To be annoyed with the Co-op’s painkiller policy

[LunaLoveLemon]

Just popped into the co-op for a takeaway coffee on my way home from the nursery run (awful habit, I know). Thought I’d get stock up on painkillers whilst I was there as it’s cold/flu season. Picked up one packed of ibuprofen, one of paracetamol, and some cold and flu sachets. So two products containing paracetamol, and one of ibuprofen. Not against any sales restrictions AFAIK and certainly not an excessive amount.

The woman at the counter then tells me that I can’t buy three packets of any painkillers. I can’t recall ever having this problem before in any shops? Usually it’s been two of each drug. I’ve just checked the guidelines and two packets of ANY painkiller does appear to be the Best Practice guideline on the .gov website (although not law)! So I suppose I can’t really take issue with it.

But AIBU to think that this is excessively restrictive? I’m a healthcare professional fwiw so do understand the risks wrt overdose. But equally, being able to buy enough painkillers to get you through a few days of illness doesn’t seem unreasonable!

It makes sense. They'll have a flag on their system and it will only allow 2 flagged items through. The staff aren't trained pharmacists presumably and they need a simple system so people can't try and argue against it and cause problems. It's easier to say computer says no sorry than have a customer try to persuade them that it's ok.

We get two packs most shops, so we never run out. If you only buy them when you need them, you can't buy enough.

I had to do a specific shop run with DH and my eldest DC to get enough to see my (big) family through a cold. We had 4 DC at the time, and we all had the cold. Nightmare.

This has been the rule for a very long time, I worked in supermarket 15 years ago and it was in place then, only 2 painkiller products and we weren't allowed to do multiple transactions for the same person

Just to go any pharmacy or online chemist and get 400mg Cuprofen, 96 tablets (Ibuprofen) they last me along long time good to be stocked up and cheap :)

It’s been policy for a couple of years.

When I very low it gives me that time to think between stores. It gives my brain time to think about all those strategies I use to prevent me doing anything. It’s still not foolproof however.

Back when this wasn’t policy I could just walk in, purchase and start downing them on my way home.

My argument exactly. Anyone intent on suicide won't be put off by being unable to buy more than 32 paracetamol in a single shop.

You'd be surprised.

As a rule, suicide attempts are impulsive and irrational. If the person has no choice but think about their actions, the urge often passes.

I'd like to see the actual statistics on that as I strongly doubt it. Unfortunately if someone was planning to overdose on paracetamol they'd just go to more than one shop to buy enough.

I order paracetamol online as well. I ordered 200 last time, so much easier than buying in a shop.

It's not a very sensible policy. If you want more packets, you get them from different shops. No one is going to say, 'oh dear, I can't kill myself because I haven't got enough tablets.' Is there any evidence that the policy has prevented suicides?

Here's a link for anyone interested in the relation between paracetamol legislation and suicide

www.ox.ac.uk/news/2013-02-08-smaller-packs-paracetamol-have-reduced-overdose-deaths-43

Everyone saying "where is the evidence?" needs to a) read the thread and b) have a very basic Google

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC526120/

www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.f403

I'm more surprised by how many people think it's "normal" to "stock up" on pain killers.

And even get a couple of packs every shop? Wtf?

Chronic pain issues, usually managed by doctors, aside....why are people "stocking up"? The assumption you'll need them if you get a cold?

And I'm awful for "popping a pill" cause I can't abide being in pain, but still....this reeks of dependency. Not even being willing to wait....getting irritated by a standard protocol that's been in place for at least 10 years....

I always think about how determined sone people can be. They built anti suicide barriers on the Erskine Bridge, a young woman walked up and saw the barrier, she then cane back with a ladder and jumped to her death. Absolutely terrible but she was determined. I always think there are some people you cannot save. I hope it does drop suicide rates. I know when I took an overdose I wouldn’t have been put off by having to go to several stores as the local Main Street where I lived before had Asda, boots, superdrug, 2 independent chemists and a small co-op (I didn’t take painkillers though, I took 6 packets of another drug.)

I tend to get really bad headaches about twice a week. I also have terrible period cramps. I do buy a few packs every so often so I have a packet in my handbag, a packet in the car and some in the house. That’s why! I tried to get three packs when I was due to get surgery on my wisdom teeth. Me and DH just split up and went to different self checkouts.

Suicides are often an impulsive act and anything that makes it harder for people to take their own lives is a good thing. There is clear evidence that this is the case. The clearest is the change of gas in our houses which meant people could no longer stick their heads in an oven. The suicide rate went down significantly and stayed down as people (usually women in this case) who would have taken their lives this way did not seek an alternative method. It's the same with paracetamol overdose. It may not make sense to people who have never had suicidal ideation but it doesn't mean the stats are wrong.

It’s standard in the UK. You’re stocking up for cold season. Others have a much more worrying motivation. This policy can help to prevent suicides.

We’ve got 6 people in our house, I’m fairly certain that every month painkillers will be required for 1 person or another. Why would I wait until they are in pain to go out and buy some rather than keeping them in stock?

Being a healthcare professional you probably realise why there are restrictions, and the lives saved by them?

Now that really is ridiculous. Was it the pharmacy counter?

When i get certain things like sinusitis, once a year, i need painkillers and fever help because i run very high fever immediately basically (as in 41+). I can wake up delusional. So as standard, once a year after this episode, i buy another round to have it in case it returns or for next time.
Dh also had occasionally issues requiring paracetamol or proper pain killers.

I grew up foth first aid box with different medicines for all kind of alignments, so i keep that now too

It doesn't 'reek of dependency' FFS! I need them for period pain, headaches, back problems. I broke my toe recently so my stash came in pretty useful there. Why would anyone be waiting if they get a headache for example?

It's 32 painkillera you are allowed so it doesn't matter what it is . Pharmacy will sell you more if you need them.

It is standard in all non-pharmacy shops. 32 tablet maximum.

I don't know if they still do it, now that they don't have the same rigid pricing structures and everything having to cost £1 each or X number of them for £1, but Poundland used to sell 3 packs of Paracetamol as one purchase. I suppose only two packs would have worked out dearer than standard shops and thus kind of defeat their raison d'etre.

How do they rule different transactions, though, if you want to buy multiples of two packs (elsewhere)? Can you just go through the till several times, or do you have to leave the shop and come back in, or leave it a day; or is it up to the assistant to use their judgment (although you could presumably just go to different tills in a large shop)?

That's a very good point upthread about needing different products for multiple young children. I suppose it's a bit like buying alcohol in being similarly open to interpretation/judgment: few shops would deny you a bottle of wine if you have a very young child with you, but many will deny it if you're there with a teenager - as they say you might be buying it for them - but how do you know where to draw the line?

Source?

My US family who can get Oxy for flipping period pain and own guns think our rules around painkillers are hilarious.
but the fact is, many suicide attempts are impulsive and if you have to go to half a dozen different shops to get painkillers to OD on, it is going to slow down that impulse.