So tried to buy 3 x 16 ibuprofen, some for me and some for son for his holiday hangover cure. However the checkout said nope! I have exceeded the max allowed(2 packs). At the next checkout was a guy with 6 whisky bottles, no check was made to see if he was off to top himself..

I paid for 2 packs, then paid for the 3rd at another checkout.

Bizarre

Local garage wouldn’t let me buy one box each of paracetamol and ibuprofen. Agreed very odd!

Yes that’s why they’re sold in 16s.

I can buy whisky by the case and no one would care so why ibuprofen?

I agree with you bruneep. Seems ridiculous. But people are more likely to try topping themselves on painkillers etc than they are whisky. 😯

People tend not to commit suicide by downing bottle after bottle of whisky, they take high risk over the counter meds as they’re cheap, easy to get hold off and easy to take. As it’s often a spontaneous thing they tend not even bother walking to next shop for another box.

I’ve just spent nearly £200 on groceries, despite this I’m obviously away home to top myself imminently. 🙄

Local Tesco, wanted 3 packs of Paracetemol, silly billy on till refused to sell me 3 then needed supervisor to take 1 pack back to the pharmacy isle, not allowed to be left on till, and supervisor needed to void sale,chap behind says ill buy the extra packet for you to hurry up the queue, silly billy says not allowed because yore buying them for him(me) a total stranger.

Chap behind then tries to buy a bottle of wine, and gets asked his date of birth to prove he was over 21, he was well old at least 50, and not happy at all.

A popular high st chemist chain feel it’s OK to sell 32 packs of Ibuprofen/Codeine – that’s just over 400mg Codeine and 6400mg Ibuprofen.

No idea of the toxic dose of either but it sounds like a lot for an ‘over the counter’ purchase to me.

Project they’re obeying the law as Paracetamols deaths were and still are a very common cause of suicide that’s why they reduced the packet size and brought the law in. There’s no need for you to have 3 packs of Paracetamol that’s over a weeks worth of meds.

A popular high st chemist chain feel it’s OK to sell 32 packs of Ibuprofen/Codeine – that’s just over 400mg Codeine and 6400mg Ibuprofen.

Yeah that’s a chemist they have different laws.

If you feel suicidal why bother wait in the queue to pay for 2 or more boxes of tablets, just nick them, what have you got to loose.

But please if you get to that place, chat to someone first.

I’ve just spent nearly £200 on groceries, despite this I’m obviously away home to top myself imminently.

you could look at it the other way…

…these are medicines which in some countries are only available from authorised pharmacies under the supervision of a pharmacist. What “we” have done is relax the rules so you can buy some drugs over the counter in ordinary shops subject to certain safeguards. Perhaps you are not really treating the medicine with the respect it is due – exactly because it is so readily available.

As above, paracetamol is the baddie. If it doesn’t kill you as you wished it can leave you with life time liver damage if I’m not mistaken

there are calls for further restrictions – 2×16 500mg paras is easily enough to kill you; 2×16 ibuprofen would potentially make you pretty poorly too

The difference between pills and whiskey – you could swallow a couple of handfuls of pills, go to sleep and not wake up – you’d have to be pretty determined to drink enough (without bringing it back up) in order to achieve the same fate.

the really sad thing is, with paracetamol you’d probably wake up & feel fine, so not go to a doctor

then your liver packs up a few days later

There’s no need for you to have 3 packs of Paracetamol that’s over a weeks worth of meds.

Not really. When my wife had her c-section she was on paracetamol, ibroprofen and tramadol.

Sainsburys wouldn’t sell two packs of paracetamol and two packs of ibroprofen together until I proved a point to them. Even then, we had to go down every two days, which when she couldn’t drive for 6 weeks proved a bit of a pain with a newborn.

It all seems a bit of a nanny state law to me. If I’m gonna kill myself I’ll find a way – maybe even as radical as buying 12 packs of paracetamol from 6 different shops.

If someone’s that determine to kill themselves, that’s their choice and not something we should legislate against.

Local Tesco, wanted 3 packs of Paracetemol, silly billy on till refused to sell me 3 then needed supervisor to take 1 pack back to the pharmacy isle, not allowed to be left on till, and supervisor needed to void sale,chap behind says ill buy the extra packet for you to hurry up the queue, silly billy says not allowed because yore buying them for him(me) a total stranger.

Its not the silly billy at the till – its the till. The till detects the sale and won’t let it go through. It does that because the person sitting at the till isn’t a pharmacist and isn’t qualified to advise that they are selling a customer 6 times the lethal dose of a drug.

Paracetamol is a lot more dangerous than people give it credit for. Most of the people on the liver transplant list are because of paracetamol overdoses. Not suicide attempts or big overdoses but just taking a bit too much a bit too often. We have a very casual attitude to it as its been around for so long and because they are sold at the same price as blackjacks and fruit salads, but its has been suggested that if paracetamol was new to the market today it wouldn’t be licensed for sale, a new drug couldn’t such adverse effects and make it to market.

Hmmm, google say ibuprofen not that toxic, codeine however 😯

Not really. When my wife had her c-section she was on paracetamol, ibroprofen and tramadol.
Sainsburys wouldn’t sell two packs of paracetamol and two packs of ibroprofen together until I proved a point to them. Even then, we had to go down every two days, which when she couldn’t drive for 6 weeks proved a bit of a pain with a newborn.

Surely you got that on prescription and being a new mother you get one year of free prescriptions.

Or are you making it up?

Nope – it wasn’t prescribed. She was told to take it, but they didn’t offer a prescription.

To be honest, I never considered that. We should have really got it prescribed and taken advantage of the freebies.

I bought 2 boxes of 32 paracetamol and a box of 64 400mg ibuprofen at the Sainsburys pharmacy last week. All the Doris behind the counter asked was have I taken them before.

It all seems a bit of a nanny state law to me. If I’m gonna kill myself I’ll find a way – maybe even as radical as buying 12 packs of paracetamol from 6 different shops.

If someone’s that determine to kill themselves, that’s their choice and not something we should legislate against.

You don’t seem to understand that the state can’t stop someone from committing suicide, they can however not make it too easy for them.

As Drac points out “it’s often a spontaneous thing”, suicidal thoughts often don’t last. Dismissing as “a nanny state law” something which is clearly designed to help people who are not necessarily thinking straight is really quite sad.

silly billy says not allowed because yore buying them for him(me) a total stranger.

But you’re asking him to break the law for you (a complete stranger).

It all seems a bit of a nanny state law to me. If I’m gonna kill myself I’ll find a way – maybe even as radical as buying 12 packs of paracetamol from 6 different shops.

Like I say it was brought in to stop the spontaneous suicide attempts who won’t walk shop to shop. It worked too it did drop the figures considerably.

Hmmm, google say ibuprofen not that toxic,

Oh it is. Gastric Intesterine problems and renal and liver failure good enough for you?

Plain cheapo Walgreens (equivalent of Superdrug) own brand paracetamol available in 500s and 100s. It’s also three times the price of Asda.

certain safeguards. Perhaps you are not really treating the medicine with the respect it is due

I’m very careful about what I take. I was reluctant to take GP prescribed co-codamol despite not being able to sleep after I fell skiing. I do however live in a house with more than one person in it. One of which suffers with reasonably regular migraines, the other currently experiencing regular headaches as a symptom of hay fever.

I dispute POS software flagging sales being any sort of ‘safeguard’.

I dispute POS software flagging sales being any sort of ‘safeguard’.

Why?

Paracetamol is a lot more dangerous than people give it credit for. Most of the people on the liver transplant list are because of paracetamol overdoses. Not suicide attempts or big overdoses but just taking a bit too much a bit too often. We have a very casual attitude to it as its been around for so long and because they are sold at the same price as blackjacks and fruit salads, but its has been suggested that if paracetamol was new to the market today it wouldn’t be licensed for sale, a new drug couldn’t such adverse effects and make it to market.

Very much this. It would be even more restricted if it was new drug than it is now, it’s a very effective anti-inflammatory muscoskeletal pain relief. So much so were getting to prescribe IV in trauma cases.

Oh it is. Gastric Intesterine problems and renal and liver failure good enough for you?

Ouch, glad I only take 1 in a blue moon

Plain cheapo Walgreens (equivalent of Superdrug) own brand paracetamol available in 500s

I hope not – that’s illegal (in ENgland anyway, not sure but I assume wales is same)

Can’t sell in bigger boxes than 32 or more than 100 at a time (96 in practical terms) without a prescription

There’s no need for you to have 3 packs of Paracetamol that’s over a weeks worth of meds.

You might be going away for more than a week – or going with someone else.

Boots seem to have a sensible policy on this – you can buy pretty much as you can justify to the person on the pharmacy counter, which is quite a lot if you look like a well adjusted action sports klutz. You do have to dig a round a little more to find the cheap generic tablets though.

Plain cheapo Walgreens (equivalent of Superdrug) own brand paracetamol available in 500s

It’s a Pharamacy so nothing like Superdrug. You won’t be able to walk and pick up a box pay for them and walk out.

On the back of the pack:
GSL – General Sales List – can be sold over the counter at any shop (max. 2×16’s for paracetamol and ibuprofen)
P – Pharmacy only (larger packs, and 8/500 co-codamol)
PoM – Prescription Only Medicine – need a doctor’s script (much larger packs and the good shit – 30/500 co-codamol)
CD – Controlled Drug – Like PoM, but more stringent prescribing and dispensing rules, along with annual returns of records to Home Office

As above, it’s only going to work to stop ‘non-serious’ suicide attempts. If one was serious, you’d make the effort to go to multiple places and get 2 boxes several times over.

Except you wouldn’t anyway, you’d probably use a more reliable method.

It worked too it did drop the figures considerably.

When Britain swopped from coal gas to north sea gas and committing suicide wasn’t as easy as sticking your head in the oven the suicide rate also dropped significantly.

It’s always a good idea to try and help to create the conditions whereby people with suicidal thoughts have to think twice.

Why do people with apparently no empathy dismiss the nanny sate ? What did nanny do to them when they were little that makes them still angry with her ?

Plain cheapo Walgreens (equivalent of Superdrug) own brand paracetamol available in 500s

It’s a Pharamacy so nothing like Superdrug. You won’t be able to walk and pick up a box pay for them and walk out.

You might be going away for more than a week – or going with someone else.

You can buy them anywhere so not an issue, people can also buy there own.

Boots seem to have a sensible policy on this – you can buy pretty much as you can justify to the person on the pharmacy counter,

Yeah. Once again it’s a Pharmacy so different laws and why they are there as you talk to a trained advisor or pharmacist who is licensed to prescribe. So when you need you over a weeks worth you visit them not Tesco.

I tried to buy 2 packs of ibuprofen and 2 packs of loratadine (hay fever tablets) in Tesco and was refused – was told it was illegal to buy more than 2 packs total, regardless of what they are. Pretty sure that’s bollards of the highest order, but I guess the lady on the checkout was just repeating what she’d been told.

I disagree that there’s no reason to buy 3 packs of paracetamol or ibuprofen. There are plenty of good reasons, it’s just easier and safer on the whole to not expect checkout staff to make a judgement on whether an individual has a valid reason.

I thought superdrug was a pharmacy too?

I disagree that there’s no reason to buy 3 packs of paracetamol or ibuprofen. There are plenty of good reasons, it’s just easier and safer on the whole to not expect checkout staff to make a judgement on whether an individual has a valid reason.

Go to a Pharmacy then not a supermarket as they’re not qualified or licensed to sell you any more.

I thought superdrug was a pharmacy too?

Nope. There may be an odd one with them in but they’re not a Pharmacy.