Over-The-Counter Medicine

Patient Safety Is Our Priority

Chemist Direct aims to continue to focus on patient safety. We support the self-management of short-term conditions, however, there may be times when we restrict or cancel purchases.

Sales for over-the-counter medicines are closely monitored. Over-the-counter medicines can be divided into General Sales List (GSL) medicines or Pharmacy (P) medicines. Although both categories do not require a prescription, sales are monitored, and questions are required to be asked when purchasing Pharmacy medicines.

Please be advised that your order will be ‘suspended’ until questionnaire responses are reviewed, and the pharmacist is satisfied with your purchase.

To protect our patients, we restrict sales of products containing the following ingredients:

Paracetamol
Ibuprofen
Aspirin
Codeine
Dihydrocodeine
Promethazine
Dextromethorphan
Pseudoephedrine
Ephedrine
Bisacodyl
Loperamide
Cinnarizine
Clemastine
Chlorphenamine
Cyproheptadine

Reasons for restrictions

To abide by law. There are legal restrictions for the sale of certain items, such as paracetamol, aspirin, codeine, dihydrocodeine, pseudoephedrine and ephedrine.
For patient safety. It is good practice to prevent the sale of medicines which are associated with misuse and abuse.
To ensure patients do not have more medication than is needed.
To ensure patients visit a healthcare professional if the problem is persisting or recurring. The long-term use of over-the-counter medication can mask an underlying issue.

Sedative products

The sale of certain combinations of sedative products is not permitted, especially combinations of codeine and promethazine containing products and combinations of dihydrocodeine and promethazine. If you have purchased a sedative item, an interval of one month is required before a second purchase of a sedative item is allowed.

Referrals

You will be referred to a healthcare professional if:

Your condition cannot be treated with the selected over-the-counter product
you have been purchasing the selected over-the-counter product over a long-term period
You have a medical condition or are taking medication for which the selected over-the-counter product is unsuitable
You are purchasing the selected over-the-counter product for any other reasons which are outside the over-the-counter product license set by the manufacturer of the item.

Signposting

The following resources may be useful:

Health and medical information:https://patient.info/

Local healthcare services: https://www.nhs.uk/service-search and https://www.england.nhs.uk/participation/get-involved/local/

Support and information about drugs, including misuse and abuse: https://www.talktofrank.com/contact-frank