Chemist refusing to sell cocodamol

[WinkyisbackontheButterBeer]

Not really an aibu more of an is this normal.
I had minor surgery last week and am in a lot of pain.
This morning I asked dh to pop to the chemist for some cocodamol as paracetamol and ibuprofen are not touching it.
The lady in the chemist asked if they were for him to which dh truthfully said no they were for me.
She then refused to sell him them and said that I would have to come and get them myself. Dh said that if I could do that then I wouldn't need them, but she wouldn't budge.
In the end he had to go to a different chemist and told them that the cocodamol were for him to save the faff but this made him late for work so he can't drop them in to me until his lunch break.
Just wondered if this was normal practice and what the reasons for it might be.

The chemist refused to sell me 2 different products containing a decongestant yesterday.

I just said 'how inconvenient, now I will have to go to another chemist to buy the one you won't sell me'.

Sometimes chemists are a tad over vigilant I find!

Contact your GP to see if you can be put on prescription. I'm on 30/ 500 for chronic pain, up to 8 a day ( obviously I don't take 8, Id be off my face)
I make so with 2 before bed, and 1 in the day if I really need it ( its a driving restricted dose) . Funnily enough I don't get any pharmacy advice on addiction.

It's funny because all the pharmacists I have known seem to exist on otc preparations - I found out about giving Medised to non sleeping children from one (no longer available I hear). She also gave DH piriton for chicken pox which knocked him out. Another has the same hayfever problems as me and takes tons of anti-histamines, decongestants etc and always has sinus problems and doesn't seem any better off than me - I take anti histamine when necessary and ibuprofen and salty nose wash when things get bad. I find the side effects of all the stuff outweighs the problems a lot of the time.

It tends to be the younger, newer qualified pharmacists that are stricter.

This is so true, in part because the dangers of opiate abuse is drummed into them as students, along with the legal conequences of mis-selling / not seeking appropriate assurances. And to be fair, its a huge problem in the US and there are plenty in the UK using co-codamol for non-therapeutic uses.

Any HCP with a bit of life experience would have a mature conversation with the person seeking the medication rather than taking an unhelpful approach. Even if its a case of taking DH into the private room and having a TC with you on his mobile phone!

Hope you're making a speedy recovery

I've bought some codeine recently twice. No one ever asked me who they were for. Just reminded me notvtake it for more than 3 days.

Of course they're not going to sell it if it's not for you

???

I would have thought it was quite normal for people to buy medication for relatives and friends who cannot go out to buy it themselves.

Forgot to say I can understand being careful about opiates.

But pile cream?

When you work in a pharmacy as a shop assistant (so not as the pharmacist), to sell over the counter medication you need to go through several questions:

WWHAM
W
Who is the patient
W
What are the symptoms
H
How long have the symptoms been present
A
Action taken
M
Medication being taken

This is to protect the customer, and yourself, from any danger, e.g. taking a medication with another medication that shouldn't go together.

Because co-codamol is highly addictive they need to ensure that the person taking it is aware of the correct aftercare, do not take for more than three days etc..

There are many reasons why they might've refused service, and I'm pretty sure when people buy co-codamol it has to be the person taking it that goes through the WWHAM questions. Don't quote me on that though as I've not worked in a pharmacy for 5 years, and I'm a bit rusty

Either way, I hope you feel better soon!

The chemist refused to sell me 2 different products containing a decongestant yesterday

that would be due to current government requirements - pseudoephedrine can be used to make some very powerful Class A drugs.

Our Pharmacy is licensed to sell one pack/bottle per customer and that is taken seriously.

There are actually reasons for all this.

But pile cream?

Believe it or not, some people find ways to misuse these too!

Anyone else read this as chemist refused to sell cocochocolate...or do i need to go to speacsavers

In that case you can misuse everything and nothing should be sold without a prescription.

Isn't there talk of making more things available OTC to ease pressure on GPSs and also to stop the NHS paying for medications that are generally available OTC.

If you won't sell medication to someone for someone who is housebound, how does that scare with the Equality Act and access to goods and services?

As for cocochocolate, they'll be banning that next. At least for pregnant ladies - cross-reference the policing pregnant ladies thread.

GPs.

Not GPSs!

And square, not scare! I need to start previewing my posts.

But pile cream? Believe it or not, some people find ways to misuse these too!

- it is amazing isn't it!!

It would be helpful if the pharmacist, having gone through the questions could actually give you some advice on what to do to alleviate the problem without the codeine product required. Telling you to go to the doctor is not helpful because that is why you go to the chemist in the first place.

My local chemist is fine, and will take time to explain and understand things, but sometimes it takes ages to get prescriptions because of some 'quota' system, which I can't fathom.

Sorry you are in pain OP. If the cocodamol doesn't cut it, please ring your GP and ask for a prescription for something stronger, and get them to send it directly to the chemist, so your DH can collect it.

The rules about codeine are rightly very strict. Codeine misuse is a genuine problem.

Some pile creams and sprays CANNOT be used by pregnant or breastfeeding women. For instance: Germoloids ordinary pile cream can *, but Germoloids HC spray cannot.

ALL will come with the codicil: "as with all medicines, it is recommended that you consult your doctor* before using if you are pregnant or breastfeeding"

It does seem rather strict but perhaps a customer is a codeine addict and has tried to get people to buy it for him/her in the past. To be honest, the dose of codeine in over the counter preparations is so low it doesn't help pain anyway. If you are in a lot of pain and parecetamol/ibuprofen isn't touching it, I would see your GP for something stronger.

Is it not possible to order your cocodamol in whatever strength you want from one of many online pharmacies these days?

Doctors told me to take paracetamol and codeine together, plus antihistamine for the subsequent itchiness. I was never told the combination was contraindicated.

Yeah, you just have to get him to say they are for him next time.

I've had this. I had a cervical cerclage put in Monday advised to take co-cocadomol. Can't bloody get it (I'm showing a lot) had to send DH.

I can't be arsed getting wound up. I'm only a carer and the red-tape and guidelines around medication is unreal (I can't give asprin for suspected stroke without an ambulance operators permission, I can't administer an epi-pen incase it's arsenic and other such batshit stuff)

I imagine pharmacists have this x100.

paracetamol and codeine is fine

paracetamol and co-codamol (containing paracetamol and codeine) is not.

codeine should not be taken alongside sedating antihistamines, eg chlorphenamine, promethazine, triprolidine, hydroxyzine (some of these may be found in non-prescription cough, cold or hayfever remedies) since there is an increased risk of drowsiness, trips, falls etc.

and it is questionable whether you should drive with any combination containing codeine - if it has not been prescribed by a doctor - it is on the banned list for "drug driving" in England and Wales.