Medication law and the consumer

Tue., Jan. 10, 2006

Compiled by Heather Lalley The Spokesman-Review

A new Washington law restricting the sale of over-the-counter cold and sinus medications hit stores on Jan. 1 and will begin being enforced by the state’s pharmacy board on Feb. 1. So, what does this mean for your stuffy-headed self and your hacking, congested family?

Q:What are the new rules?

A:Any drugs containing ephedrine, pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine (such as Sudafed) must be kept behind the counter. And no one under 18 can buy them.

Q:There’s more than that, isn’t there?

A:Yep. Every time you buy one of these medications, you’ll have to sign a log with your name, date of birth, photo ID number and the amount of medication purchased.

Also, you can no longer buy more than two packages of the drugs at a time. And a single package must not contain more than three grams of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine.

Q:Do lawmakers just want to cause us more headaches?

A:Possibly. But in this case, the intent is to keep people from getting their hands on one of the raw ingredients necessary to cook up a batch of meth.

Q:What’s so great about ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine?

A:They dry up your drippy nose by constricting blood vessels. But the drugs can also be combined with other common ingredients to make highly addictive and illegal methamphetamine.

Q: Are these new rules set - in - stone?

A: Not necessarily. A task force will be evaluating how well the log system works and will report back to the legislature in November 2007.

Q:Can I buy any other cold medication without having to sign over my first born?

A:You should be able to purchase gel caps, liquids and liquid capsules containing ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine in combination with other active ingredients without any trouble. It’s tougher to cook those medications into meth.

Sudafed PE is available, and includes the active ingredient phenylephrine instead of pseudoephedrine.

Q:What about at-home cold remedies?

A:Ever heard of a pot of chicken soup? No need to sign a logbook for a hot bowl of that.

Sources: Washington State Department of Health; Jamie Brickner, Rite Aid-Wandermere pharmacist

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