerie doesn't really sell drugs in the sense the word is used in English.

[unanswered]

> I think there is no real distinction between drug store and pharmacy in English, but I'm not sure.

This is... oversimplified, at least. I'm sure usage differs by region, even within the United States, but where I am a "drug store" is a convenience store which either contains or historically contained a pharmacy (in the latter case, there appears to be a decent chance the store is an historical soda fountain/cafe). A pharmacy is a place where one buys prescription medications, often only being a section/counter of a larger store. I would never use the terms interchangeably: one does not buy household goods at a pharmacy, nor does a place become a "drug store" by the filling and sale of prescription medication.

[weinzierl]

Now that I read you comment I remember having seen this pharmacy within the drug store thing. I also remember that the lady there gave sort of medical advice to the customers and that I wondered if she was an MD or not.

[OJFord]

'Medicine'? 'Medications'? 'Prescriptions'? I'd say 'drugs' does lean quite strongly towards the illicit kind.

If a doctor asked me if I was 'taking any drugs', I would assume they wanted to know in confidence about anything recreational; not prescriptions/off the shelf medicine.

[eru]

Yes, it depends on context.

Eg if your wife asks you whether you've taken your drugs yet, she means the same thing as meds.

[GuB-42]

Same in France. "Médicament" is what you get from your doctor and "drogue" is what you get from your dealer.

As for the shops, the one that sells prescription and over-the-counter drugs is called "pharamacie", the next tier is "parapharamacie", which sells vitamins, essential oils, hygiene products, etc... "Drogueries" are actually hardware stores.