Pharmacists getting too personal

[westozfalcon]

A little while back I was suffering a cold and nasal congestion and I went to a chemist near my work to get a small 6-tablet box of Clarinase tablets. The pharmacist asked me to present a drivers licence as means of identification as I was buying a product that contained pseudoephedrine. I reluctantly agreed, expressing my opinion that he was being over officious, as I was only asking for 6 tablets (a 3-day supply) and this hardly represented an amount which I could synthesise into a commercial quantity of ‘speed’ in a backyard drug lab. Also the fact that I was talking in a nasally tone, clearly affected by a cold, was a good indication that I wanted the tablets for genuine relief.
“It’s nothing personal” he said. Even the fact that I had purchased a newspaper from his shop countless times before didn’t sway him. I still had to hand over my drivers licence (I presume it would have been a passport if I didn’t drive a car!) so he could punch my personal info into a computer.

On one of the occasions when I bought a morning paper from his shop he was serving a young woman who had a cold. As she was buying some product he asked her if she was taking any other medication. In a muffled, embarrassed tone, she replied “Just the pill”. I felt awkward at being in the shop and for the fact that she felt compelled to answer that question in front of me, a complete stranger.

These days even a request for a packet of Disprin, a medicine which you can readily buy without scrutiny at a supermarket or petrol station, elicits a whole range of questions from a pharmacist like “Have you used this before”?, ‘Do you suffer asthma”?
Australians have been using over-the-counter proprietory medicines for years and have suffered no adverse effects.
It’s time that pharmacists stopped being overbearing and trying to justify their existence. If a customer asks a question, fine they can offer assistance from their knowledge of medicines. But there’s no need to indiscriminately interrogate people over the purchase of simple products.

[dedja]

Tell him what you think and take your business elsewhere ...

[Punk Rooster]

yes WOFalcon, but then there are the idiot minority that like to sue for their own stupidity- like the McDonalds customer in America who sued because their coffee was too hot...

[Leaping Lindner]

A little while back I was suffering a cold and nasal congestion and I went to a chemist near my work to get a small 6-tablet box of Clarinase tablets. The pharmacist asked me to present a drivers licence as means of identification as I was buying a product that contained pseudoephedrine. I reluctantly agreed, expressing my opinion that he was being over officious, as I was only asking for 6 tablets (a 3-day supply) and this hardly represented an amount which I could synthesise into a commercial quantity of ‘speed’ in a backyard drug lab. Also the fact that I was talking in a nasally tone, clearly affected by a cold, was a good indication that I wanted the tablets for genuine relief.
“It’s nothing personal” he said. Even the fact that I had purchased a newspaper from his shop countless times before didn’t sway him. I still had to hand over my drivers licence (I presume it would have been a passport if I didn’t drive a car!) so he could punch my personal info into a computer......

.

It is nothing personal. Pharmacists are required to do it by law. There are miniature armies of people who spend their days going from pharmacy to pharmacy collecting the drug in whatever qunatity they can. "Just a couple" here and "A few here" very quickly adds up. And they get paid good $$$ for them.
I've spent the best part of the past 10 years working in drug and alcohol rehab and some of the schemes I have heard when it comes to getting pharmacutical (over the counter) medicine you just wouldn't believe unless you'd witnessed it, and even then it's hard to believe.

[Leaping Lindner]

yes WOFalcon, but then there are the idiot minority that like to sue for their own stupidity- like the McDonalds customer in America who sued because their coffee was too hot...

My favourite was the woman who sued a major department store (Bloomingdales i think) when she tripped over a child. I don't know what was worse the fact that she won the case or the fact that it was HER child she tripped over!!!

[HH3]

It would be the same thing as when banks check id when you change large amounts of money over. My old retail manager had to go next door to the bank, in his uniform, and they asked for photo id, to protect against and detect money laundering...

my manager wanted to change over $1000 and they asked for id...hes a paranoid dude...and made a scene in the bank (in his uniform) and stormed out...he went back with $490 because the maximum to change without showing id was $500...he went back twice. Safe to say the store manager went ballistic at him for it...

His reasoning was that if they took his id, if he went back to change over his personal money they would think he was changing large sums of money over for himself all the time and start investigating him...

there are reasons there are laws for these sorts of thing...criminals have ways of doing their business...and law enforcement agencies have ways of detecting them. If they didnt there would be more drugs being made out of over the counter drugs...and more money laundering...

[JAS]

TBH I'd be more worried if a pharmacist didn't ask questions. Just because a medicine is sold over the counter doesn't mean it's harmless.

I believe deaths from accidental overdoses of things like paracetamol are surprisingly high and easily done because people don't check the contents of things like cold/flu remedies. So I would expect a pharmacist to have a duty of care for their customers in just the same way as a doctor or a nurse would and double check what else I might be taking or make sure I'm aware of a potential side effects etc.

Regards
JAS

[Mickyj]

A little while back I was suffering a cold and nasal congestion and I went to a chemist near my work to get a small 6-tablet box of Clarinase tablets. The pharmacist asked me to present a drivers licence as means of identification as I was buying a product that contained pseudo ephedrine. I reluctantly agreed, expressing my opinion that he was being over officious, as I was only asking for 6 tablets (a 3-day supply) and this hardly represented an amount which I could synthesise into a commercial quantity of ‘speed’ in a backyard drug lab. Also the fact that I was talking in a nasally tone, clearly affected by a cold, was a good indication that I wanted the tablets for genuine relief.
“It’s nothing personal” he said. Even the fact that I had purchased a newspaper from his shop countless times before didn’t sway him. I still had to hand over my drivers licence (I presume it would have been a passport if I didn’t drive a car!) so he could punch my personal info into a computer.

On one of the occasions when I bought a morning paper from his shop he was serving a young woman who had a cold. As she was buying some product he asked her if she was taking any other medication. In a muffled, embarrassed tone, she replied “Just the pill”. I felt awkward at being in the shop and for the fact that she felt compelled to answer that question in front of me, a complete stranger.

These days even a request for a packet of Disprin, a medicine which you can readily buy without scrutiny at a supermarket or petrol station, elicits a whole range of questions from a pharmacist like “Have you used this before”?, ‘Do you suffer asthma”?
Australians have been using over-the-counter proprietory medicines for years and have suffered no adverse effects.
It’s time that pharmacists stopped being overbearing and trying to justify their existence. If a customer asks a question, fine they can offer assistance from their knowledge of medicines. But there’s no need to indiscriminately interrogate people over the purchase of simple products.

This goes back to my topic of my company having its employees investigated by police.Because 1 temp employee stole a small amount of drug that contains pseudo ephedrine.Well perhaps a larger amount than you typed .
No one else mysteriously disappeared from the workforce
But they do keep a log of who asks for panandol

[Hondo]

As others have said there's the greater risk of litigation these days + probably new laws on handing over the drugs such as the register for psuedoeph .... (sp?)

I wouldn't assume it's an over-officious pharmacist acting on his own whims here

I have got Demazin from 2 different pharmacies and had to hand over ID both times so I don't think you are a special case!

[Dirko]

It would be the same thing as when banks check id when you change large amounts of money over. My old retail manager had to go next door to the bank, in his uniform, and they asked for photo id, to protect against and detect money laundering...

my manager wanted to change over $1000 and they asked for id...hes a paranoid dude...and made a scene in the bank (in his uniform) and stormed out...he went back with $490 because the maximum to change without showing id was $500...he went back twice. Safe to say the store manager went ballistic at him for it...

His reasoning was that if they took his id, if he went back to change over his personal money they would think he was changing large sums of money over for himself all the time and start investigating him...

there are reasons there are laws for these sorts of thing...criminals have ways of doing their business...and law enforcement agencies have ways of detecting them. If they didnt there would be more drugs being made out of over the counter drugs...and more money laundering...

Because he acted like a dick, the bank probably did a suss transaction report on him, and he's just opened himself up for financial investigation....

[MatteeG]

I reluctantly agreed, expressing my opinion that he was being over officious, as I was only asking for 6 tablets (a 3-day supply) and this hardly represented an amount which I could synthesise into a commercial quantity of ‘speed’ in a backyard drug lab.

Unfortunately WoF if a group of say 5 each go to 10 pharmacies in one day and buy 6 each that is 300 in a day. After a few weeks they have ample supply...


Although I do agree with the lack of privacy shown by some pharmacists when they blurt out loudly in the pharmacy how to treat more "embarrassing" conditions.

[Choccies]

It would be the same thing as when banks check id when you change large amounts of money over. My old retail manager had to go next door to the bank, in his uniform, and they asked for photo id, to protect against and detect money laundering...

my manager wanted to change over $1000 and they asked for id...hes a paranoid dude...and made a scene in the bank (in his uniform) and stormed out...he went back with $490 because the maximum to change without showing id was $500...he went back twice. Safe to say the store manager went ballistic at him for it...

His reasoning was that if they took his id, if he went back to change over his personal money they would think he was changing large sums of money over for himself all the time and start investigating him...

there are reasons there are laws for these sorts of thing...criminals have ways of doing their business...and law enforcement agencies have ways of detecting them. If they didnt there would be more drugs being made out of over the counter drugs...and more money laundering...

Because he acted like a dick, the bank probably did a suss transaction report on him, and he's just opened himself up for financial investigation....

Thats spot on Mattee G... we were always advised when on the tellers line in the bank that if someone didn't want to complete the Large Transaction form then if they came back we'd just fill out the Suspect Transaction form on them... It's all about forms and covering your ass in the bank !!

[Pseudo]

A couple of years back I went to the chemists to get something to shift a wart from my hand (I know, I know, I should change hands occasionally). The pharmacist - a young lady - started asking questions to do with the size and location of said wart.

I said in complete deadpan mode, and at a reasonable volume:

"It's on my old fella".

You could have heard a pin drop

[dedja]

A couple of years back I went to the chemists to get something to shift a wart from my hand (I know, I know, I should change hands occasionally). The pharmacist - a young lady - started asking questions to do with the size and location of said wart.

I said in complete deadpan mode, and at a reasonable volume:

"It's on my old fella".

You could have heard a pin drop

She should have called your bluff ...

[HH3]

It would be the same thing as when banks check id when you change large amounts of money over. My old retail manager had to go next door to the bank, in his uniform, and they asked for photo id, to protect against and detect money laundering...

my manager wanted to change over $1000 and they asked for id...hes a paranoid dude...and made a scene in the bank (in his uniform) and stormed out...he went back with $490 because the maximum to change without showing id was $500...he went back twice. Safe to say the store manager went ballistic at him for it...

His reasoning was that if they took his id, if he went back to change over his personal money they would think he was changing large sums of money over for himself all the time and start investigating him...

there are reasons there are laws for these sorts of thing...criminals have ways of doing their business...and law enforcement agencies have ways of detecting them. If they didnt there would be more drugs being made out of over the counter drugs...and more money laundering...

Because he acted like a dick, the bank probably did a suss transaction report on him, and he's just opened himself up for financial investigation....

Thats spot on Mattee G... we were always advised when on the tellers line in the bank that if someone didn't want to complete the Large Transaction form then if they came back we'd just fill out the Suspect Transaction form on them... It's all about forms and covering your ass in the bank !!

Yeah hes a bit of a shifty character too (allegedly)...so i wouldnt be surprised if he did end up getting busted for something...

[westozfalcon]

A little while back I was suffering a cold and nasal congestion and I went to a chemist near my work to get a small 6-tablet box of Clarinase tablets. The pharmacist asked me to present a drivers licence as means of identification as I was buying a product that contained pseudoephedrine. I reluctantly agreed, expressing my opinion that he was being over officious, as I was only asking for 6 tablets (a 3-day supply) and this hardly represented an amount which I could synthesise into a commercial quantity of ‘speed’ in a backyard drug lab. Also the fact that I was talking in a nasally tone, clearly affected by a cold, was a good indication that I wanted the tablets for genuine relief.
“It’s nothing personal” he said. Even the fact that I had purchased a newspaper from his shop countless times before didn’t sway him. I still had to hand over my drivers licence (I presume it would have been a passport if I didn’t drive a car!) so he could punch my personal info into a computer......

.

It is nothing personal. Pharmacists are required to do it by law. There are miniature armies of people who spend their days going from pharmacy to pharmacy collecting the drug in whatever qunatity they can. "Just a couple" here and "A few here" very quickly adds up. And they get paid good $$$ for them.
I've spent the best part of the past 10 years working in drug and alcohol rehab and some of the schemes I have heard when it comes to getting pharmacutical (over the counter) medicine you just wouldn't believe unless you'd witnessed it, and even then it's hard to believe.

But I just wonder if this overly strict approach to supplying cold & flu remedies is actually having any real impact on illegal amphetamine production?

From reading the regular reports of crime perpetrated by people high on amphetamines there certainly doesn't seem to be a shortage of supply in the community.

But what we do have is the personal details of innocent people stored in a computer database while the streets are still awash with illicit drugs!

[HH3]

A little while back I was suffering a cold and nasal congestion and I went to a chemist near my work to get a small 6-tablet box of Clarinase tablets. The pharmacist asked me to present a drivers licence as means of identification as I was buying a product that contained pseudoephedrine. I reluctantly agreed, expressing my opinion that he was being over officious, as I was only asking for 6 tablets (a 3-day supply) and this hardly represented an amount which I could synthesise into a commercial quantity of ‘speed’ in a backyard drug lab. Also the fact that I was talking in a nasally tone, clearly affected by a cold, was a good indication that I wanted the tablets for genuine relief.
“It’s nothing personal” he said. Even the fact that I had purchased a newspaper from his shop countless times before didn’t sway him. I still had to hand over my drivers licence (I presume it would have been a passport if I didn’t drive a car!) so he could punch my personal info into a computer......

.

It is nothing personal. Pharmacists are required to do it by law. There are miniature armies of people who spend their days going from pharmacy to pharmacy collecting the drug in whatever qunatity they can. "Just a couple" here and "A few here" very quickly adds up. And they get paid good $$$ for them.
I've spent the best part of the past 10 years working in drug and alcohol rehab and some of the schemes I have heard when it comes to getting pharmacutical (over the counter) medicine you just wouldn't believe unless you'd witnessed it, and even then it's hard to believe.

But I just wonder if this overly strict approach to supplying cold & flu remedies is actually having any real impact on illegal amphetamine production?

From reading the regular reports of crime perpetrated by people high on amphetamines there certainly doesn't seem to be a shortage of supply in the community.

But what we do have is the personal details of innocent people stored in a computer database while the streets are still awash with illicit drugs!

I think if these guidelines werent in place there would be even more drugs on the streets. Its like saying theres speed limits but people still speed...if there were no speed limits everyone would be speeding...and more deaths on the roads...if you get my point...not very well explained...

[fisho mcspaz]

I think the pharmaceutical laws are well-intentioned but pretty pointless when you consider what a doctor will give you on prescription...

When I had my appendix out I was in a fair bit of pain (I was trying to walk to the shops and staggering so badly an old bloke with a walking stick offered me aid) and I'd run out of the meds the hospital sent me home with, so I went to the local bulk-bill clinic. The doctor asked me two questions: 1. What's the matter? 2. Are you in pain? and then, without examining me or pulling up my medical history, prescribed me two repeats of oxycodone tablets, which I could probably have sold for a few hundred bucks on the street if I'd wanted.

After the appendix thing, I visited that clinic on numerous occasions for my wisdom teeth and I'd say I got about 20-odd prescriptions for Panadeine Forte. (Most of the time I didn't have to even open my mouth.) Sometimes they were a bit strong so I went to the chemist for over-the-counter Panadeine and they took my name, address, driver's licence number and then made me wait for five minutes while they stuck all these warning labels on the packet.

[Barto]

Tell him what you think and take your business elsewhere ...

... and be told the same thing at the next place you go.

[Wedgie]

I applaud the pharmacist for showing due care and upholding the law.
You're lucky to have such a good one.