Paracetamol Shortage?

[LauraKsWhiteCoat]

I've been slowly stocking up on essentials for the past few months to cushion my family against a no deal Brexit, and one of my staples is cheap paracetamol. Given that the supermarkets will only allow you to buy two packets at a time for safety reasons, I try to buy some whenever I shop.

Recently the cheapest packets of 16 tablets have gone from 29p to 45p a packet. Last week, my local Tesco had barely any left. The shelf was empty but for a couple of packets of the more expensive brands.

I also noticed that they were out of things like own brand Immodium and Rehydration sachets, which I wanted to take on holiday. It's possible this is just due to high demand from summer holidaymakers, but it did worry me.

Has anyone else noticed a shortage of cheap Paracetamol or other medicines? I'm starting to feel a bit concerned.

[Clavinova]

Targeted export ban introduced in Belgium in April;

Belgium - Medicine Shortages - New Developments

www.vbb.com/insights/corporate-commercial-regulatory/belgium-medicine-shortages-new-developments

[BlackeyedGruesome]

There were plenty of packs in savers, Wilkos and home bargains.

[LarkDescending]

The export ban list focuses on HRT, contraceptives and a few other items, not analgesics - which are not as badly affected by supply issues.

[LarkDescending]

It is indirectly to do with Brexit, in that the fall in the £ since the referendum has made it economically attractive for manufacturers to export as much as possible rather than earn £ revenue. This also goes for wholesalers who have been re-exporting imported pharmaceuticals to the Eurozone, leaving shortages of stocks for sale here. HRT has been most severely affected, but it is at the top of a long list which includes analgesics such as paracetamol.

In response to this problem the government announced a targeted export ban yesterday: //www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-49907056

[PollyPelargonium52]

It was saying on radio 4 yesterday that there is a shortgage of painkillers in the country although I cannot remember the reason. It was nothing to do with Brexit.

[Neaoll]

I think the rules on how much you can buy should be removed. You could save on packaging by allowing people to buy in bulk.

It's easy to walk on a high street and get that amount anyway from several places.

[Socksontheradiator]

I just looked - that was in June wasn't it? Has there been another one?

[Bean44]

Apparently there's been a massive recall in certain brands of paracetamol, it's on the government website something to do with a fungus in some of them.

[FurryPeanut]

Well, when you have to take painkillers just to be able to wipe your arse and clean your teeth due to hand arthritis, maybe the healthy would not be so judgemental of us pillpoppers!

[AllTheGrrrrsAreTaken]

Ibuprofen and Paracetamol were fine but Aspirin seems to be out everywhere. Maybe a regional preference.

[Jax62plus]

Mitch117, I buy them when I see them, because I have arthiritis and sciatica, which cause me pain on a daily basis. Some nights, I can't get comfortable enough to sleep, unless I have paracetomol. I don't 'stockpile', I buy 3 packs a week at the most, but if they are in short supply in shops, I will pick up a pack when I see them. I think you should read more articles about the shortages, before having a rant at people for buying them for a reason. As some people have pointed out here, better to buy than get the doctor to prescribe them, and draining the much needed NHS service!

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

For those with chronic pain conditions, I think it is still the case that we can buy 3 packs of 32 paracetamol from the pharmacist over the counter. When my health condition flares I've chosen to do that, though my gp is happy to prescribe them for me. But their bigger boxes cost more than the packs of 16.

[YesQueen]

@tribpot I would love to see someone manage cauda equina with no pain relief. I had the bottle of oral morphine off the chemist and down my neck in about 5 seconds flat. P.s it still didn't work

[tribpot]

apparently you can still get it prescribed for chronic pain or long term conditions
Yes - because literally it is not possible to buy enough in the shops if you are using it to manage chronic pain. You would have to rotate around 20 or so pharmacies in order to avoid getting spotted as a drug seeker and be buying every other day. I'm actually quite surprised my CCG figured this out before introducing the 'ban' on prescribing paracetamol.

I don't take any pills. Works for us.
Good good, who wants to let the hospitals know they don't need to stock anaesthetic from now on? Back to the good old days of biting down on a stick.

[MyDcAreMarvel]

Yes I have a chronic condition which also entitles me to free prescriptions. I would rather they had a system so I could purchase them in budget shops, as I feel it’s a huge waste to nhs.

[Mamamia456]

Mydcaremarvel - Just checked on line and apparently you can still get it prescribed for chronic pain or long term conditions, but they are no longer prescribing for short self limiting illnesses. Although why anyone would expect a GP to prescribe paracetamol for something like a sore throat beats me!

[YesQueen]

@eddiemairswife not all. I have to have paracetamol in as I get flu like symptoms and a high fever once a week due to medication. And then take naproxen for the bone pain on top

[SeaSaltandLime]

I was in Asda today and there were definitely no shortages of their own brand paracetamol or ibuprofen.
I can't remember the exact price, I think they were 30p for 16. Something like that.

[ArthurtheCatsHumanSlave]

35p/40p for a generic through Ocado, and it's always been that price. Waitrose 55p for their own. No shortages that I can see.

[MyDcAreMarvel]

I don't know if this has already been said on here, but to save the NHS money GPs no longer give paracetamol on prescription.
I get paracetamol on prescription, would rather buy it but I can’t buy large enough quantities (56 tablets a week).

[SellFridges]

I’ve had a pack a week from Ocado with no problems.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

75p in our big sainsbury's for their cheapest version.

[jackparlabane]

I've noticed price rises (now 40p in Lidl, 45 in Sainsburys), but no shortages. Though the larger boxes tend to be more expensive per tablet.
I'm supposed to be taking the stuff 4x daily so that's a pack every 2 days, now over a pound a week. Luckily I can easily afford it.

[Mitebiteatnite]

I can confidently say that there are no own brand/low cost brands of paracetemol available anywhere in the town I live in. I've checked. As someone who suffers with chronic pain and frequent infections, I am panicking. I can't take any NSAIDs due to allergies, and aspirin is out too. Paracetemol is what lowers my pain levels just enough to be able to barely function on particularly bad days. I have a repeat prescription for the highest dose co-codamol, but it knocks me out so I will only take it at night.

To the PP who said a few pages back that paracetemol won't take care of migraines, I have to disagree. You can stop it in its tracks if you take an anti sickness tablet at the first sign of trouble, followed by 2 paracetemol (and up to 4 ibuprofen if you can tolerate them). This was the advice given to me by the pain clinic, and I can honestly say that it worked better than any other migraine drug I've tried. The anti sickness tablet is the key (prochlorperazine works best for me). A migraine will stop your digestive system in its tracks, so you won't absorb the painkillers without it.

[eddiemairswife]

I have some soluble anadin which went out of date in 2010. I think that quite a few people rush for some kind of pill at the first hint of pain. In the same way Calpol seems to be part of the staple diet of many babies and children.