Cold medicine now a controlled substance

[Evo]

Has anyone tried to buy over the counter cold or allergy medicine lately? A lot of states have just started enforcing a new law that restricts sales of most cold and allergy medicines.

I just stopped on the way home to pick up a box of Actifed (the best thing in the world for allergies, nothing else works for me) and on the shelf where it would normally be, there was a box of plastic cards saying "take me to the pharmacist", I noticed almost all cold & allergy medicines were removed from the shelves.

I had to furnish my driver's license, they filled out a profile on me, then I had to electronically sign a HIPAA waiver then electronically sign for the allergy tabs. I was all but fingerprinted and searched.

I had heard about this new law, but hadn't paid that much attention. According to this article "A key part of the law requires stores to keep a log of people who buy the medicines. That log is intended to be used by police in investigations. Customers will also have to show identification to prove they are 18 or older when purchasing any of the cold medicine."

http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/05/05/12/100loc_coldpills001.cfm

Has anyone else tried to buy cold or allergy medicine recently? How do you feel about the fact that your allergy medicine purchase puts you on a police list?

 

[polyb]

Obviously your purchase may just indicate that you are part of a massively illusive crystal-meth al-queada operation that plans terrorist attacks.

At least they could have given you a card saying: "Welcome to the new police state, are your papers in order?"


It does seem a bit over the top, doesn't it?

 

[Evo]

Obviously your purchase may just indicate that you are part of a massively illusive crystal-meth al-queada operation that plans terrorist attacks.

At least they could have given you a card saying: "Welcome to the new police state, are your papers in order?"


It does seem a bit over the top, doesn't it?

I just hope I don't lose these and have to buy more within 30 days. It could put me on their "watch" list.

 

[Danger]

It could put me on their "watch" list.

You're already on it. If you have a cold, it's obvious that you've been experimenting with germ warfare techniques.

 

[hypatia]

You can still get them here at the drug store, but they moved them to a more secure location. As a matter of fact, you can even get them at the dollar store, 12 in a box for a buck, and no big brother watching you sneeze.

 

[Evo]

You can still get them here at the drug store, but they moved them to a more secure location. As a matter of fact, you can even get them at the dollar store, 12 in a box for a buck, and no big brother watching you sneeze.

It's being implemented state by state, our state just signed on. I don't think it will be long before it's nationwide.

<note, hypatia can get me actifed>

 

[chroot]

What in the world makes them care about pseudoephedrine?!

edit: Oh, I see... it can be used to make methamphetamine. I guess it's too hard to actually find the people making the meth, so they decided instead to make everyone give up their civil liberty, privacy, and freedom to buy a harmless box of cold medicine. You have to provide a driver's license to buy cold medicine? What's next? This is atrocious.

- Warren

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Yes, if we have a problem let's pass a new law. And we all know how well that works.

 

[polyb]

I just hope I don't lose these and have to buy more within 30 days. It could put me on their "watch" list.

Well that settles it! Your going to lose them, you'll have to go back to get more, and then you'll be doing the Martha Stewart cell block crochet. Hope you caught her show on using your shim as a decorative centerpiece for your cell dinnette set!

You are probably already on a watch list.

 

[Evo]

What in the world makes them care about pseudoephedrine?!

edit: Oh, I see... it can be used to make methamphetamine. I guess it's too hard to actually find the people making the meth, so they decided instead to make everyone give up their civil liberty, privacy, and freedom to buy a harmless box of cold medicine. You have to provide a driver's license to buy cold medicine? What's next? This is atrocious.

- Warren

I'm usually easy going, and go along with laws, but this is downright scary. If you want to buy Nyquil, your name, address, DL#, etc... goes to the police and you're entered into this meth database. Not that mistakes are ever made...

 

[Mental Gridlock]

If you drink too much cough syrup, you'll get a strait buzz. I'm sure that's why they're cracking down on it (instead of crack/cocaine). If there is no statute in your state making cold medicine ILLEGAL than I can't imagine why you can't say during your interrogation, "what can I say, I had a wicked cough!" Without the rest of the meth-lab as evidence, then maybe you just have really bad allergies.

I would like to know where you live, Evo. This sounds like a Totalitarian state. Here in Illinois there is a limit 2 psuedo-ephedrine meds per visit, but that's it..

It's like: "this is a possibility. Therefore we must punish everyone." There must be a thread like this in philosophy about "forced will" by governements, I'd love to know which one.. But you can't make cold medicine ILLEGAL, so why the drama about who buys it? I don't understand the government some times.

 

[Moonbear]

There have always been medications regulated in this way. Pseudophedrine is just one that has recently been added because of the increases in abuse. Many pharmacies are doing this voluntarily, before waiting for laws to be put in effect. Pretty much all of the major chains have already implemented this. You're not going to have any trouble if you're just buying the usual amount for allergies. They're looking for people who are trying to buy tons of this stuff for meth labs. Moving it off the shelves also prevents shoplifting, the more common way of it being illegally obtained.

This method is easier than making all of these products available by prescription only. I've already had to deal with ketamine being regulated. It used to be something that anyone doing research could obtain as long as they had proper documentation, but once kids started stealing it ("special K"), the government cracked down on the regulations and now we need to have a DEA license or a prescription from a veterinarian to purchase it.

The problem is that meth is really pretty easy to make and all of the ingredients are legal to buy, so the only way to stop it is to restrict purchases of the key ingredient. Stores have already been putting limits on how much you can buy at one time, such as no more than two packages at a time, but that wasn't working well enough, because someone would go in on Monday and buy 2 packages with cash and steal another two, then go to the drug store down the street and do the same, and again at the local grocery store, etc. Then go back Tuesday and do it all again. There was no age limit on purchases, so a bunch of kids would each go in and buy a couple packages. With no way to track who's doing the buying, they could fly under the radar and have quite a meth operation going. We've had a number of local meth labs busted recently out in the most unlikely seeming places, and even the neighbors aren't aware anything unusual is going on until the police show up to raid the place. Usually the tip-offs that there's a meth lab operating locally are things like stolen propane canisters and shoplifted pseudephedrine.

 

[Evo]

One major problem is that (as one article mentioned) internet sales are not monitored. So, millions of alergy sufferers are monitored while the meth producers are buying off the internet.

And with my luck, they type 2,000 purchases instead of 2 and the SWAT team shows up here at 2am and takes me out.

 

[Kerrie]

oregon just started regulating cold and allergy medication the same way because of the rampant meth problem we have here. guess all this nature and beauty just doesn't get certain people high.

 

[Zygotic Embryo]

In guam you can almost buy anything over the counter

 

[Mk]

Yeah I just bought 4 kg. of marijuana and took it carry-on to Indonesia.

 

[loseyourname]

I noticed this last night when I went to buy some decongestant. The pharmacy was closed, but no problem really. I just bought a product that had no pseudoephedrine in it. There are plenty of other decongestants out there.

 

[Evo]

I don't even want the psuedoephedrine, the ingredient that works for me is triprolidine.

 

[hypnagogue]

I was surprised to read that they intend to control for distribution of pseudoephedrine rather than dextromethorphan. The latter does not need to be processed at all in order to have potent psychoactive effects, is a growing drug of abuse, and worst of all, can be deadly when taken with some other active ingredients commonly found in cold medicines.

In general, the US's policy on controlled psychoactive substances does not seem to be principled or consistent at all-- there are several other potent substances on the order of LSD that are legal to use and readily available. Worse yet, the existing policies exacerbate deleterious drug use and surrounding criminal activities while simultaneously hindering or outright restricting the positive and therapeutic potentials of psychoactive drugs. In short, the US drug policies have been a poorly thought out sham for quite some time, so perhaps this latest development is not quite so surprising after all.

 

[Evo]

The decision on psuedoephedrine may stop kids from "making their own", or at least cut the amount down, so now they will be forced to buy it from dealers. I don't see how this is a push in the right direction. When you make one drug hard to get another source is ready to fill the void, and sometimes it's a worse problem. Methadone was suppose to cure heroin addicts, now it's an even wider spread problem.

Hypnagogue, have you ever used ambien to help sleep. This stuff causes the wildest hallucinations I've seen in ages. Big purple worms flying across the room the first night I took one. You're supposed to take one and go right to sleep, but if you stay up, bizarre things happen. Quite often when I'm typing after it starts to kick in the computer screen turns brownish, with vines and vegetation and the words move around. I know, take it and lay down is what you're supposed to do. I've spoken to others that take it and they experience similar visions, sometimes designs appear with music. It's great stuff for knocking you out quick. It's legal. It does also help clear your head of thoughts. You may want to try some to see if they help.

 

[cronxeh]

Its amazing and at the same time hilarious to see this unravel. In under a dozen years, we will be able to manipulate a cell using restriction enzymes and selective genetic engineering to produce any drug we want - LSD, MDMA, what-ever.

I'd like to see the laws evolve to actually BAN! restriction enzymes

Oh this country is going to need evening courses for lawyers very soon

 

[hypnagogue]

Hypnagogue, have you ever used ambien to help sleep. This stuff causes the wildest hallucinations I've seen in ages. Big purple worms flying across the room the first night I took one. You're supposed to take one and go right to sleep, but if you stay up, bizarre things happen. Quite often when I'm typing after it starts to kick in the computer screen turns brownish, with vines and vegetation and the words move around. I know, take it and lay down is what you're supposed to do. I've spoken to others that take it and they experience similar visions, sometimes designs appear with music.

That sounds wild. Particularly the part about vines and vegetation-- how vivid are these hallucinations? As far as I know the vast majority of visual hallucinations involve deformations in shape, changes in perceived color, 'wavy' perceptions, etc., rather than actually seeing objects that aren't really there or don't already resemble the object being looked at in some way. Also, 'designs appear with music' sounds reminiscent of the very interesting subjective experiences of synaesthetes. I have always thought that I'd like to be a synaesthete for a day just to know what it's like.

I'd be careful using ambien if I were you, though. You may be aware of this already, but see here: http://www.drugs.com/ambien.html . According to this information, it's only meant for short term use, and if you experience hallucinations you should stop taking it.

You may want to try some to see if they help.

Are you implying I have a sleeping disorder? I'm a night owl by design. I think more clearly and have more energy in the late hours, and plus it gives me more time for myself while everyone else is sleeping. It's kind of a vicious cycle where the things I can do at night keep me up later, which in turn pushes my natural sleeping cycle back a bit, and so forth. It definitely catches up with me sometimes, which can be problematic, but if I need to I can revert to a normal schedule fairly easily (I have mastered the art of staying up 24+ hours to go to sleep at a reasonable time of night).

Even if I had a sleeping disorder, I'm not sure I'd like to take medication, unless it was seriously hindering me. In general, I don't like to take medications with mental side effects. For example, I usually have major allergy symptoms in spring, but I can't tolerate how most cold medications leave me feeling groggy and out of it.

 

[Evo]

That sounds wild. Particularly the part about vines and vegetation-- how vivid are these hallucinations?

it's more like the designs tend to morph and give the impression of vines and vegetation

As far as I know the vast majority of visual hallucinations involve deformations in shape, changes in perceived color, 'wavy' perceptions, etc., rather than actually seeing objects that aren't really there or don't already resemble the object being looked at in some way.

Yes, that's how I always saw them.

Also, 'designs appear with music' sounds reminiscent of the very interesting subjective experiences of synaesthetes. I have always thought that I'd like to be a synaesthete for a day just to know what it's like.

My older daughter is a synaesthete.

I'd be careful using ambien if I were you, though. You may be aware of this already, but see here: http://www.drugs.com/ambien.html . According to this information, it's only meant for short term use, and if you experience hallucinations you should stop taking it.

I try not to take it everyday. There's a new sleeping medicine that they've just come out with that I might try.

You're a night owl like I used to be. You have an active, creative mind. I never used to take anything for sleep, but due to stress and having to wake up early, I have to now.

 

[hypnagogue]

My older daughter is a synaesthete.

Wow! That's incredible. I don't know how she feels about it of course, but I think she's very lucky. What kind of synaesthesia does she have?

You're a night owl like I used to be. You have an active, creative mind. I never used to take anything for sleep, but due to stress and having to wake up early, I have to now.

Thanks. Yeah, I'm definitely not a morning person. Back in high school I had to wake up at 6am everyday to have enough time to get to school, and I went through a period where I had some kind of terrible, recurring illness where I'd feel so sick and out of it that I'd have trouble keeping my food down and sometimes even had to go home. I'd usually feel much better if I got in an hour or so nap, and I wasn't terribly sleep deprived at the time either, as I'd still usually get about 5 or 6 hours in.

 

[Evo]

Wow! That's incredible. I don't know how she feels about it of course, but I think she's very lucky. What kind of synaesthesia does she have?

She sees letters and numbers as colors. She's a talented artist.

Thanks. Yeah, I'm definitely not a morning person. Back in high school I had to wake up at 6am everyday to have enough time to get to school, and I went through a period where I had some kind of terrible, recurring illness where I'd feel so sick and out of it that I'd have trouble keeping my food down and sometimes even had to go home. I'd usually feel much better if I got in an hour or so nap, and I wasn't terribly sleep deprived at the time either, as I'd still usually get about 5 or 6 hours in.

I was the same way and still am. If I wake up too early, I will vomit, the child of evo does too.

 

[chief]

Sorry to dig up an old thread...

Evo, how long have you been taking ambien? What dosage are you taking... 10mg?

I don't really have insomnia, but I do have trouble sleeping a lot of times. Its like my mind stays too busy to let me fall asleep. And when I do sleep I wake up 5-6 times a night and have trouble getting back to sleep. My doctor gave me ambien and it works pretty well when I take it (I usually only take a couple of nights per week). I am scared to take it more often than that because I don't want to become 100% dependant on it to be able to sleep. I have read that it is only supposed to be used for a short period of time, but my odctor gave me a large prescription (30 10mg pills refillable 3 times). Does that sound like too long for me to be taking it?

I have never experienced the hallucinations, but I do get dizzy and start seeing double if I don't go directly to bed. :zzz:

Also, have you tried the new pill yet (I assume you are talking about Lunesta)? I was wondering if it works as well as ambien and if it has similar side effects. I know it has been approved for long term use. I think its effects last longer than ambien though (8-10 hours).


I just realized I asked about 15 questions. You don't have to answer all of those.

 

[Evo]

I've always had trouble sleeping since I was a small child, my mind is also too active. I've been taking it regularly for at least a year. I had a prescription for it several years ago, but stopped taking it because it wears off so quickly, it wasn't helping much.

I take the 10mg pills. Ambien wears off in about three hours for me. It puts me to sleep, but I will be wide awake again in about three hours. At least it puts me to sleep.

I haven't tried Lunestra yet, but I might. I don't take Ambien everynight. I'm not sure why they say not to take Ambien for long periods unless it's as you mentioned, to prevent it from keeping you from falling asleep naturally, but that why we take it isn't it, because we can't fall asleep?