London (CNN) -- In the 23 years since he tried to break up a robbery in central London, Ian Semmons hasn't spent a day without severe pain. The fight left Semmons with multiple fractures, including a broken back and two shattered ankles. He had a head injury so severe, doctors put him in a coma and kept him there for a month to control the swelling in his brain. "I spent nine months in hospital and then 12 months in a rehabilitation center, where I was basically rebuilt," Semmons says. "But nothing was done to treat my pain." His regular doctor, a general practitioner with Britain's National Health Service, offered little for the pain despite his complaints. At the time, patients in Britain's government-run system such as Semmons weren't able to switch to another doctor. Unlike patients now, he was stuck.
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Britain's Ian Semmons dealt with pain for years and didn't know options were available
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UK doctors are reluctant to prescribe painkillers, especially opiates
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Even drugs sold over the counter are restricted in pharmacies there
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But the differences between the United States and UK may be blurring
While you can walk into virtually any @placeholder drugstore and pick up a bottle of ibuprofen or acetaminophen with 400 or 500 tablets, the largest size on UK shelves contains just 16 pills.