To miss having painkillers on bottles instead of blister packs?

[Champagnebar]

I was recently in USA and needed to buy ibuprofen and paracetamol. I picked up the smallest packs (50 ibuprofen,24 paracetamol) and found that they were in bottles.

These take up way less space and are easier to access than those in blister packs. My injury was to my hand and wrist so I could just leave the top loose - putting less pressure on my wrist.

I can’t remember when we in UK switched to blister packs and I’m sure there must have been a reason but I do much prefer taking them from a bottle. So much less waste too!

I imagine it's for safety reasons - it always says on the foil of a blister pack what the tablets are, no risk of a label getting damaged and illegible, or tablets being tipped into the wrong bottle. Obviously not totally foolproof as they could be decanted from the blister pack but must reduce risk.

Random guess, it's harder to overdose, accidentally or otherwise, using blister packs. Easier to see/remember how many you have taken.

In the UK more likely decisions taken based on best interests of NHS/public health. In US decisions taken based on best interests pharmaceutical companies.

It discourages overdose too as you can't just pour out tons of tablets each one has to be methodically opened.

Blister packs mean the medication can’t be swapped with something else or otherwise tampered with.

That story about the woman who died of Cyanide poisoning from a spiked bottle of medicine makes me glad we have blister packs! Bottles are too easily tampered with.

Suicide. Honestly. As soon as paracetamol went into blister packs the overdose rate dropped dramatically overnight. Likewise the rules on the quantity you can buy.

Yes! I agree OP. 100%. Also they could be recycled easier than the blister packs

I got codeine on prescription recently and was surprised to get the tablets in a bottle. I'm with you OP, I much prefer it.

But can see how the blister packs prevent people mistaking the meds for something else.

We always bring back paracetamol and ibuprofen from the US as we prefer the bottles.

The switch to blister packs (and restrictions on quantities) have saved so many lives preventing suicide. Wish I could find the stats but it’s very dramatic. (Edited to make clear it’s a suicide mitigation strategy)

I can’t find any sources but I swear it was a suicide prevention measure. Many people who feel suicidal feel it intensely for a short while then it can ease off. Hopefully, in a quicker time then it takes you to pop out a
the required lethal dose of paracetamol.

The Higher gun ownership rates are more of issue for suicides than deliberate drug overdoses in the USA so I guess they’ve not felt to make the change over there.

Ah fair enough - thanks for the replies.

So you have your bottle of (sugar coated) burden and leave the lid loose- likely you say, easier to get in with a sore wrist, you forget or whatever.

iirc us don’t do childproof caps either?

if you have a small child or a dog, who get access to the bottle, the outcome will not be good. It will involve a hospital or vet trip- not least because you probably won’t know how many are missing.

blister backs are harder to accidentally open, and easier to see how many are missing.

Yes it was to reduce overdose, also why you can only buy them in packs of 16 and only 2 packs per shop.

Although you can but larger packets from the pharmacy.

My sister once brought me a container of paracetamol from the USA. It contained 500 tablets. I remember my mum getting bottles of codeine from the chemist. They were small brown bottles and were plugged with cotton wool. There was always codeine in our house and I'm talking sixties and seventies. Also remember being given kaolin and morphine mixture for diarrhea. It tasted of liquorice.

The US most definitely does use childproof caps on painkillers and other meds. The OTC painkillers also have a seal across the top of the bottle. Possibly in response to the historical tampering discussed above.

I agree with the OP and have just stocked up.

Suicide prevention is so important. The UK is lucky that we have the Samaritans who do actual research, advocate effectively and work to implement the simple, cheap things we can do to mitigate the risk.

I've also noticed that on American TV shows their medicine seems to come in small plastic pots with lose pills.

All the drugs I've had recently in the UK have come in blister packs. I haven't had anything in a bottle unless a liquid for years.

Read about the Tylenol murders in Chicago - tamper proof is far safer!

But the bottles have had a tamper proof seal for years now, possibly in response to this incident, @Downthemedow . I have just been visiting and stocking up.

The suicide aspect is interesting, however

Numbers of tablets per pack of paracetamol and salicylates decreased markedly in the year after the change in legislation on 16 September 1998. The annual number of deaths from paracetamol poisoning decreased by 21% (95% confidence interval 5% to 34%) and the number from salicylates decreased by 48% (11% to 70%). Liver transplant rates after paracetamol poisoning decreased by 66% (55% to 74%). The rate of non-fatal self poisoning with paracetamol in any form decreased by 11% (5% to 16%), mainly because of a 15% (8% to 21%) reduction in overdoses of paracetamol in non-compound form. The average number of tablets taken in paracetamol overdoses decreased by 7% (0% to 12%), and the proportion involving >32 tablets decreased by 17% (4% to 28%). The average number of tablets taken in salicylate overdoses did not decrease, but 34% fewer (2% to 56%) salicylate overdoses involved >32 tablets. After the legislation mean blood concentrations of salicylates after overdose decreased, as did prothrombin times; mean blood concentrations of paracetamol did not change.

Very very significant.

in addition, medication in blister packs degrades a lot less quickly. especially if you store it in a damp bathroom for example.

If anyone has prescription meds and doesn't like foil packets then you can ask the Pharmacist to put them into a bottle instead. They also sell little popper-out tools you can use to eject pills from the foil.