Buying (needed) quantities of paracetamol

[WaltWitmanItIs]

So first of all I understand the risks of paracetamol overdose (including unintentional). I know the limit on paracetamol sales has hugely reduced overdoses. I know this. I understand this. I support this.

But surely for people who genuinely need it regularly there has to be a better way?

I have a relative who needs the full 2 tablets four times a day, and this will be ongoing.

The GP will happily prescribe but that is £9.90 a time for the prescription charge, for a cheap as chips medication.

So I have been merrily adding 2 packets to every shop. Then I was told that you can get 3x32 from a pharmacist. Great! Except today the pharmacist refused a sale because I’d been in a few weeks running and she recognised me and said she couldn’t do it repeatedly. She told me to mix up the pharmacies I am using.

I just don’t understand why there is not a mechanism in place to allow this. The pharmacist can dispense more (I’m not sure how much more?) with a prescription. Why can’t there be a system like a letter from a Dr to authorise it? Or a disclaimer form? Or an agreement that you understand the dangers of overdose?

I was honestly made to feel like a drug dealer today.

I would expect the doctor can give at least a months worth as with a normal prescription so that even if cost wise you end up slightly down, convenience wise you are far better off

My horse has to have 30 paracetamol a day. Buying it is a nightmare. I have to buy it everywhere I go. It’s a joke anyway - one day I bought 280 tablets by going to different shops, so the regulations are hardly going to prevent someone overdosing if they wanted to.

I have chronic pain.

i buy paracetamol literally every time I go into any shop.

do the weekly shop, two paracetamol. Pop in to WHSmiths at the station to get a drink, get paracetamol.

yes pharmacies will refuse if you go too often so I keep a list.

yes it’s shit.

I agree there should be no need for paracetamol to be on prescription its cheap enough to buy some sort of medical exemption card should be introduced to buy larger quantities

From my googling and what someone said above, they prescribe 100 tablets, which is basically a fortnight. I can buy that (with the pharmacist’s permission) for about £2.50.

Have you worked out the maths with one of those pre payment certificates? I suspect that would be much cheaper

I think it is to help stop things like buying lemsip plus paracetamol and mixing them without realising they both contain paracetamol. So preventing accidental overdoses, and I think it has been successful at this, but at the cost of access to a good painkiller for those who need it.

What is needed is some way to add a note to medical records that the pharmacy can see. "Paracetamol can be bought for arthritis as needed", "Patient advised to buy antibiotic eyedrops", "patient examined, advised to buy thrush cream - over 60" etc.
You go to a pharmacy and ask for xyz, they say you need to see a doctor, even if you say I have spoken with my doctor, there is nothing they can see to indicate that.

I did this in my head, but my maths is bad! I also need to find out how much a GP would actually prescribe. You are right though, I need to work this out.
But a prepayment is still more than buying it at cost. And the NHS already subsidises prescriptions, so this is not cost effective in any way. If there was some sort of process for a GP to authorise buying it, that would work.

Generally people who need a lot end up not really worse off if they have a months worth on prescription.

It’s definitely worth your relative asking their usual pharmacist if there is a cheaper way.

I went into a local supermarket with a pharmacy in store last night, as DH is going in for cardiac surgery on Monday and last time, he had a week of dreadful migraines after the procedure. So this time I wanted to pre-empt this and have something stronger than paracetamol in. The pharmacist was quite obstructive, saying it wasn't really ethical to hand over medication that wasn't for me and for a condition that may or may not happen. I stood my ground, said we live rurally this is a 30 mile round trip to make and I won't be able to if he's unwell as he can't be left alone for 24 hours post anaesthetic. He very grudgingly gave me a box of 16 co-codamol tablets but I felt like a drug addict trying to score!

Do not ever mention to a pharmacist that it is for a horse. Pharmacies are not licenced to sell human over the counter medications for animals, and will refuse.

Ask the GP to prescribe 200 at once then the your relative could get a pre paid certificate for medication.

I remember DH and both DSs going down with a fever cold that ran and ran so we went through our home supply of paracetamol. DSs needed different age Calpol and the pharmacist was deeply sympathetic but couldn’t sell me the three types at once. Argh! (And yes I support the ban but argh!).

Suicide is offer a spur of the moment decision. Before the restriction paracetamol came in very large bottles so someone feeling down just went to the medicine cabinet. By the time someone has been round loads of pharmacies they might have changed their mind.

Having to juggle pharmacies so you don't get noticed is crazy, why would anyone be buying huge amounts every couple of weeks for anything other than genuine need? I get why you can't buy too much in one go, but it is likely someone who was planning to overdose would buy a job lot every fortnight for several months? Surely they'd just go to several chemists at one time, which is completely legal. Or just come up with a convincing story for the chemist so they can get a load at once - which you've already managed to do. The very fact they recognise you would presumably prove you don't have sinister intentions!

Yes, this is exactly what I was thinking but could not articulate!

I was taking the maximum amount of paracetamol for a couple of years whilst I was waiting for back surgery and it was a real nuisance getting enough tablets. But pharmacies can dispense up to 100 tablets without a prescription, so I just used to go to each pharmacy in the high street to stock up. Some chains, like Superdrug, will only give you 64 at a time, but even thsts much better than just getting them from a supermarket.

This makes a lot of sense, thank you.

Can you not get the prescription from GP but then buy it privately in the pharmacy? They’ll be able to see that it’s authorised and doesn’t cost you a prescription fee

My elderly Mum takes 8 paracetamol a day so over 4 weeks this works out at 224 tablets.
Her GP prescribes that amount in one prescription every 4 weeks for £9.90, so it is possible from my experience.
I occasionally get some back up boxes for her in case there's a delay in her prescription etc, I buy them from the same chemists when I pick up my meds and it's never questioned. It works out well.

Each pharmacy has a duty of care not to supply an unsafe amount. I think that’s the issue.

Yep I stock up whilst in NZ. The thing with restrictions that makes little sense as you actually don’t need vast quantities of paracetamol to do yourself serious damage. Even 20-30 taken all at once can cause serious liver damage even resulting in death

So it’s a bit pointless having restriction for so few as it really would take very little effort to purchase enough.

I think it's not just about overdose, it's also about over-dependency and liver/kidney damage. Prolonged use must be under medical supervision according to the label if I recall correctly. Which fits with requiring a prescription

Don't over-60s get free prescriptions?

Or are you saying under 60 is elderly?!