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Original poster

Boots refusing to sell canesten to men! Wtf!

464 replies

Stressedgiraffe · 01/06/2023 16:25

Dh went to boots to buy canesten today and the sales person refused to sell it to him as he was a man! Apparently the pharmacist stepped in and he bought it.
Wtf? Surely men can get thrush or could have been buying it for someone else. It's bonkers
Apparently she said it was a boots policy!

OP posts:
Thread gallery
11
butterpuffed · 01/06/2023 18:21

How did you manage to see thrush on one of Dave's legs ? Are you and your family teeny weeny like the Borrowers ?

Eugenieonegin · 01/06/2023 18:20

Except it wasn’t Boots policy as he was allowed to buy it. What is the point of this thread, if you think Boots have a training issue with staff tell them.

WhoHidTheCoffee · 01/06/2023 18:19

Has anyone nominated this thread for Classics yet?! Absolutely brilliant. Wishing Dave and his leg well 😂😂

ApiratesaysYarrr · 01/06/2023 18:19

rosesinmygarden · 01/06/2023 16:44

I have to know why millipedes need canesten?

My dh has definitely been allowed to buy it for me in the past. But they did ask him who and what it was for.

Have you every tried putting yoghurt up a millipede's chuff?

britnay · 01/06/2023 18:17

Stressedgiraffe · 01/06/2023 16:55

One of the millipedes has an infection on its leg and we don't want it spreading to the 4 others. It's a giant African millipede named Dave

We call them a shongololo :)

CrystalTits · 01/06/2023 18:16

Stressedgiraffe · 01/06/2023 16:55

One of the millipedes has an infection on its leg and we don't want it spreading to the 4 others. It's a giant African millipede named Dave

If Dave the millipede's only got five legs left, the infection is the least of its problems...

Pacflan · 01/06/2023 18:15

Aw Dave is a sweetie! Agree with others though it wasn't a twist I saw coming. As has been said there are reasons certain meds are restricted differently between the sexes, sounds like they dealt with it fine by having the pharmacist make the final decision.

Pushkinia · 01/06/2023 18:15

BigglyBee · 01/06/2023 16:53

I've never had thrush, or a millipede, but I have had to use canestan on a hen.

Wow! After reading this threat, I’ll never again look at a tube of Canestan the same way!!

ForTheSakeOfThePenguin · 01/06/2023 18:15

TheOrigRights · 01/06/2023 17:38

This is useful to know. I will be 60 in 7 1/2 years. Do you think it's worth me getting on the list for an appointment now, just in case?

Show quote history

Yes.

DeliciouslyDecadent · 01/06/2023 18:13

You can buy it in the supermarket, not even at a pharmacy counter.

Tesco has a wide range of Canestan products as do all the other supermarkets

Imisspacers · 01/06/2023 18:13

VimtoVimto · 01/06/2023 18:11

I had a spot/rash on my face last year which I was convinced was ringworm. I asked the pharmacist in Tesco what she advised and she gave me Canesten. It cleared it up whatever it was.

If it cleared up with Canesten it was probably ringworm then.

N0RKS · 01/06/2023 18:12

BEST
THREAD
EVER

VimtoVimto · 01/06/2023 18:11

I had a spot/rash on my face last year which I was convinced was ringworm. I asked the pharmacist in Tesco what she advised and she gave me Canesten. It cleared it up whatever it was.

ThreeLocusts · 01/06/2023 18:11

Wait - there used to be millipedes looking like that in Tanzania, and people would stay well away. Apparently they can produce secretions that can blind you if they get in the eye. I do hope Dave's a different species!

LordEmsworth · 01/06/2023 18:04

KnackeredAF · 01/06/2023 17:54

It’s all pretty simple.

We’re not talking about gender here, but sex.

Men don’t have vaginas.
Men are significantly less likely to get thrush. Thrush in a man can be a sign of underlying immunodeficiency e.g. HIV or a sign of diabetes (caused by excess sugar in urine).
Boots policy is there to prevent this being missed. This could put people at risk, as well as open up potential cases for litigation.

I’m glad that the staff member on the counter did what they were meant to. The pharmacist is registered with a professional body and can make these decisions against their membership. The dispensing staff can’t.

So if the person who needs the canestan is housebound, the person who goes to buy it for them must have a vagina?

"Is this for your personal use" would have done the job just as well as a flat no.

Banana34 · 01/06/2023 18:04

Stressedgiraffe · 01/06/2023 16:40

The stupid thing is we needed it for the millipedes. It's cheaper than getting it from the vet.

It can only be sold for a man if he has been diagnosed with thrush. It’s less common in men so needs to be checked out. The person in the pharmacy was doing her job and what she has been trained to do.

And it’s not licensed to be sold for animals…🙄

IglesiasPiggl · 01/06/2023 18:02

When I first read "millipedes" I assumed your phone had done one of those presumptive autocorrects! Now I need to know - how did you spot Dave's poorly leg? There are so many of them, all kind of hidden under their body.

RicherThanYews · 01/06/2023 18:02

In my vast experience of these things, pharmacists will always err on the side of caution and not supply you with otc meds if your reasons are not satisfactory. Which is why everything I buy at my local chemist is for Aunt Audrey, she has many problems bless her.

LordEmsworth · 01/06/2023 18:00

Well clearly next time, Dave needs to go in and buy his own canestan. See how the sales assistant reacts to that.

ForTheSakeOfThePenguin · 01/06/2023 18:00

Pugglemuggle · 01/06/2023 16:41

Don't ever tell them that!

Show quote history

This reminds me of a proper told off I got in Boots trying to get eye drops for my dog! They refused to sell them even when they were sold over the counter and it was my vet who sent me there in the first place 🤣

EBearhug · 01/06/2023 17:57

You can get Canesten as a general sale (GSL) medicine in the supermarket. It’s for athlete’s foot but I suspect that’s Dave’s problem anyway.

Last time I got Canestan in the supermarket (a big one - don't think the one in walking distance would have it,) they had Canestan with a pessary and just plain cream, definitely for thrush. There were also tests for BV and some other products I never thought you'd be able to get just off the shelf. (Can't remember the details now.) They may also have had Canestan for athlete's foot, but that would have been a couple of shelves away, and my feet are fine, so I didn't look.

VimtoVimto · 01/06/2023 17:57

rosesinmygarden · 01/06/2023 16:44

I have to know why millipedes need canesten?

My dh has definitely been allowed to buy it for me in the past. But they did ask him who and what it was for.

Perhaps it’s got athlete’s foot.

AlmostAJillSandwich · 01/06/2023 17:57

Hello Dave! I got funny looks taking a snake to the vets last week, thankfully we have a local exotics vet :)

Skodacool · 01/06/2023 17:56

Stressedgiraffe · 01/06/2023 16:55

One of the millipedes has an infection on its leg and we don't want it spreading to the 4 others. It's a giant African millipede named Dave

Oh my god OP just keeps giving, nearly spat out my tea 😂

KnackeredAF · 01/06/2023 17:54

It’s all pretty simple.

We’re not talking about gender here, but sex.

Men don’t have vaginas.
Men are significantly less likely to get thrush. Thrush in a man can be a sign of underlying immunodeficiency e.g. HIV or a sign of diabetes (caused by excess sugar in urine).
Boots policy is there to prevent this being missed. This could put people at risk, as well as open up potential cases for litigation.

I’m glad that the staff member on the counter did what they were meant to. The pharmacist is registered with a professional body and can make these decisions against their membership. The dispensing staff can’t.

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