Boots Pharmacy Rant

jojo2004

Just needed to get this off my chest - pardon the pun (you'll see why)

Went into Boots the other day, with a streaming head cold, and asked for two packets of Day and Night Nurse capsules from the Pharmacy. If you've never used these, they are a packet of three blister sheets, each sheet being a day and night's worth of medication for a cold (like Lemsip, but I find them more effective). So - one packet = 3 days worth.

According to the person serving me on the pharmacy counter (you have to buy them over the counter), Boots new 'policy' is that each customer may only purchase one packet. Let me reiterate. A packet lasts three days. A cold lasts around seven days.
In addition, as I told the chap, I have a partner at home with a 'much worse' (the same - man flu) cold. One packet would therefore last the two of us one and a half days.

Now, I know that pharmacies can't sell people forty packets of paracetemol, or they'll get sued when someone overdoses (why, I've never understood, but I guess InjuryLawyers4U have to make money for Christmas somehow), but I'm talking about two packets of cold relief. I can buy two packets of Lemsip, and there's very VERY little difference in the amounts of active ingredients - D/N Nurse seems to have more decongestant, but less paracetemol than Lemsip All in One...

So - WHY WHY WHY does Boots have this !!!!!! policy in place? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. :mad:

Rant over, thank you! :rolleyes:

McKneff

Your welcome, when you get over your colds, just buy one every time you go shopping, then you have them 'in' so you dont have to put up with the stress of a cold and shopping. lol

feelinggood_2

Whilst it might have been an inconvenience to you, these rules are in place for a reason. A lot of overdosing is impulsive, and restrictions on pack size and the number of packs a person can buy, can prevent some impulsive overdosing.

Maf.e.u

That 'policy' is law. It is illegal to sell more than 720mg of pseudoephedrine to any one person.

jojo2004 wrote: »

According to the person serving me on the pharmacy counter (you have to buy them over the counter), Boots new 'policy' is that each customer may only purchase one packet. Let me reiterate. A packet lasts three days. A cold lasts around seven days.
In addition, as I told the chap, I have a partner at home with a 'much worse' (the same - man flu) cold. One packet would therefore last the two of us one and a half days.

alison999

When we all had colds I had to buy more nurofen cold & flu and calpol, I was told at the checkout at asdas that they couldnt put them both through in the same transaction so i had to pay for the calpol seperately. i was too ill to argue and was just grateful that i could still get them.

flossy_splodge

alison999 wrote: »

When we all had colds I had to buy more nurofen cold & flu and calpol, I was told at the checkout at asdas that they couldnt put them both through in the same transaction so i had to pay for the calpol seperately. i was too ill to argue and was just grateful that i could still get them.

Now THAT's what I call an idea!
Could one just go up to the till two times to solve the problem? In most Boots branches they're probably big enough that you wouldn't have to go to the same assistant.?

flossy_splodge

Maf.e.u wrote: »

That 'policy' is law. It is illegal to sell more than 720mg of pseudoephedrine to any one person.

I don't doubt you for a minute but can you tell me what law it is that says this? Just interested. Thanks

System

flossy_splodge wrote: »

I don't doubt you for a minute but can you tell me what law it is that says this? Just interested. Thanks

Its mentioned here

http://www.rpsgb.org/pdfs/pr080415a.pdf

http://www.mhra.gov.uk/home/groups/pl-a/documents/publication/con2033567.pdf

So it comes under the Prescription Only Medicine order 1997

Littlemiss27

jojo2004 wrote: »

I can buy two packets of Lemsip, and there's very VERY little difference in the amounts of active ingredients - D/N Nurse seems to have more decongestant, but less paracetemol than Lemsip All in One...

The difference is that the decongestant in off the shelf cold and flu medicines is phenylephrine, where as the over the counter stuff contains pseudoephedrine which can be made into crystal meth (methamphetamine).

Apricot

I wonder whether this is nationwide as I popped into Boots yesterday & bought 1 pack of night nurse, 1 pack of day nurse, 1 pack of lemsip cold & flu, 1 boots decongestant tablets, 1 pack of sinus relief, paracetamol & Ibruprofen & nobody questioned it. (Im not a hypochondriac OH has man flu & I just wanted to shut him up so bought everything I could find!)

Lokolo_2

flossy_splodge wrote: »

Now THAT's what I call an idea!
Could one just go up to the till two times to solve the problem? In most Boots branches they're probably big enough that you wouldn't have to go to the same assistant.?

Not just that, but most Cashiers will be happy to do a separate transaction for you if you need to buy many of these products at a time, after all it is making the shop money so they wouldnt want to refuse the sale, even if its wrong, they are multiple transactions so the store hasnt broken the law :beer: