I went to the drug store today

[OhioBlue]

bought a few items - and 2 packs of Claratin D (generic version). While I was checking out, I was asked for my drivers' license - the attendant then brought out a binder and filled in my name, drivers' license number and had me sign for it...

I was also told, I could only purchase one pack of the 10 ct. allergy pills. I asked, so, I have to come back every 10 days to buy the allergy meds? He said no, you could come back in an hour to purchase the other box. He said it was thanks to the new drug law????

I'm still confused - I know some decongestants have been abused by teenagers and some can be used to make meth - I've seen them kept behind the counter and a requirement that you are 18 to purchase.

I was just really surprised by the log book and only being able to buy one pack per visit. Has anyone else experienced this or is it only in Ohio?

[MissB]

1. It isn't for the teenagers

it is to keep the adults from making meth.

We have this in Oregon as well. Luckily the only one in our family that needs allergy meds over the counter is the dog.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

2. I believe it's a new federal law...

It was based off a law we had here in Oklahoma for about a year or two now. It's dramatically cut the amount of meth labs here in OK.
Duckie

[OhioBlue]

5. well, I guess if it cuts down on the number

of meth labs it is a worthwhile program - it just felt creepy that I had to be logged in a book and sign for OTC allergy meds.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

6. It is...but it's not the person behind the counter's fault...

I just hope everyone remembers that and doesn't lose their shit when they are required to do so.
Duckie

[OhioBlue]

8. true - I know the cashier noticed my

very confused look when he brought out the book and started to log my info in it - he explained it was a new law. I tried to make him feel better by showing some empathy and saying that it must make their job harder by taking up extra time to write all the information down.

[pitohui]

12. don't worry it is not cutting down on anything

this law is providing a price support for the mexican drug cartels, it is not cutting down on any "scourge" and being placid about giving up your personal information on your driver's license for any excuse, i dunno, it may not be the clerk's fault but if you don't express the issue that there is a problem and complain to the manager, and if a lot of other people don't do that, then eventually what is left of our freedom goes away because it is too much trouble to look rude

here is what you should have done -- and by the way posters upstream who posted even tho you don't know what you're talking about, claritin is loratadine, and you CANNOT make meth from it, what you should have explained to the poster is that she should buy claritin-without the D which contains ONLY the effective ingredient loratadine and not the junk claritin-D with added pseudoephedrine which does nothing but violate your privacy w.out being any more medically effective and prob. if you go by my experience LESS medically effective

she does not have to give up her privacy

she does not have to kiss ass to a clerk

all she has to do is buy the claritin without the D


meth never impacted my quality of life the way that untreated allergies did, it didn't even come close

too many posters in this thread have no clue, only allergy sufferers know what allergy sufferers go thru i guess

and there are some dumb-ass clerks too, when i found a store where claritin (without the D) was sold in bottles of 100, i went ahead and bought too of them

no way i'm inconveniencing myself just so some mexican drug cartel already owned by a billionaire can be a bigger billionaire

[Spacemom]

3. I thought Claritan D

didn't have the ingredient needed to make Meth?

[OhioBlue]

4. I don't know if it does or not

the cashier cited some ingredient that they have to log. I just assumed it was "meth related".

Also - I have heard stories of teenagers getting high by abusing decongestants - and Claritan D is an allergy pill with a decongestant.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

24. You can get high from Dextromephrophan (sp?) aka DXM

It's in Robustussin and such. It a dissociative hallucinogen. It also makes you feel like complete shit and puke. I'd rather eat mushrooms, it's a cleaner feeling.

[pitohui]

15. claritin doesn't but a lot of clerks are stupid and ill trained

she should have brought it to the attention of the manager

claritin-D contains some piffling amount of pseudoephedrine, not enough to make meth

but she could have just bought regular claritin, which contains none, or better yet generic loratadine, which requires NO registration, and which works better anyway

i've encountered a few idiots myself

what people don't understand is that the stupid people, since they don't understand a law or a reason for doing something, they just make it difficult and a hassle for everyone -- and because the poster did not complain or bring the mistake to management attention, the screw-up will keep on inconveniencing other people

[OhioBlue]

32. When Claritan-D was still prescription

I used to get it. When they made it over the counter, it was more convenient b/c I didn't have to bother with the scrip from the Doctor, but then it cost me more b/c I had to pay appx $10 for 10 pills, when in the past it was covered by insurance and I could co-pay $10 for 30 ct. I was glad when the local pharmacy started carrying the generic brand and that is what I have been using.

I will try the regular Lotradine w/o the D and see how that treats me - thanks for the advice.

[KitchenWitch]

22. Claritin D does have the right ingredient

But I would think it would be more difficult for a meth lab to work with because of the claritin.

[Telly Savalas]

26. It'd be used to make meth for people with severe allergies.

Kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

[lakemonster11]

7. I've been having to do that for more than a year now.

Here you have to get them from behind the pharmacy counter. It's annoying, but you get used to it. The people behind the counter usually seem pretty relieved when I hand them my ID without argument---I think they have people freak out on them a lot.

The worst part to me is not being able to buy decongestant in the middle of the night because the grocery store pharmacies are closed. Now I try to keep some on hand just in case.

[alarimer]

9. You can't buy two boxes at the same time but you can

come back in an hour? that is really stupid. Don't they sell the 30 count anymore?

[OhioBlue]

31. I know - that was one of the things that really threw

me - they wanted to limit the number you could purchase to 10, but you could come back in an hour to buy the other box - it just seemed like creating an inconvenience.

I only saw 5 ct. and 10 ct.

[XemaSab]

10. It's so people can't make meth

It may be a damn hassle, but meth is a scourge.

Last week I had a tweeker go nuts down the street... he got hit with a taser and was still running, and it took 5 cops to get him subdued. :(

(And contrary to popular opinion, I *don't* live in the 'hood!)

[pitohui]

13. loratadine ain't used to make meth

the clerk was an idiot

he should have told the poster to buy claritin without the added junk psuedoephedrine (not that it contains enough to make meth with either) so that she could have enough at her home to not get caught short and drown in her own snot and she wouldn't have to sign any paperwork either

some of the true idiots are apparently panicking and taking ALL cold/allergy medicines off the shelf because they are too stupid to read a label and figure out where the law applies and where it doesn't

allergies are not pretty and picking on allergy sufferers so jimbob can't make any money in meth and it all flows to mexican drug cartels and their professional product -- that is not a good cause and it is not kind and it is not pretty

[XemaSab]

14. I gotta say straight up

I've never seen so many ephedra plants in my life as I've seen in Shasta County, California. :(

[pitohui]

16. there's a few in nevada too EOM

.

[KitchenWitch]

23. Claritin D has both loratadine AND pseudoephedrine

the clerk was not wrong, and was following orders.

[Bridget Burke]

28. "Clerks" do not take things off the shelf.

In Houston, all the "suspect" drugs have been replaced with cards. These are specially printed up by HQ.

If you think a drug has been classified incorrectly, why blame it on the lowest-paid employees?

[laheina]

17. No, but we *do* live in the meth capital of the country.

Or at least it was last time that I checked.

And the laws do seem to be working.

:hi: Hi Xema!

[XemaSab]

18. Hey girl!

Here's hoping the laws work... :eyes:

When a retired cop friend of mine gets busted for orchid fertilizer... :eyes:

[laheina]

20. For those of us with black thumbs,

do orchids like their stimulants, or is this tangentially related?

:hi:

[XemaSab]

21. I have no idea

:hi:

[YouthInAsia]

11. any drug with pseudophedrine in it can be made into meth so

they are restricting the amount of tablets you can buy with that drug in it. All states have a diff qty they'll allow you to buy.

[Brigid]

19. They've been doing it here in IN too.

Apparently we have a big meth problem in this state. I don't know if it's a federal or state law. Big Brother is watching. :eyes:

[LaurenG]

25. It happens to us all the time

I guess we will be on some watch list now. It's a hard job making sure we don't abuse allergy meds or make illegal drugs. It is a sad world we live in anymore!

Are you going to the meet up in May?

[OhioBlue]

30. That was how I felt - like I was on

some "watch list" It is sad that we have to be "policed" for buying OTC medicine. I realize that there is a large "meth" problem - I just haven't educated myself on it enough and I was completely unaware of the new law when they logged my info for the pills.

What meet-up? I'm afraid I missed the post with the info - and I've been on DU quite a bit in the past few weeks.
:blush:

Edit to add:
I see - the SW Ohio DUers? No, probably not - it would be quite a drive for me and I'm sure it is something that my b/f would not find all that enticing for a "road trip".

[MountainLaurel]

27. I had to do that in NZ for . . . candida medication

Ladies know whereof I speak; I leave it for the gents to Google.

They took all of my relevant info down: address, driver's license number (for a U.S. license), etc., and asked questions about whether I thought I might be pregnant, if I had the problem before (I suppose to ensure it wasn't actually a bacterial problem like PID).

They did the same to me when we bought cold medication (damn my ILs for giving my husband a cold the day before we left for our wedding and honeymoon), but not to my husband.

[Bridget Burke]

29. It's been that way in Texas for a while.

Hardly an inconveniece.

[xmas74]

33. It's in Missouri also.

Try two tablespoons of locally produced honey every day for two weeks for allergies. You can smear it on toast, add it to tea, whatever you like. It sometimes helps w/ allergies.

Another one that sometimes helps w/ allergies is parsley tea. Add one to two teaspoons of crushed, dried parsley to 1 cup boiling water, steep for 10 minutes. Drink two to three times daily.