Patient Safety Is Our Priority
Chemist Direct always has a focus on patient safety. We support the self-management of short-term conditions.
Over-the-counter medicines are divided into two classifications ; General Sales List (GSL) medicines or Pharmacy (P) medicines and sales are closely monitored. Although both categories do not require a prescription, sales are monitored, and as a responsible pharmacy we are required to ask questions when customers purchase Pharmacy medicines.
Please be advised that when you submit your order it will be "suspended" until questionnaire responses are reviewed by our UK based Pharmacists and they are satisfied with your purchase. It may be necessary to ask you further questions before we can process your order.
We reserve the right to, and there may be times when we may limit, restrict or even cancel purchases.
Protecting our patients
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: patient.info
- Local healthcare services: nhs.uk/service-search and england.nhs.uk/participation/get-involved/local
- Support and information about drugs, including misuse and abuse: talktofrank.com/contact-frank
- The Chemist Direct Medical team: View team