Some Indiana pharmacies to require prescription for pseudoephedrine

[Newsjock]

Source: Terre Haute Tribune-Star

Four area pharmacies have agreed to help combat the illegal production of methamphetamine in Vigo County by requiring prescriptions for the purchase of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine products.

Kmart, Walmart South and Walmart East, JR Pharmacy, and Terre Haute Prescription Shop now will require a doctor’s prescription before selling products such as Sudafed, Mucinex D and other popular cold remedies with decongestants containing pseudoephedrine, or PSE.

Three other pharmacies — Kroger, CVS and Walgreens — have agreed to seek corporate approval to enact the same prescription-only policy by July 1.

... Following Oregon’s lead, the states of California, Kentucky, Missouri and Oklahoma will vote on prescription-only PSE laws in coming months.

Read more: http://tribstar.com/news/x1414109043/Four-Valley-pharmacies-to-require-prescriptions-for-certain-products-to-help-fight-meth-problem

[get the red out]

1. I'm really sick of this

The people who have to go to the trouble are really the allergy sufferers. I know meth making is wretched for entire communities, but if making people show ID and sign for every box of allergy medicine with every pill counting against a monthly allotment doesn't work, will requiring a prescription work any better than the prescriptions already required to acquire Lortab or Oxycontin?

[Deep13]

2. Goddammit!

I have chronic sinus problems and use that stuff a lot. This is the only stuff that works as the new stuff is crap. Suppose someone can't afford a doctor or suppose the doc won't prescribe it because the marginal risk of elevated blood pressure might cause a stroke and force the doc's insurance rates up. Is that person enitled to no relief? Anyway, one doesn't need a doctor to know that if you have a cold or allergies and a congested head that you need a decongestant.

[Newsjock]

3. What you said

A doctor's office visit to get that prescription costs at least a co-pay of $10, $20, or more ... and if you're uninsured, it can be $75 to $100 or more -- just for permission to buy Sudafed.

Also, a doctor's visit means that "allergy sufferer" is branded forever on one's health record, making it much more expensive (if not impossible) to get individual insurance if you lose your job.

Yes, meth is bad, mmmkay, but these draconian measures are making innocent people suffer.

[JCMach1]

4. grrrrrr

Allergy sufferers unite!

[Dogmudgeon]

5. That's nuts

A box of pseudoephedrine, as purchased at a discount store, is still about $2 for 18 doses of 30 mg. You get a gram out of two boxes ($4). For a one-gram yield of meth, you'd need 5 to 10 grams of PSE, or $10-20. And that's just using PSE as the precursor.

Then you have to consider that while the "recipe" to make meth is not particularly complicated, it's no trivial undertaking, either. It's barely worth it (financially as well as regarding legal risk) to use OTC PSE as drug stock. If I'm not mistaken, the precursor of choice is phenyl-2-propanone, which is a lot cheaper than PSE, and quite easily acquired by criminal organizations.

This is yet another puritanical health scare. They have (temporarily) replaced sex panics as guaranteed vote-getters.

Speed Kills. But so does ignorance.

--d!

[DBoon]

6. I bet the price goes sky high once it is prescription only

A very inexpensive chemical will become very profitable

[Mist]

7. Hmm, so it basically benefits BigParma? Figures. nt

[Statistical]

8. Stupid.

I don't mind (well actually I do mind but I understand meth is a huge problem) having to
a) show ID
b) have purchases tracked
c) have to digitally sign
d) have system in place to ensure I don't go over 30 pills per month

I get it meth is a problem.

However this bill is stupid. How will a PRES make it harder to get larger amount of meth ingredients? I mean I am already FRACKING limited to 30 pills. I can't even buy 60 pills at once to save time. I can't buy pills for me & my wife at same time.

Prescription is feel good stupidity. So this will DRIVE UP cost of Healthcare because people will need to go to doctor (thus $100 in medical costs) to get a $30 box of pills. STUPID STUPID STUPID.

While I am on this rant in 2011 I can't get OTC drugs on my Health Savings Account (or FSA) without a prescription.
Zertec w/o Prescription - banned from HSA
Zertec w/ Prescirption - allowed under HSA

That is somehow going to save on medical costs.