As I mentioned awhile back, the months of October and November were not very kind to me health wise. Between a bronchial infection, a head cold, and my regular, seasonal allergies I was kind of a congested, snotty mess. I started taking Loratadine (generic Claritin D) once a day, doubling to twice a day as per doctor's orders on particularly bad days. Claritin D is an over-the-counter sinus/allergy medicine that requires ID and purchases are logged into the "system" and tracked. The ingredients in the medication are also used to make meth. Our Federal Government decided in 2005 to regulate this medication to help curtail illicit meth manufacturing/use. Being a rule follower, I don't usually have issues with the government regulations. Since I'm not a meth manufacturer or user, what do I care anyways.
Costco has the BEST price on generic Claritin D, but Costco is a big pain in the neck to visit. Ours is so busy all the time, so I try to keep a running list of things I need from there and only go when the list gets long enough to warrant a trip. However, with the Claritin D only distributed in packs of 15 and only one pack at a time, I was visiting Costco every-other-Saturday (when I had time to go) in October and November.
During the first week in December, I stopped into Costco during the week, as I was running low on the D and knew I'd run out before the next weekend's trip. Even though I was feeling much better, I was still congested so wanted to continue taking the meds to keep the sinus issues at bay. However, when I gave the cashier my ID, she informed me that I was over the limit in the amount of Loratadine I was allotted and therefore she couldn't sell it to me. Of course, I was irritated and a bit worried about being overrun by my sinuses. I tried VERY hard not to take it out on the cashier as she didn't make the rules, but I did leave frustrated, mumbling about how if the box was full of bullets it wouldn't even be a blip on anyone's radar. Then I left quickly, worried she'd think I was threatening to shoot her.
This happened just days before the San Bernardino shootings. With my mind already on the regulation of the medicine and the restrictions that I was facing, the information that came out about the tragic attack blew my mind. Between the rounds that were shot in the initial attack, the ones shot at the police, and the ones found by investigators in the car and home, this couple had purchased over 6,200 bullets, all legally. ALL LEGALLY! I wonder if this attack would have been thwarted had this couple had to show ID and have their purchases logged into "the system" like my 4 boxes of Claritin D had been. Who knows, but thankfully regulation stopped me from the medicine I needed to keep my nose from running, because that could have been dangerous!
wordless wednesday
7 hours ago
You need to go to the doctor and get an abatement on that rule. But why is it culmative, I'd have thought it would be an issue if you were buying in bulk or on the same day.
ReplyDeleteYou don't think a road trip out of State might be on the cards and lay up a reserve.
Yes, a script would be helpful, but that would mean another trip to the doctor. :)
DeleteA trip out of state sounds GREAT but not for these meds as this is a federal law, so it's tracked no matter where you go. I've had people offer to purchase it for me, but if they take it then they could potentially be blocked from buying it when they need it as well. A friend of mine who doesn't take it dropped a box off on my doorstep last week and then went back to get another one, filling her quota for the month. But now I've two boxes on reserve so I should be ok since I'm not doubling up for the time being. Doubling up is what got me into the bind in the first place.
You don't have the same regulations with medicines and prescriptions like we do here, do you? From my travels I've found some things that we need prescriptions for here not needed in other countries. Plus it seemed to be a lot less expensive.
Crazy day in LAUSD - they closed over 1000 schools today due to email threat. A bit rattling!!!
I suppose after SB they are a bit jittery. Turn out all OK ?.
DeleteWe can get very little without a script. In fact lots of stuff available over the counter in the UK requires a visit to a doctor €40-70, the script €30-60. The visit to the pharmacy €30 at least. In Spain the medication would be less that €10, we pay in fees and mark-up an extra €120. They all think they deserve NYC fee structure. And not just anyplace in NYC but the high end part of Manhattan.
Yah, us too! Although we don't have to pay for the script itself...well I'm sure we are but it's not an isolated line item. It frustrates me that healthcare is so expensive.
DeleteSo is it the "D part that makes it regulated? I know I can buy generic Loratadine at SAMs Club in a two-pack that contains 200 of the 10mg tablets in each of the bottles (so 400 total). The label says "compare to Claratin", without the D.
ReplyDeleteMy drug of choice is Advil Cold & Sinus which was originally OTC, then behind the counter (showing DL) and now only by prescription.
I just have to wonder how much these regulations have helped in the "war" against meth. Not much, I would wager.
I know when buying .22 bullets at WalMart, I've had to show a DL. The more they dig, the more it's becoming obvious the woman was never properly "vetted" in the first place when she came to this country and left ample "clues" over recent months. The system failed on a number of levels.
Yes, it is the D. The regular doesn't do it for me when I'm dealing with the sinus congestion. Interesting that the Advil is now a prescription, I wonder why that is.
DeleteAnytime we have these attacks, the things we learn about what isn't working are always abundant. It frustrates me though that we learn things, but don't really learn FROM them. It's been an on-edge couple of weeks and then today's email threat to the schools...ugh! I'm getting a little tired of it, if I'm being honest.
Even when regulated, some of these can vary from store to store. I use the pharmacy at WalMart where the Advil Cold & Sinus has to be called in as a scrip (same for the Advil Cold & Allergy, so I'm not sure what the ingredient in all these is that's so heavily regulated), yet they told me at the Walgreen's pharmacy (where I get my flu shot each year) that if I had all my scrips there I could just buy it with my DL. Who knows, they might have just been telling me that trying to get all of my business.
DeleteI thought about you yesterday with all the threat business. What really aggravated me was how the NYC folks were publically so critical of LA for cancelling. Better safe than sorry!
That is weird! I wonder why there is that difference from pharmacy to pharmacy. The D seems to be regulated wherever I go - I prefer Costco since it's half the price, but Target and Walmart take id as well. My mom in HI has had to do the same thing.
DeleteYes, those comments were not very nice were they. Schools can't win...if they had kept them open and something happened they would have been RUINED. With what had happened in SB, they had to be so careful. A thousand schools' worth of students out "on the street" with nothing to do wasn't ideal, but the city really stepped up allowing parents to bring kids back with them to work or gave them the day off to stay with their kids, several of our museums offered fun things to get the kids in. It was good to see. I'm in a much smaller district in the Valley, so I wasn't involved in it. We did have some kids out because parents heard it on the news and either didn't know we weren't LAUSD (which isn't surprising with our population) or were just scared. What makes me on edge is that we try SO hard to make school a safe place and the fact that as the years go by it's becoming less and less so. Even if this was a hoax, I can't understand doing it to a school.
I completely understand the sinus issue. This fall has been a nightmare for my allergies.
ReplyDeleteI know right!?! I think I've forgotten what it feels like to breathe right this past year.
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