Why does Boots gatekeep over the counter medicines?

[Waferbiscuit]

My local Boots has moved all over the counter medicine to behind the counter in the pharmacists section. Items like Nurofen, Calpol or Imodium now have to be obtained by standing in line and requesting it from the pharmacists assistant or pharmacist who then quiz you on need, give instructions for use as if I've never used it before or can't read the label etc. (see photos)

The areas where these items once were available in the main store now are filled with first aid, vitamins and foot files and creams.

The queue at the pharmacy counter is already nuts and all this does is make the queue longer.

Why does Boots do this?

Duty of care? Nanny state?

Concern about customers bulk buying medication?

Genuine concern that staff aren't reading instructions and taking medication properly?

One thing I miss about North America is the easy access to over the counter medicine!

I got asked by a teenage boy behind the counter ( he looked that young anyway!) why I wanted Canesten suppository and what ailment was I using them for 🤯

Yes but you can buy 2 packets of paracetomol at one time as well so in Poundland 2x ibuprofen plus 1x paracetomol OR 2x paracetomol and 1x ibuprofen

I will have a look when I go tomorrow to collect.prescriptions.

What I have heard when queuing is "I can't sell you travel sickness pills because you've told me your sickness is due due to vertigo".

next customer "Have you had these before", "Yes", then I can't sell you them again!!

Both from a dispensing assistant, not the pharmacist.

They both left to go elsewhere, where no doubt they lied

Most pharmacies I know have removed shelved stock due to thefts. Even the one inside our GP surgery.

The problem is, if you're on any other medication, are pregnant, went to Greece on holiday seven years ago, have a dog, eat with a knife and fork etc. they refer you to your GP. It's ridiculous. Yes, some things may interact with other medications, but most won't. They still don't want to know and just keep telling you to see the GP. The people who are capable of dealing with their own health needs get lumped in with the people who can't deal with anything.

A friend worked at Tesco and told me they find a lot of empty pain killer pill packets, the contents easily stolen.

It's the law. Over the counter medication has to be kept behind the counter legally. It should never have been out on the shop floor to begin with.

Sometimes it due to the size of the pack eg a pack of 30 immodium, or the contents. Generally as in the past the medication has been abused in some way eg people using senna to try and loose weight or dangerous if taken in large quantities Eg solpadie.

It’s like this in parts of Europe too. They don’t event sell medication at the supermarket. Very annoying when you need something on a Sunday and have to wait for the chemists to open on a Monday (this was France and Germany). All I wanted was some paracetamol and bite cream!

I buy online now. I have to take Buscopan to relieve gallbladder spasms sometimes. I can't be bothered to explain why I want this medication, but don't have IBS. It says on the box that it's for IBS, but it'll blow their minds if I explain what else it can be taken for and they probably won't accept it.

Online is definitely the way to go. Never had a problem or query.

Also because if someone takes that medication and consequently ends up in hospital or interacts with medication already being used and there is problems because of this. Then the pharmacist and the person who sold the medication could be taken to court, if someone decides to sue.

It drives me mad. My local boots always had a pharmacy desk and an over the counter medicine desk/till. Now it all has to go through the pharmacy. Makes the queue even longer. I have voted with my feet and won't buy any medication there now

Your GP certainly can prescribe painkillers for your arthritis! They wrote me up for Naproxen 500mg and codeine 30mg as soon as my x-ray results were in.

Boots is awful. DD had been in tears with two different branches in two cities trying to buy thrush treatments. Having been to sexual health clinics and GP's, for a recurrent issue, which when asked was told then that you can't have it, despite being told by said physicians she would need regular treatment to get on top of it and doesn't need prescription because it is OTC! In the end I went in and lied it was for me.

They are losing business too, because it is really easy to get on-line now.

Trying to buy Nytol for sleeplessness, wouldn't let her have it without physical id. She had everything on her phone. Boots said no. Superdrug happy to accept.

TBH I stopped using Boots years ago because my local branch was always seriously understaffed. It probably still is. You'd have to wait for someone at the prescription counter to notice you were waiting at the OTC counter, and if they had a queue for prescriptions (always!) you'd have to wait quite some time.

The pharmacist and assistant at Superdrug over the road are lovely and helpful, prescriptions and OTC are the same counter - I go there. (And of course to Poundland for paracetamol and ibuprofen!)

The Boots I used to go to thought it was a good idea to sell paracetamol etc at the tills at child in pram grabbing height so happy it’s finally behind the counter so children can’t take the medication by accident and overdose.

This is absolutely normal across swathes of Europe. You can't even get homeopathic eyedrops or a moisturising cream without asking for it at the counter. The real kicker is that in places like Austria, medicine can only be sold by licensed pharmacies and not a single place outside of it. So you won't find it in drugstores, supermarkets, gas stations etc. Pharmacies also close at 6 on weekdays, noon on Saturdays and closed all day Sunday. If you need any medication outside that time, you have to find a 24hr emergency pharmacy (random locations depending on the rota) and pay a massive out of hours charge to buy paracetamol. That is true gatekeeping of medicine. The UK is a dream by comparison!

I understand the shoplifting aspect but being quizzed (I’m early sixties, woman, not decrepit) why I want an over the counter med is bloody annoying.

Calamine and camomile are very different though! You can't say the wrong name and then blame them for questioning it.

Yeah I’ve spelt it wrong on the post (do you want a ‘silly me!’?) but the counter assistant knew full well what mum wanted on the actual occasion and decided she wouldn’t let her have it.

Also, even if she had said it wrong (she didn’t), a counter assistant would have to be an absolute arsehole to pretend they didn’t know what lotion someone was asking for in relation to shingles.

nope, my GP said the new guidance is not to prescribe painkillers for arthritis. I was not even offered any x-rays or anything either.

Not read the whole thread.

Its ironic that Boots is often touted on public platforms (radio, TV etc) as a first port of call or even an alternative to a GP for all sorts

and yet at the same time:

What the original post says.

Is it anything to do with pharmaceutical places being able to give people extra help with seven ailments ? I'm wondering if many products will end up on the shelves behind the assistants so they can then ' prescribe' it to anyone and hence ( maybe) charge more or be able to look like they are providing the correct advice ? The rules for what you can see a pharmacist for were only changed the other week , so I might be barking up the wrong trees!

That made me chuckle

It's nothing to so with shoplifting or boots being worse than other pharmacies. It's the legal classification of medicine products. If you look on the back of any medicine and it has a P in a square box then legally it can only be sold under the supervision of a pharmacist and with some questions to understand the nature of their use. This might be a larger box of a product that is able to be bought over the counter or may be a different formation eg. Sudafed from pharmacy is entirely different to sudafed from tesco and is heavily regulated because it can be very risky for people with certain health conditions and it can also be used to make crystal meth.

The counter assistant (most often paid around minimum wage) has no control over those probing questions and has training to refer to pharmacist if needed. They are not trying to be a pain but would be dragged over the coals and probably lose their job for not asking you these questions.

I dont do this job but having seen a 23 year old who needed a liver transplant because he took 2 x paracetamol products for a period of days without realising (both purchased from a supermarket), I can see the need in it and support the regulation such products. Not every member of the public has the same level of education and they need to ensure that the products are being used as safely as possible.

Any euphoria for me would be short lived knowing I’d bunged myself up!