[Serious] Why are people chugging medicine at my pharmacy?

Posted by Other_Exercise@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 10 comments

Went to a late-night pharmacy, and a guy is there, waiting for his prescription. They hand him a medicine bottle, he chugs it really fast, hands the bottle back to the pharmacist, and walks out the door. Another man walks in a bit later, same thing - he chugs the bottle down really fast, and leaves. I assumed it was some kind of anti-addiction medicine, but am not sure. Why would these guys be taking it in front of the pharmacist, and giving them back to the pharmacist? Would the medicine taking have been ordered by a court? Or is something else going on entirely here?

Reply to Post

10 Comments

[-]

Far-Pollution-976@reddit

More than likely this is methadone, which can be used to treat addiction to opioids or (less likely) alcohol. This is called 'supervised consumption', where the pharmacist must supervise the client taking the medicine. Sometimes this will be ordered by the court but sometimes it is just used by the prescriber until the client has been using the treatment regularly and reliably for a period of time, often about 6 weeks, when the client might be trusted to take their doses home without OD'ing or selling their supplies. (Source: I'm a UK pharmacist)

[-]

Inner_Inspection640@reddit

Is it normally taken from a bottle big enough that it would require chugging, and out in the open in front of other customers like that? Seems a bit odd.

[-]

Boris_Johnsons_Pubes@reddit

My local pharmacy has a wee room that people go in there to take it, another reason they have to take it in front of the pharmacist is because they might sell it if they don’t take it in front of them

[-]

arrowtotheaction@reddit

My friend’s pharmacist dad used to check their throats to make sure they’d swallowed it, apparently even then some will bring it back up to sell on. My local lets them have it at the counter, but I know some pharmacies will have a little hatch specifically for dispensing it too.

[-]

Corsodylfresh@reddit

I can't imagine how addictive something must be that people would be willing to drink someone's vomit to get it, how depressing

[-]

DyingLight2002@reddit

That's opiates for you.

[-]

OmsFar@reddit

I don’t think methadone gets you high though…

[-]

DyingLight2002@reddit

Heavy opiate users generally use it to prevent withdrawal, not get high. Which is what methadone is great for.

[-]

OmsFar@reddit

But then why would they be so keen to sell it on?

[-]

SteamerTheBeemer@reddit

It gets you high obviously lol. Not if you take the same amount of it everyday, obviously. Then it still does something it fills the craving, prevents withdrawals. But if you’re not on methadone and you were to take it, then yes you’d be high as a kite. It’s a full agonist opiate.