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.

prepay certificate & prescription.

I had to put my horse on it mixed in with his feeds - 15 paracetamol twice a day in conjunction with standard horse pain relief sachets of Phenylbutazone.

We went to Poundland where for some explicable reason you were permitted to buy 3 packs for £1.00. So my partner would buy three, I would buy three and then we'd go to two other pound type shops in town where you were only allowed to buy 2 in each shop. So that was 14 packs. We'd repeat at Poundland, Morrisons, Savers, Farmfoods and Aldi a few days later in another location where we did our weekly shop. It was a lot of hassle but worth it as it kept my horse comfortable until we'd run out of treatment options and had to be pts.

In the end before we lost him, my friends partner who had a load of paracetamol he was no longer prescribed gave me them.

That’s what my horse is on too. Sorry you lost him. 🙁

Have you checked to see if the person is entitled to free prescriptions?

Just go to different shops and ask friends to get them. They sell them everywhere nowadays

My GP won't prescribe as it's cheaper to buy. Which I'd absolutely correct. I struggle to get the amount needed, especially if others in household are using for illness. I usually pick 2 packs up from any shop we're in. Occasionally I can get the 96 from a pharmacy but it always depends on the person serving, some refuse.

It would be great if the GP would issue some kind of card or pass you can show to indicate that you require a larger quantity.

Technically it's a POM in animals. I write prescriptions for paracetamol for dogs all the time.

I agree. It's a real nuisance if I'm temporarily housebound for a few days. I end up doing online shops just so I can buy paracetamol as well. 🙄

I have a friend who frequently goes to Spain, over there you can buy paracetamol and ibuprofen i higher doses than here. He brings me back 1g paracetamol tablets (so 1 tablet is 2 of ours), and 400mg ibuprofen tablets. Think the mist is have seen here is 216mg.
Can just get them in any pharmacy over there over the counter..... so if u know anyone who goes over to Spain could ask them to bring you back some Spanish ones 🤷‍♀️. Still shouldn't go over maximum paracetamol dose though so should only take 1 Spanish one at a time.

I work in pharmacy. GP’s very rarely prescribe more than 224 paracetamol tablets. That’s 28 days worth and would cost around 35p a day at a prescription cost of £9.90. Ask the GP to prescribe 224. A pharmacist should never sell you more than 3 packets of 32, regardless of a prescription as they are not licensed to do so. I hope the GP prescribes you the maximum as it isn’t fun chasing around when you are in pain x

Thank you. We also use half a tablet for our dog twice a day when she needs it. I hope you're horse is doing well x

My elderly DP can't even get them from GP any more as cheaper to buy. Thankfully I can do this for her but yes have to go round different stores to get a stock in.

I get boxes of 100 prescribed by the hospital. I don’t pay for prescriptions though as I have a plethora of qualifying long term conditions that get me free prescriptions. 😩 That said, I also used to take several cocodamol a day (instead of, not in addition to the plain paracetamol, all monitored by my hospital team). I did as you said and rotated pharmacies. There are probably 5 within a 30 minute drive. Whenever I happened to be in a supermarket with a pharmacy or in town with one, I swung by and picked some up.

For normal paracetamol, you just get it from Tesco. The 16 year old at the till is not going to notice or care that you were there last week.