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!

Its the same in most places I think.To stop suicides . Seems sensible to me

I think it’s normal to have some painkillers in the house for most people. Headaches, period pain, backache, colds, temperatures, not things you would go to the doctors for but people need to work, look after kids etc and taking a couple of painkillers can makes that easier.

I don’t think that making sure those things are in your cupboard, rather than having to go out when you have a headache or a horrible period to buy them, means you’re dependent. People get ill, that’s normal, so it’s just planning ahead for a likely event.

I say that as someone who rarely takes any medication.

I find that genuinely surprising, and really shows me how lucky we must be.

Apart from me, no one in my house takes painkillers really.

Even my eldest, when she broke her wrist (and a few years later her ankle) didn't voluntarily take any. I made her take ibuprofen on the doctor's orders for swelling, but otherwise won't take any, not even for period pain.

My youngest, I think we still have the same bottle of Calpol I bought a few years ago.

I guess the family are really lucky.

Having suffered with chronic pain for years, I do understand how awful and absolutely debilitating pain can be.

This is why every time I'm in the US I stock up at Walgreens - 600 acetaminophen (paracetamol equivalent) in a bottle and 1000 if it's ibuprofen.

Read the thread and the links posted.

Seriously where do you live that your pain is managed by a doctor? My 12 year old was in so much pain he was on his hands and knees going upstairs he couldn't physically walk the doctors told us to just get some paracetamol and ibuprofen from the shop and use that but "try" not to use both daily

Year three of the "urgent" referral coming up

@Yellowdahlia12 just read the flipping thread!

Ok from the posts it sounded the reduction in suicides overal was more significant, but i take that. Every life counts.

I'm amazed a healthcare professional didn't know this is the policy everywhere.

‘This is why every time I'm in the US I stock up at Walgreens - 600 acetaminophen (paracetamol equivalent) in a bottle and 1000 if it's ibuprofen’

my eyes nearly fell out of my head the first time I went into a CBS and saw what you could buy off the shelf!
I don’t thinks it a good thing though, they have an opioid crisis for a reason.

Actually quite a lot of suicide attempts are impulsive, by which I mean that someone who is suffering, experiences a particularly low day or few days or something happens that is the final straw and if they have stuff to hand or can get it easily at the local shop they go ahead. So restricting access to being able to buy loads of painkillers, putting barriers up on high bridges, restricting the sale of guns, having 24 hour helplines like The Samaritans etc. actually makes a lot of sense / difference.

One indicator that someone is quite committed to wanting to end their life is that they will make a plan and go to some lengths to gather materials and do research. But for plenty of people, the low period will pass and if they get the right sort of help, they may be able to get better.

I thought the same as you OP, that you could do two paracetamol and two ibuprofen - and certainly that used to be the case as that’s what I always bought. But more recently (read - in the last couple of years) I’ve been stopped from doing this in supermarkets.

this reeks of dependency.

That comment reeks of somebody who doesn't get much pain, lives near shops that never run out and also has plenty of spare time and freedom to go to the shops at any time.

If you would buy a 6-pack of baked beans or a 24-pack of cans of pop that will probably last you more than a week, why wouldn't you do the same with painkillers, if you regularly/often need them? Especially as, when you most need them, that's when you least feel like going to a shop.

It's great if the change in law has prevented suicides amongst vulnerable people, but it does have the side-effect of causing inconvenience and discomfort to other vulnerable - albeit vulnerable to frequent pain rather than to MH concerns.

This has been the policy about products containing paracetamol etc for years and years.
I'm old enough to remember buying a huge bottle of paracetamol back in the day.
It's no big deal really, given the reason why the policy was adopted. We are lucky in this country to be able to buy generic medication at ridiculously low prices. In some EU countries you can only get paracetamol from a pharmacy and it will cost you about £10 for 12.

Last time I was in the US I had a cold/virus felt rubbish bought some cold tablets and was off my head for 3 days god knows what was in them !

If you know of anyone going to the US, get them to bring you back a large bottle of paracetamol and/or ibuprofen. (You get between 225-500 capsules depending on the type).

Not just the co-op. Every shop I've ever been to. Including Boots, I think. It is frustrating when you feel unwell not to be able to buy sachets as well as capsules. But it is for safety reasons. Just buy stuff when yu are well so you have a stock.

I was under the pain clinic for years, so actually I do get "a lot of pain" ...or did. I guess. It's been largely resolved.

It was more the way she said "it's cold and flu season coming up" so no reason other than they might get a cold, and they might need painkillers.

However yes, I do have 5 major supermarkets with a 10 minute drive and two adults at home, so absolutely I suppose that does skew my thinking.

I'm just surprised. That's all. I understand keeping a pack of each in the house, in the same way you keep a full first aid kit, but "stocking up" surprised me, probably the terminology.

Dependency on what?! Paracetamol and Ibuprofen are non addictive, you can't get high 😂😂😂😂😂😂

But they will, as had already been posted:

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

I suspect for a lot of shops it is easier for the till workers if it is a blanket "no more than two packs in total" rather than having to know which particular drugs are in which products.

You don't think a 43% reduction is significant?

But the fact is that this policy really has reduced the number of deaths from paracetamol, so all the “but wouldn’t you just” questions already have an answer which is that no, many people really didn’t “just” travel round several shops or spend several days getting enough together.

My 12 year old was in so much pain he was on his hands and knees going upstairs he couldn't physically walk the doctors told us to just get some paracetamol and ibuprofen from the shop and use that but "try" not to use both daily

Your poor DS

I think even a lot of doctors and pharmacists seem to assume that painkillers are only used occasionally by people who feel a bit of a tense ache sometimes and just can't compute or really be bothered by people living with chronic and/or intense pain.

Similar to workplace sick-leave policies that are designed around generally-well people who feel under the weather now and again but just don't care or want to know about the people who get the most ill - often people who will consider that same 'under the weather' for which their healthy colleagues call in sick as par for the course and carry on regardless.

As I imagine everyone else has just responded - it's the same everywhere .