Soon to need a prescription for Nurofen/Solphadine/etc?

Ben Hadad

Codeine withdrawal symptoms, taken from wikipedia,

"Withdrawal symptoms include: drug craving, runny nose, yawning,
sweating, insomnia, weakness, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting,
diarrhea, muscle spasms, chills, irritability, and pain. To minimize
withdrawal symptoms, long-term users should gradually reduce their
codeine medication under the supervision of a healthcare professional.[19] A support group called Codeine Free exists to help people who have found themselves dependent on codeine."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codeine



Also from Pierre Jean Robiquet, the discoverer of Codeine, wiki page

"Codeine is nowadays by far the most widely used opiate in the world and very likely even the most commonly used drug overall according to numerous reports over the years by organizations such as the World Health Organization and its League of Nations predecessor agency and others. It is one of the most effective orally-administered opioid analgesics and has a wide safety margin. It is from 8 to 12 percent of the strength of morphine in most people; differences in metabolism can change this figure as can other medications, depending on its route of administration."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Robiquet

Herbal Deity

ebixa82 wrote: »

You see all the drug abusers, mis-users, nanny state haters etc etc on this form seem to not like being told about the dangers of these drugs!!

I don't mind being told about the dangers of drugs.

But once I have the information on the dangers I would like to make my own choices, thank you very much.

flutered

i have a script for 200 solpadol soluble each month.

MarkGrisham

ebixa82 wrote: »

That was a good link there. If only that article could be hung on the wall of every pharmacy in the country!

BTW, when you say most pharmacists can't be bothered to tell them otherwise etc.....well since August 1st they are and that is the reason why this thread is into it's 50th page..

You see all the drug abusers, mis-users, nanny state haters etc etc on this form seem to not like being told about the dangers of these drugs!!

Thanks! As for the comment on pharmacists, it's been ages since I've been to a pharmacy to pick up painkillers so I'm running off memory here. The ideal solution I think is to have the information handy if people want it but I don't see legalislation stopping people necking pills if they really want to.

electrofrog

Will you need a prescription for neurofen cold and flu now as well?? :eek:

SeaFields

electrofrog wrote: »

Will you need a prescription for neurofen cold and flu now as well?? :eek:

No.

Kurtosis

electrofrog wrote: »

Will you need a prescription for neurofen cold and flu now as well?? :eek:

As SeaFields has said, you do not need one for nurofen cold and flu nor for nurofen plus. No medicines have been moved to prescription only as a result of these guidelines. Think the title of this thread could do with a change...

Kurtosis

Herbal Deity wrote: »

I don't mind being told about the dangers of drugs.

But once I have the information on the dangers I would like to make my own choices, thank you very much.

Of course people should be able to choose whether to take a medicine or not. However, just because you choose to does not mean you should be supplied/sold it. Similarly being aware of the dangers of a prescription medicine does not mean a doctor should have to prescribe it.

bleg

MarkGrisham wrote: »

So basically the public is ignorant of what these drugs do and most pharmacists can't be bothered to tell them otherwise.

Bollox. Do you expect a pharmacist to be present to oversee ever single OTC sale?

If a patient comes in and asks for a box of panadol or nurofen the OTC assistant will give it out with the usual warnings. If the patient presents with a problem that the OTC assistant can't sort then the pharmacist will be called. Pharmacists are readily available to answer any questions.

ebixa82

Herbal Deity wrote: »

I don't mind being told about the dangers of drugs.

But once I have the information on the dangers I would like to make my own choices, thank you very much.

If that was the case nothing would be illegal.

If a pharmacist gave you some top grade heroin and told you how to smoke/inject it, but to be careful, then you went home and OD'd and died the pharmacist would be implicit in your death...

Medicines are not like other commodities and you as a normal joe soap do not have the right to abuse or mis-use them as you see fit. (Well technically you can but trained health care professionals will try their best to minimise this which is what these regs hope to achieve). That's the way things are so you just have to accept this and move on..

Herbal Deity

ebixa82 wrote: »

If a pharmacist gave you some top grade heroin and told you how to smoke/inject it, but to be careful, then you went home and OD'd and died the pharmacist would be implicit in your death...

And they shouldn't be.

ebixa82

Herbal Deity wrote: »

And they shouldn't be.

Yes they should be. By having professional people held responsible for the provision of these drugs it controls to some extent the amount of junkies in our society.

Ok you think people should be allowed buy any drugs they want. They may want to try these drugs for whatever reason (to get high/stoned, curiosity, loneliness, boredom etc.) but how many of them actually want to become addicted and live the life of an addict? Very few me thinks...

People can choose if they want to take drugs with addictive potential but most addicts can't choose wether or not they want to be addicts..

MarkGrisham

bleg wrote: »

Bollox. Do you expect a pharmacist to be present to oversee ever single OTC sale?

If a patient comes in and asks for a box of panadol or nurofen the OTC assistant will give it out with the usual warnings. If the patient presents with a problem that the OTC assistant can't sort then the pharmacist will be called. Pharmacists are readily available to answer any questions.

I don't recall any warnings from any OTC assistants who've sold me painkillers. Hence I'm a little skeptical of the notion that even the majority are doing so. And I'm sure pharmacists would say so if asked but a lot of people wouldn't even think to ask it seems.

bleg

So the problem is with people not asking rather than pharmacists not giving a ****?

phill106

Bah. Went to chemist over lunch. was going to try and hold off till i got home, but had to give in, migraine on the way and nothing on me to take, not even a paracetemol.
Go in, asks me usual questions, I replied all the normal answers. She asked had i tried other things, which i listed off 5 other tablets including migraleve and imigran etc, didnt work that well for me. Have you tried them recently though?
Why? Have they changed the formula?
She gave me 12 but suggested i get a prescription from the doc to prevent further questioning regarding this over the counter drug...

Redpunto

I think its slightly ironic that pharmacies have out these restrictions on the selling of codeine and are now wanting the morning after pill to be "otc". God complex anyone!!

bleg

There aren't many people addicted to the MAP buddy.

Stark

Redpunto wrote: »

I think its slightly ironic that pharmacies have out these restrictions on the selling of codeine and are now wanting the morning after pill to be "otc". God complex anyone!!

Too right. I hate having doctors looking at me like I'm a baby killer any time I want to stock up on morning after pills.

haveablast

Redpunto wrote: »

I think its slightly ironic that pharmacies have out these restrictions on the selling of codeine and are now wanting the morning after pill to be "otc". God complex anyone!!

Bit of a difference there when you consider the relative consequences...

DublinWriter

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

Out of interest, seeing as these are only PSI 'guidelines', what would be the ramifications if a pharmacy decided to ignore them - either as an aggressive measure to increase its business, because it was wasting too much staff time, or because they felt the guidelines were wrong?

Zero consequences. Who's policing it? Exactly.

The pharmacies rake it in here. Don't believe me? Just look how many pharmacies set up shop almost next door to each other. In Malahide, Drogheda and Coolock there's clusters of four to five pharmacists all within stone-throwing distance.

Remember when the big trade multiples all decided to sell OTC paracetamol products? The IPU completely wigged-out and went on a concerted media-blitz almost decrying the end of civilisation as we know it.

bleg

The chains and their employees are part of the IPU....

ArmaniJeanss

DublinWriter wrote: »

Zero consequences. Who's policing it? Exactly.

That was my initial thought and I was waiting for a chemist to purposely ignore the 'guidelines' as I was curious to see what would happen. Like if the margin and volume of sales of these products is as big as people make out then any chemist who sold 100 packets a day (surely a reachable target in an urban area if so many people are apparently addicted to codeine) at €3 profit per pack is looking at around €100K a year - serious money.

But a few posters explained (correctly, incorrectly, who knows) that the 'guidelines' are more than they appear, that any chemist who broke them would be in breach of fairly serious laws.

jonnyone

You can buy Nurofen+ and Solpadeine from Amazon.co.uk!

Fittle

I take np for back pain - it's the only thing that works. I'd take 2 every second or third morning after a difficult nights sleep and pain. I wouldn't say that's an addiction however. So I went into a couple of chemists over the past month - one gave them to me after some questioning and the other told me I'd need a gps letter, but still gave them to me.

Both chemists were in dublin. Then I was down south for a long weekend - went into the local chemist as I'd forgotten to bring the np with me - in I walked, all ready for my story and the very nice assistant sold me a large box of np AND a box of solpadine at the same time!!! No questions/nothing! Perhaps she was afraid of me and thought I was a 'ruffian' from dublin:D

super_furry

Looks like they might be relaxing things. Just bought some Uniflu Plus from a Grafton Street pharmacy with no questions. Just told not to take them for more than three days in a row and given a codiene advice sheet.

Mike Litoris

I'm glad its in.

The people that really need them will/should get them and the people that dont shouldn't. It's really up to the Pharmacies to keep on top of it.

I was addicted to Solps for 10 years and eventually got off them. That was two years ago. I always hated taking any sort of "tablets". One night I had a bad headache and thought oh I'll try this Solpadine everyone recommends and got a nice buzz from it as well as the headache going. I then started taking them just for the buzz, after a while it was a case of taking them to combat the constant pain/headaches/withdrawal symptoms.

Thats my story and I know a lot of other folk who ended up needlessly addicted just like me. If they weren't as readily available like they were I probably wouldn't have gotten into the mess I did.

haveablast

jonnyone wrote: »

You can buy Nurofen+ and Solpadeine from Amazon.co.uk!

Not something that should be highlighted, and also illegal to buy medicines by post...

super_furry

haveablast wrote: »

Not something that should be highlighted, and also illegal to buy medicines by post...

You sure about that? Thought it was only prescription medicines that applied to.

DublinWriter

Mike Litoris wrote: »

The people that really need them will/should get them and the people that dont shouldn't. It's really up to the Pharmacies to keep on top of it.

I'm glad to hear you kicked the codeine.

As I said before I don't think the pharmacies will keep on top of it, it's a 'turkeys voting for Christmas' situation. There's massive money at stake here and I'm of the cynical view that their recent actions in how they dispense OTC Codeine is more to limit their own legal exposure.

Here's a support group for anyone interested :

http://www.codeinefree.me.uk/

Mike Litoris

DublinWriter wrote: »

I'm glad to hear you kicked the codeine.

As I said before I don't think the pharmacies will keep on top of it, it's a 'turkeys voting for Christmas' situation. There's massive money at stake here and I'm of the cynical view that their recent actions in how they dispense OTC Codeine is more to limit their own legal exposure.

Here's a support group for anyone interested :

http://www.codeinefree.me.uk/

Thanks, and yeah, the support groups are a great help especially in understanding exactly what it does to your body and chemical balance etc.

In fairness, I got extremely lucky in that I didn't really try to kick them at the time but I simply woke up one morning and felt for the first time in years that I didn't immediately need to get some codeine into me. I had no pain, no cravings, no fuzzy head etc. Since that day the addiction just disappeared. I put it down to somehow magically the chemical imbalance in my brain righted itself.