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

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    #842
    i-digress
    Closed Accounts Posts: 692 ✭✭✭i-digress


    littlefriend wrote: »
    This thread is a great read. I can't believe the amount of people claiming a need rather than a want for solphadine or neurofen +.

    For me, disprin extra, feminax and paracetamol are good getting rid of headaches or cramps. Before anyone says I don't know painnnnnnn like they do - I'm pretty sure I do as I have major issues with my back because of repeated surgery on 3 slipped discs.

    I used to take a LOT of pain medication and I really think that 95% of the time the extra 'painkiller' everyone is talking [ie codeine] is not actually killing pain but taking the edge off a little by relaxing you. I don't really think it makes an enormous difference to the pain but it makes it easier to deal with being in pain. That is my experience anyway.

    When I heard about the new rules for selling these products I thought it was unnecessary but after reading this thread I can see why it has been put in place.

    I don't know that you can compare like that though. Different people suit different drugs. Paracetamol doesn't work for me, and difene makes me sick. I find solpadeine work well for me, better than any other otc medicine. It isn't a problem for me though because I have a chronic pain condition, so am prescribed it now.

    I think the guidelines weren't thought through properly. It just ties up the time of the pharmacist, and makes it harder for people who need it get it. If you're addicted you will do anything to get it, that's what addicts do. So the people who really need help won't be much helped by this.

    Honestly I think a campaign warning of the dangers of over reliance on all painkillers would be better. I knew a girl who took so much paracetamol that her liver was irreparably damaged by age twenty. Addiction is destructive, but I think there are more constructive, albeit expensive, ways to deal with it.


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    #843
    ebixa82
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,289 ✭✭✭ebixa82


    littlefriend wrote: »
    This thread is a great read. I can't believe the amount of people claiming a need rather than a want for solphadine or neurofen +.

    For me, disprin extra, feminax and paracetamol are good getting rid of headaches or cramps. Before anyone says I don't know painnnnnnn like they do - I'm pretty sure I do as I have major issues with my back because of repeated surgery on 3 slipped discs.

    I used to take a LOT of pain medication and I really think that 95% of the time the extra 'painkiller' everyone is talking [ie codeine] is not actually killing pain but taking the edge off a little by relaxing you. I don't really think it makes an enormous difference to the pain but it makes it easier to deal with being in pain. That is my experience anyway.

    When I heard about the new rules for selling these products I thought it was unnecessary but after reading this thread I can see why it has been put in place.

    +1.

    Just so you know Feminax also contains codeine!

    I would agree about codeine doing little more than taking the edge off. It is widely believed that the doses in these preparations are sub-therapeutic with regard to analgesia.

    I think this thread has really highlighted the problems surrounding these products and the need for implementing these guidelines.

    There are many people posting here who admit to being addicted. Then there are many more who either don't realise they are addicted or have convinced themselves they are not.

    Someone who is willing to travel up north and stock up on drugs or buy medicines over the net (at greater expense) just to avoid being questioned by a pharmacist needs to think about their situation...

    On top of that, the sheer lack of understanding of pain analgesia, analgesics and the inherent dangers associated with these drugs, displayed here, is quite startling..

    Like you, at first I was a bit skeptical of these guidelines, but the past 6 weeks have shown they were long overdue..


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    #844
    Faith+1
    Registered Users Posts: 3,674 ✭✭✭Faith+1


    ebixa82 wrote: »
    You NEED to learn how to spell! Must be all that codine you're taking...

    Whaaaaaaa!? Yuo msut be kiiding, trheres nohting wrnog wiht my spleling!:confused:


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    #845
    username123
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,484 ✭✭✭username123


    Technocentral wrote: »
    I do it all the time, never a problem and much cheaper then the rip off merchants over here.

    I personally dont have an issue with it and am convinced by the links I have provided that it is not illegal - however Drella118 stated that it was ILLEGAL to do so - and Id like to see evidence to back that claim up.


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    #846
    BogMonkey
    Registered Users Posts: 356 ✭✭BogMonkey


    Alicat wrote: »
    No you don't need it, you want it; two totally different things. If you NEED it go to your doctor.
    And spend 60 euros so he can prescribe you what you already know you need and could have bought in the pharmacy?


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    #847
    Stark
    Registered Users Posts: 20,941 ✭✭✭✭Stark


    You could say the same thing about anti-biotics. "But sure I know I need them, why can't I just stock up on them over the counter?".

    ⛥ ̸̱̼̞͛̀̓̈́͘#C̶̼̭͕̎̿͝R̶̦̮̜̃̓͌O̶̬͙̓͝W̸̜̥͈̐̾͐Ṋ̵̲͔̫̽̎̚͠ͅT̸͓͒͐H̵͔͠È̶̖̳̘͍͓̂W̴̢̋̈͒͛̋I̶͕͑͠T̵̻͈̜͂̇Č̵̤̟̑̾̂̽H̸̰̺̏̓ ̴̜̗̝̱̹͛́̊̒͝⛥



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    #848
    Coriolanus
    Registered Users Posts: 4,879 ✭✭✭Coriolanus


    Stark wrote: »
    You could say the same thing about anti-biotics. "But sure I know I need them, why can't I just stock up on them over the counter?".
    Because there are serious consequences to unregulated consumption of antibioti.... oh wait...


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    #849
    BogMonkey
    Registered Users Posts: 356 ✭✭BogMonkey


    Stark wrote: »
    You could say the same thing about anti-biotics. "But sure I know I need them, why can't I just stock up on them over the counter?".
    I do actually say that about antibiotics. I've done the research and am well informed enough to decide for myself whether I need antibiotics to kill off a bacterial infection. Of course there will always be irresponsible people who don't do their own research who will harm themselves with the products but this is life. Some people get knocked down because they don't look left and right when crossing the road. Does that mean the public shouldn't be allowed cross roads?
    Nevore wrote: »
    Because there are serious consequences to unregulated consumption of antibioti.... oh wait...
    You better not be talking about MRSA or other so called "superbugs".


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    #850
    ballsymchugh
    Registered Users Posts: 7,936 ✭✭✭ballsymchugh


    BogMonkey wrote: »
    I do actually say that about antibiotics. I've done the research and am well informed enough to decide for myself whether I need antibiotics to kill off a bacterial infection. Of course there will always be irresponsible people who don't do their own research who will harm themselves with the products but this is life. Some people get knocked down because they don't look left and right when crossing the road. Does that mean the public shouldn't be allowed cross roads?

    in this case then it comes down to knowing for definite if what you have is bacterial/viral/fungal, and the only way to be certain is to do a swab. a lot of the symptoms can be very similar. but doctors are guilty of that too, giving scripts for antibiotics when all the patient may have is a cold, and they just need fluids and bed rest.


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    #851
    Coriolanus
    Registered Users Posts: 4,879 ✭✭✭Coriolanus


    BogMonkey wrote: »
    Does that mean the public shouldn't be allowed cross roads?
    They're allowed cross the road, but it is regulated where and when they can do so. Bad analogy is bad.

    You better not be talking about MRSA or other so called "superbugs".
    Eh, the declining effectiveness of antibiotics generally, and the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is pretty well documented.


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    #852
    BogMonkey
    Registered Users Posts: 356 ✭✭BogMonkey


    Nevore wrote: »
    They're allowed cross the road, but it is regulated where and when they can do so. Bad analogy is bad.
    Yeah in a busy city full of traffic lights its regulated but in a residential area or a town where there are no traffic lights its not regulated when and where you can cross. Its just assumed that people have the common sense not to cross when theres a car speeding towards them.
    Nevore wrote: »
    Eh, the declining effectiveness of antibiotics generally, and the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is pretty well documented.
    Lets use MRSA as an example. "Methicillin" resistant staphyllococcus aureus. A random mutation occured which coded for an enzyme that breaks down beta lactams. The solution here seems fairly simple. Don't use beta lactams on MRSA. Penicillins and cephalosporins have beta lactam rings but tetracyclins don't. Targetting bacterial cell walls is just 1 of the many known attack mechanisms for killing bacteria in vivo though. For example you can interrupt bacterial chromosome replication with quinolones. There are scores of novel antibiotics present in plants. I doubt bacteria will ever evolve an enzyme that can break down silver nano particles. Lets ****in hope not anyway, there'd be microscale nuclear explosions left, right and centre.

    I often wonder how the media gets away with spreading such bull****. Like this swine flu "pandemic". You were 20 times more likely to die from the regular flu and they had people going out and getting vaccinated for the H1N1 flu.


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    #853
    bleg
    Registered Users Posts: 5,848 ✭✭✭bleg


    The rise of MRSA and (the many) other resistant bacteria is directly attributable to the overuse of antibiotics. Making all antibiotics OTC will worsen the situation, not improve it. It is agreed that we should be limiting the amount of antibiotics we are using.


    Anyway we're going off topic. Your issues and more have been covered in the Health Sciences forum if you want to have a look at them.


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    #854
    Alicat
    Registered Users Posts: 10,264 ✭✭✭✭Alicat


    BogMonkey wrote: »
    And spend 60 euros so he can prescribe you what you already know you need and could have bought in the pharmacy?

    Yeah but you can't just walk into a pharmacy and buy them willy nilly anymore so...if someone 'needs' them on a regular basis, they'll have to do just that. Most people don't 'need' them and if they suffer quite a lot from whatever pain it is they might be better off getting a presciption painkiller that would suit them much better than solpadeine or nurofen plus anyway.


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    #855
    BluesBerry
    Registered Users Posts: 2,221 ✭✭✭BluesBerry


    I suffer really bad headaches on a daily basis and the doctor put it down to taking solpidine and nerophen (after further investigation it was not the case) Told me to stop taking them and try paracetamol and perscribed breuphan
    Suffering for the last few months I said fcuk it and yesterday I went in to buy nerophen plus haven't bought them since the new laws came in
    I kinda knew what to expect from hearing stories of people and reading this thread

    I got a narky pharmacist who went all high and mighty wanting to know what I would be using it for in front of a load of customers no privacy at all I was not even taken to one side She wanted to know what I had taken had I tried alternatives and would I , I was there for a good 5 mins I know this had to be done but damn I didn't realise it would have been that intrusive I felt she was shining a light in my eye and interrogating me but the more she questioned and tried to deter me I wanted them more than ever after going through that questioning I was not leaving without them then

    Anyway I had forgotten how fcuking wonderful nerophen are for the first time in months I am pain free


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    #856
    Kurtosis
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 2,881 Mod ✭✭✭✭Kurtosis


    username123 wrote: »
    Can you provide a link to the legislation covering this please?

    This article would suggest that it is not illegal unless they are prescription medicines.

    And this publication from IMB themselves:

    actually states:


    It also states:


    But nowhere does it state that it is illegal to buy an otc medicine online. And until I see the legislation covering it I dont have an issue ordering my otc medicines from registered UK online pharmacies.

    Solpadeine, Nurofen Plus etc. are not the same as other OTC medicines as they also fall under the remit of the Misuse of Drugs legislation.

    The supply of medicinal products by mail order is illegal. An exemption was introduced so that this did not apply to "a medicinal product which by virtue of these Regulations (S.I. No. 540/2003) may be supplied otherwise than in accordance with a prescription."

    So in general, mail order supply of non-prescription medicines in not illegal. However for codeine-containing over the counter medicines, their non-prescription status is granted by the Misuse of Drugs Act since codeine is a controlled drug. In addition, there are parts of the Misuse of Drugs legislation covering importation of controlled drugs which may also be relevant. So I definitely would not take it as a given that these products can be ordered online legally.


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    #857
    Sardonicat
    Registered Users Posts: 12,379 ✭✭✭✭Sardonicat


    BluesBerry wrote: »
    I suffer really bad headaches on a daily basis and the doctor put it down to taking solpidine and nerophen (after further investigation it was not the case) Told me to stop taking them and try paracetamol and perscribed breuphan
    Suffering for the last few months I said fcuk it and yesterday I went in to buy nerophen plus haven't bought them since the new laws came in
    I kinda knew what to expect from hearing stories of people and reading this thread

    I got a narky pharmacist who went all high and mighty wanting to know what I would be using it for in front of a load of customers no privacy at all I was not even taken to one side She wanted to know what I had taken had I tried alternatives and would I , I was there for a good 5 mins I know this had to be done but damn I didn't realise it would have been that intrusive I felt she was shining a light in my eye and interrogating me but the more she questioned and tried to deter me I wanted them more than ever after going through that questioning I was not leaving without them then

    Anyway I had forgotten how fcuking wonderful nerophen are for the first time in months I am pain free

    FFS! Nurofen does not contain codeine. It is ibuprofen, the same drug as Brufen; you know, the one your Dr. prescribed you!

    If you can't tell the difference then it is just as well that the pharmicist takes on the reposnsibility for you.

    Yet another poster beautifully demonstrating how necessary these new measures are.


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    #858
    Wickerman1
    Registered Users Posts: 101 ✭✭Wickerman1


    I think that you can buy solpedeine without codine in the North!

    A friend brought home the Spanish OTC equivalent and it has more than 3 times the codeine content! :o


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    #859
    Jumpy
    Registered Users Posts: 7,606 ✭✭✭Jumpy


    Sardonicat wrote: »
    FFS! Nurofen does not contain codeine. It is ibuprofen, the same drug as Brufen; you know, the one your Dr. prescribed you!

    If you can't tell the difference then it is just as well that the pharmicist takes on the reposnsibility for you.

    Yet another poster beautifully demonstrating how necessary these new measures are.

    Nurofen Plus does contain it. It was mentioned at the start of the post.

    Either way, codeine causes rebound headaches. The more it is used, then the higher chance of a rebound headache when stopping, prompting more use.
    This is aside from the addiction.


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    #860
    ebixa82
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,289 ✭✭✭ebixa82


    Wickerman1 wrote: »
    I think that you can buy solpedeine without codine in the North!

    Yes, it's called Paracetamol. You can buy it here too.


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    #861
    Insomniac_
    Closed Accounts Posts: 40 ✭Insomniac_


    Bout time .. girls are the worst.. in school they must have cleared out the chemists the amout of painkillers they walked around with ... Mates take them for any little thing either.. Ive never taken anything in my life.. Will do when I actually need a painkiller..


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    #862
    BogMonkey
    Registered Users Posts: 356 ✭✭BogMonkey


    penguin88 wrote: »
    So I definitely would not take it as a given that these products can be ordered online legally.
    But you're not sure that ordering them is illegal? I wonder what the laws are concerning bringing codeine containing medications into Ireland too. Thats an interesting article. There are plenty of prescription medications I'd like to order but I assumed an order like that'd be almost guaranteed to be seized by customs.
    Sardonicat wrote: »
    FFS! Nurofen does not contain codeine. It is ibuprofen, the same drug as Brufen; you know, the one your Dr. prescribed you!
    That person you replied to didn't even say regular nurofen contained codeine.


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    #863
    Kurtosis
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 2,881 Mod ✭✭✭✭Kurtosis


    BogMonkey wrote: »
    But you're not sure that ordering them is illegal? I wonder what the laws are concerning bringing codeine containing medications into Ireland too. Thats an interesting article. There are plenty of prescription medications I'd like to order but I assumed an order like that'd be almost guaranteed to be seized by customs.

    Well from my reading of the relevant legislation, I would be more sure that ordering them is not legal rather than legal. As I said already, by default ordering in medicinal products is illegal, but an exemption is granted to medicines that are given non-prescription status in those Medicinal Products regulations. However, codeine-containing medicines are available off prescription due to being classified in Schedule 5 of the Misuse of Drugs legislation. I do not have a legal background so would not be able to say it with complete certainty, but for this reason, I believe ordering in such products is not legal.


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    #864
    BogMonkey
    Registered Users Posts: 356 ✭✭BogMonkey


    penguin88 wrote: »
    Well from my reading of the relevant legislation, I would be more sure that ordering them is not legal rather than legal.
    You're probably right but I'm gonna ask someone who works in this area to be sure.
    Insomniac_ wrote: »
    Bout time .. girls are the worst.. in school they must have cleared out the chemists the amout of painkillers they walked around with ... Mates take them for any little thing either.. Ive never taken anything in my life.. Will do when I actually need a painkiller..
    What business is it of yours what other people like to take. Does other people taking painkillers affect you in any way?


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    #865
    Jimmy Bottlehead
    Registered Users Posts: 10,118 ✭✭✭✭Jimmy Bottlehead


    It is true though, females swallow painkillers at a ridiculous rate.


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    #866
    Jumpy
    Registered Users Posts: 7,606 ✭✭✭Jumpy


    BogMonkey wrote: »

    What business is it of yours what other people like to take. Does other people taking painkillers affect you in any way?

    Yes. I have seen a healthy person get to 6 stone and go slowly insane from addiction to codeine. Plus liver and brain damage.


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    #867
    Sardonicat
    Registered Users Posts: 12,379 ✭✭✭✭Sardonicat


    BogMonkey wrote: »
    That person you replied to didn't even say regular nurofen contained codeine.

    The person I replied to didn't seem to be able to tell the difference between Nurofen & Nurofen+. S/he was using the names
    interchangeably, hence my response.
    BluesBerry wrote: »
    I suffer really bad headaches on a daily basis and the doctor put it down to taking solpidine and nerophen (after further investigation it was not the case) Told me to stop taking them and try paracetamol and perscribed breuphan

    BluesBerry wrote: »
    Suffering for the last few months I said fcuk it and yesterday I went in to buy nerophen plus haven't bought them since the new laws came in


    BluesBerry wrote: »
    Anyway I had forgotten how fcuking wonderful nerophen are for the first time in months I am pain free

    If you have been following this thread then you will know that this seems to be a trend amongst many of the posters. It's not just ignorance about codeine containing products but all OTC medicines.

    This depth of ignorance is shocking and inexcusable.


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    #868
    BluesBerry
    Registered Users Posts: 2,221 ✭✭✭BluesBerry


    Sardonicat wrote: »
    The person I replied to didn't seem to be able to tell the difference between Nurofen & Nurofen+. S/he was using the names
    interchangeably, hence my response.










    If you have been following this thread then you will know that this seems to be a trend amongst many of the posters. It's not just ignorance about codeine containing products but all OTC medicines.

    This depth of ignorance is shocking and inexcusable.

    So I forgot to put plus beside nurofen well done you for showing my ignorance :)


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    #869
    Sardonicat
    Registered Users Posts: 12,379 ✭✭✭✭Sardonicat


    BluesBerry wrote: »
    So I forgot to put plus beside nurofen well done you for showing my ignorance :)
    Thank you. Anytime.;)


    You see, when you "forget the plus" you are naming a different drug to the one with the plus. As I cannot read your mind, when you forget the plus I can only presume that you mean the drug without codeine.


    When having a consultation with a Dr./pharmacist would you also not bother to get the name of a medicine you are taking exactly right under the assumption that they are mind readers? If there were consequences, who would you be blaming?


    What do you think would happen if a healthcare professional similarly "forgot" to specify which drug in particular they were referring to?


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    #870
    policeman
    Registered Users Posts: 81 ✭✭policeman


    Remember the reason why there are so many codeine nazi's on this thread is because of the risk of litigation when it comes to these otc drugs, in fact it's the main reason why these guideines exist. Loss of money through massive law suits scare the bejeezus out of them. Don't be duped into thinking any of these gestapo officers actually give a fiddlers about what, why, and how much you ingest. It's pure folly.


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    #871
    Kurtosis
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 2,881 Mod ✭✭✭✭Kurtosis


    policeman wrote: »
    Remember the reason why there are so many codeine nazi's on this thread is because of the risk of litigation when it comes to these otc drugs, in fact it's the main reason why these guideines exist. Loss of money through massive law suits scare the bejeezus out of them. Don't be duped into thinking any of these gestapo officers actually give a fiddlers about what, why, and how much you ingest. It's pure folly.

    Also bear in mind that soluble Solpadeine come in tin foil, so when you've finished with them, you can use the packaging to fashion a stylish hat.


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