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  • AADD Moderators: swilow | Vagabond696

Pseudoephedrine - Rescheduling

mirabii

Bluelighter
Joined
Feb 17, 2001
Messages
298
Thought some ppl might like to know that medicines containing pseudoephedrine as it's only ACTIVE ingredient, will now be classified as S3 medications in NSW, with the ACT expected to follow suit. This is a direct response to the ease of Speed manufacture from these tablets. (For those who don't know, S3 means that it should not be visible to the consumer, and that the pharmacist must be consulted in the purchase process - how closely these rules are followed depends on the pharmacy and pharmacist). Haven't heard anything about other states so far.
 
The makers of Sudafed actually withdraw Sudafed off the shelves a couple of years ago and also stopped making the packets in quantity of 60 and 90 tabs.
When the brought them back out to sell (the 30 packs) they had infact stated that the have developed a new formulation for the tablet which proved that it was almost impossible to actually extract the pseudoephedrine from it.
So what i dont get - is that if they supposedly changed the formulation why they need to reschedule it?
Anyway - most pharmacies dont really bother with the pharmacist councelling on S3's and it only is really under suspicion when some one is trying to buy in excess of 1 box and is unsure why they need it anyway.......
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Damn the Consequences........
 
it has been S3 in WA for quite a while.
rococco, sudafed isnt the only brand of tablets. im not sure if they all reformulated the product.
 
RushingRococco Yes, they did develop a formula which was supposed to prevent the pseudoephedrine being extracted for speed manufacture, but hey, I work in a pharmacy, and the company rep said at the time, that they expect each new formulation to last approximately 3 months from release date til some backyard lab works out how to get around it... the trouble is you can't get an effective binder which stops pseudoephedrine from being used in speed manufacture without destroying the theraputic effect of the pseudoephedrine.
Sudafed 60 packs are still available on prescription (pointless!).
In the pharmacy where I work, because it's so busy, the pharmacist is consulted by the pharmacy assistant/dispensary assistant before handing the medication to the customer. I think that the only way to get the sudafed thing under control (if that's what they're wanting to do) is to make it a trackable S3 like ventolin is in NSW and ACT... anyways...
 
This looks like a good enough thread to ask...
Can someone explain for me what all the S1, S2, S3 and so on means - or provide a link... I've always wanted to know exactly what the codes stood for...
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Also, Y are Pharmacistt chicks just so damn lixckable? They all are their like hairdressors and meyer/departmen store ones!
 
Yeah what pleo said.
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Dancing, the eternal quest to mash my ankles into dust.
 
OK - kinda on topic given the requests for information: It's important to remember that there is a different scheduling designation for Drugs and Poisons. The pharmacy medicines are listed as Poisons, ie.
S1 - No heading (no substances in this schedule)
S2 - Pharmacy medicine (stuff available from pharmacy or licensed person)
S3 - Pharmacist Only medicine (OTC stuff)
S4 - Prescription Only medicine (self-explanatory)
S5 - Caution (substances with low harm potential - labelling/warnings)
S6 - Poison (substances with moderate harm potential - labelling/warnings)
S7 - Dangerous Poison (high harm potential at low exposure)
S8 - Controlled Drug (dependence risk, abuse etc.)
S9 - Prohibited Drug (research only, restricted)
Poisons Schedule
Whereas drugs are Scheduled under another Act I think, because drugs listed as 'schedule 1' under the appropriate Drug Misuse/Trafficking Act are the illegal ones: List of SCHEDULE 1 drugs.
Hope that helps.
BigTrancer
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Load universe into cannon. Aim at brain. Shoot.
 
What BT said... usually medicines are scheduled in the S1, S2 or S3 because of relative risks associated with them.. most sedating antihistamines for example are still S3 even tho they've been around for years.. but from a working point of view, its the habit forming or abuseable substances in the S3 range which receive more of a pharmacist's brain power, but again there's huge differences between individual pharmacists and stores etc. Also, when pseudoephedrine was S2 (pharmacy medicine) it was still possible to refuse sale to persons who were showing signs of overuse and whathave you... that's the "beauty" of pharmacy. The one retail environment where u can refuse sale
wink.gif
 
Sudafed is now S3 in South Australia, and photo ID is now needed to purchase...your details are now logged with the pharmacy and are passed to the authorities....
most chemists here will not stock it anymore due to the amount of theft and extra work it involves...the only sudafed available over the counter now contains paracetamol as well.
it looks like it will become prescription only very soon...
easy
 
No plans as yet to change the schedueling of pseudoephidrine in Victoria........
However it would not surprise me if they did change it to S3 recordable along with Ventolin and Mersyndol.
However im aware of many pharmacies in melb - which do no longer keep any form of psudoephidrine unless mixed with another active.
Actaully had 2 guyz come in to work 2day and ask for Sudafed, Sinutab and Demazin sinus - when i informed them they were infact the same thing, the sniggered and were like - um yeah - for 3 different ppl....... we prefer different stuff.........
In all honesty - working late with only u and a pharmacist who is half the size of u and 2 big guyz come in - u dont want to refuse the sale - this can get nasty......
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Damn the Consequences........
 
I saw a report on a news program a while ago where sudafed was actually sold to a bikie gang via a pharmacist whose order of sudafed went directly to the gang. It may slow smaller operations however for more professionally organised groups with better contacts it will make no difference.
 
I'm of a similar opinion, Cowboy Mac - I think that drug and poison controls are like door locks and alarm systems. These controls are there to deter most people from trying to circumvent them, but for those who are determined to get around the controls, they are merely an inconvenience.
BigTrancer
smile.gif

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Load universe into cannon. Aim at brain. Shoot.
 
Im sure above or below the counter stops no-one.
If your looking at the bigger groups who make speed, you just goa bit further back in the food chain and see that if it didnt fall off the back of a truck, it went missing from storage, it was stolen from the manufacturer... etc etc.
Just as BT said... it doesnt stop them... Much to MY ABSOLUTE DISMAY!
wink.gif
 
It won't make any difference to any groups since the bikie gangs do exactly the same thing, buy it from a shop. If you want to go to the trouble of buying out a pharmacist it would take virtually nothing, but I don't know why you would when you can walk in and buy it yourself. I mean these aren't hardworking fellows, who have to be producing meth non stop, they do it when they feel like it or when the group has organised it, so stock up periods would be fine.
In any case the new laws would/will mean nothing, to any manufacturer.
 
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