Pain killers @ Tesco

So yesterday I tried to buy 2 packets of Nurofen (Ibuprofen) and 1 packet of Paracetamol at Tesco.  Nurofen is the quickest thing I can take to combat the migraine-like headaches I get.  I wanted the paracetamol because I’d had a slight temperature on Friday night, and the only other paracetamol we have in the house is part of Grete’s prescribed stuff, not really that useful.  The cashier told me I could only buy two packets of pain killers.  Let’s not worry about the fact that it’s perfectly possible to take Nurofen and paracetamol at the same time.  Let’s just count the actual packets that might even possibly be a pain killer and limit them to 2.  I could have bought 1 x ibuprofen, 1 x codeine and 1 x paracetamol and been perfectly safe taking them at the same time ((this is not medical advice, I do not give medical advice, you should seek medical advice before taking any tablets)).  But ooohh nooo, the nanny state or nanny Tesco says I’m only allowed to buy 2 packets of pain killers at once.

Because I’m clearly too stupid to walk outside and go to Boots or Superdrug or Asda and buy more.

It really annoys me.  I tried once to buy 3 packets of Nurofen, and they stopped me and only allowed me 2, but I assumed that since I was trying this time to buy tablets that don’t conflict, it would be okay.  The time I tried to buy the three Nurofen I was so pissed off by their actions that I bought 2 packets, and then walked back in and bought another from the same store.  I wondered if their POS system would somehow do a check, but of course it doesn’t.

Yes, I know there’s research which suggests if you reduce the number of tablets in home medicine cabinets it reduces the suicide rate based on overdoses.  Yes, I know that if I took two boxes of Ibuprofen and one box of Paracetamol it would do me some harm.  But please,  I just wanted to buy some pain killers.

4 thoughts on “Pain killers @ Tesco

  1. AFAIK the government restrictions only apply to Paracetamol or drugs containing Paracetamol. So I think Tesco are acting in a high handed manner. Also, research is far from conclusive that self-harm rates have reduced since the restrictions were brought in. I dare saythat those that are intent on self-harm will be more than prepared to get 1 or 2 packs from Tesco, some more from the Co-op, some from Asda, some from the Shell garage on the corner, etc.

    • Indeed, and I totally understand that liver failure from paracetamol overdose is all too easy to achieve. It’s just that this ‘little minor inconvenience to help people’ is just another ‘minor inconvenience’ in a huge long imposed list of them. Too much control is imposed on our lives because fighting against these proposals is seen as being negative and insensitive.

    • You can buy 3 packs of paracetamol for a pound in the local poundland is this legal?

  2. Hi,

    Just encountered this illegal BS with sainsburys.

    The law says: you can buy no more 100 pills of painkillers in one retail transaction.

    The voluntary guidelines say no more than two boxes of 16. Which is a tightnening from the former position where the restriction was only on paracetamol.

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