Bottles or Blister Packs - Meds in the US v. Meds Abroad

[Kittsoan1989]

OK - So this may sound this may sound like a stupid question. But I'm actually quite intrigued. Here in the United States, when getting a Prescription filled at a Brick and Mortar pharmacy - it's quite rare to actually receive pills in blister packs or their original packagiing. In general, the Pharmacy repackages the pills into pill bottles and prints up an information sheet on the medicine being sold. The same goes for OTC meds - while some come in blister packs (Zantac, Zyrtec, to name a few) - the majority come loosely packaged in bottles.

Here's my questoin -when ordering from IOPS it's quite common to receive pills in their oriignal packaging - IE in blister packs, in their original boxes.

Here's my question for all you PR members who live abroad. When you fill a script at a standard brick and mortar pharmacy is this how you receive your meds - are they typically in the manufacturer's blister packs and original boxes - or do they repackage them in pill bottles like they do in the US. The same for OTC meds - do they come in bottles or blister packs or in bottles like in the US.

Thanks for your helps guys- guess this is just idle curiousity on my part!

[mimi]

@Kittsoan1989 - I think this is a really good question. I've often wondered about this too. I'm also really interested in hearing what other people have to say about this.

[OuTFiT69]

Yes, I too would love to know the answer to this question. My mom is a nurse, and she gets blister packs of stuff all the time from work, stuff that you would get in bottle form from the pharmacy. One time she even had a couple blister packs of 1mg Alprax Gador's (The pink ones that say 'Gador') on them. I don't know how the hell she got them, but she denied it all, and I had no proof because I ate them all.

[Shayna]

I have also noticed the same thing with me being in the USA. I have always received my pills from the local pharmacy in a bottle. However I have noticed online orders that I always receive pills in the blister packs. Personally I prefer the pills in the blister packs now. It seems more hygenic and easier for traveling and storage.

[HR89]

In Australia its always blister packs inside original boxes.
You might get a bottle perhaps if you get a smaller amount of meds, but usually they put smaller amounts into envelopes. IME

EDIT; in the envelopes you dont get losse pills you get the meds in blister packs

[Kittsoan1989]

@HR89 - In an "envelope" - like the type you mail cards in? Do they put the presciption label right on the box or the envelope then?

We have Australia down - just about 200 more countries to go now LOL!

[painstaking]

From what I know, most meds come in blisters from pharmacies outside the US. In the US, most pharmacies order medications in wholesale bottles of 100, 500, or 1000 and then fill many scripts from each bottle, whereas pharmacies ******** order individual quantity boxes to distribute directly.

[HR89]

@Kittsoan1989 ,

Yes just a normal small envelope with the info label attached.
If you get a full script filled youll get the box with label attached to it.

[akl63]

OK - So this may sound this may sound like a stupid question. But I'm actually quite intrigued. Here in the United States, when getting a Prescription filled at a Brick and Mortar pharmacy - it's quite rare to actually receive pills in blister packs or their original packagiing. In general, the Pharmacy repackages the pills into pill bottles and prints up an information sheet on the medicine being sold. The same goes for OTC meds - while some come in blister packs (Zantac, Zyrtec, to name a few) - the majority come loosely packaged in bottles.

Here's my questoin -when ordering from IOPS it's quite common to receive pills in their oriignal packaging - IE in blister packs, in their original boxes.

Here's my question for all you PR members who live abroad. When you fill a script at a standard brick and mortar pharmacy is this how you receive your meds - are they typically in the manufacturer's blister packs and original boxes - or do they repackage them in pill bottles like they do in the US. The same for OTC meds - do they come in bottles or blister packs or in bottles like in the US.

Thanks for your helps guys- guess this is just idle curiousity on my part!

In the UK I know everyone who's scripted Oxynorm (Oxycodone IR 10mg or 20mg) gets them in the original box with the blisters inside. Not sure about other drugs, I've only had 1 script filled ******** and I can't remember.

In the US, the only 2 drugs I've seen not come in a bottle were suboxone films. They come in a box individually wrapped. And eye drops, come in the dropper bottle inside the original box. Both would have you're name/info printed on the box. Better add I've seen fentanyl patches come like this as well.


Here,
Never seen a normal pill come in the blisters though. It might depend on where you live as well. I see them fill Norco and Perc scripts here out of huge bottles like @painstaking said. I live in a populated area, in a smaller town pharmacy I could see them ordering just a few boxes instead of the giant 1000ct bottles.

[Kittsoan1989]

@akl63 - I used to live in a rather small town (population about 1000) in the US and my mother often had to have pretty obscure scripts filled (due to here Multiple Muscular Degeneration condition) - sometimes the only pharmacy in town would have to Special Order her meds, but even in those cases the meds were ALWAYS given in a standard script bottle - but that might just be how that pharmacy operates.

Ther only meds/scripts that I know of that are given in "original" manufacture packaging (IME) in the US are Z-Packs, Fentanyl Paches and Fentanyl "Lollipops," eyedrops, Xyrem (prescription GHB) and Marinol (prescription THC which my mother is given for nausea and lack of appetite due ot her condition).

[akl63]

@akl63 - I used to live in a rather small town (population about 1000) in the US and my mother often had to have pretty obscure scripts filled (due to here Multiple Muscular Degeneration condition) - sometimes the only pharmacy in town would have to Special Order her meds, but even in those cases the meds were ALWAYS given in a standard script bottle - but that might just be how that pharmacy operates.

Ther only meds/scripts that I know of that are given in "original" manufacture packaging (IME) in the US are Z-Packs, Fentanyl Paches and Fentanyl "Lollipops," eyedrops, Xyrem (prescription GHB) and Marinol (prescription THC which my mother is given for nausea and lack of appetite due ot her condition).

I never thought of the z packs. Never seen marinol legit from a pharmacy or a lollypop for that matter. Seems like things that aren't just regular type pills are more likely to be in the manufacturers box. Films, Patches, Drops, Gel looking pills(marinol). They sell Mnol on the street like M&Ms in oregon. I live in a metro area of about 1 million, and my buddy had a hard time finding a pharmacy carrying suboxone films. Finally rite-aid had one box and they ordered more for him.

I had a vested interest in it that day as I was dead sick, and it was quite frustrating going from place to place.

[Kittsoan1989]

@akl63 - Doesn't sound like fun - Yeah - The Marinol pills kind of look like little M and M's - My Mom gets the 10mg ones and they're bright red round pills with a M on them - talk about "Marketing to Kids" - I wonder how many young kids have accidentally gotten stoned thinking they were eating a red M and M when in fact they were eating a red Marinol pill - really - if you were a young kid it could happen!

[akl63]

@akl63 - Doesn't sound like fun - Yeah - The Marinol pills kind of look like little M and M's - My Mom gets the 10mg ones and they're bright red round pills with a M on them - talk about "Marketing to Kids" - I wonder how many young kids have accidentally gotten stoned thinking they were eating a red M and M when in fact they were eating a red Marinol pill - really - if you were a young kid it could happen!

Lol,
when I first saw a couple one on my "friend's" kitchen counter. I said what kinda special M&Ms are those? Most kids eat at least 10 M&M's at once too.

[betsky]

@akl63
before my husband passed on his chemo. dr. scripted him marinol.

I planned a very last minute cruise for us and our children, one of those last memories 4 the kids. Well we get to Florida to realize the bottle was at home in the fridge.
Ended up going to a local e.r. and 4 hrs later an all night cvs for a rescript.

I always thought they looked like fish eyes.

BTW, I ended up on a caribbean island, looking for mj for him anyways.

[Massiveamounts]

@Kittsoan1989 - I think this is a really good question. I've often wondered about this too. I'm also really interested in hearing what other people have to say about this.

I agree I too wonder about this and have wondered about it for a while, I would assume it's a difference in how the pharmacies receive them....here in the states the pharms receive them in large qty bottles (used to have a friend who worked at a pharm) but I have wondered since we always receive them in blisters if they are distributed to customers in that way, boxed up as they often are instead of in bottles the way americans receive them.

[akl63]

Everyone I know sells the marinol script and buys regular MJ. I like edibles a lot, so personally I like the marinols. If you smoke just a little after edibles though, it really kicks it into gear.

[sinister]

I had surgery in denmark and the surgeon wrote me for oxycontin and oxycodone. I went to a nearby pharmacy to pick them up and they were given to me in blister packs and in boxes.

[akl63]

I don't know if they still make M&M mini's, but thats exactly what I thought of. Oooh, candy. I was twenty five and wanted to eat it, I'm sure a 7 year old wouldn't think twice.

All these dangerous meds really appeal to children. Fentanyl Pops, seriously those things taste great. It really scares me that some guy with a van, could hand those out unwrapped to kids and they couldn't tell it wasn't candy. The bright red OC or OP 60s, bright orange suboxone, pink kvk oxys. At least those they might spit out if they bit into one.

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I had surgery in denmark and the surgeon wrote me for oxycontin and oxycodone. I went to a nearby pharmacy to pick them up and they were given to me in blister packs and in boxes.

Is it just my dumb american misconceptions, or is oxy in any form pretty rare to see prescribed in EU. Thus the boxes, because of smaller orders like we were saying before.

I know 2 people in the UK on OxyNorm and they said they both had never seen it before they gotta script for it. And both had a hard time finding it.

[sinister]

Not sure, i am from the us. They did give me twice the amount of oxycontin than was ordered, something we laughed about because here in the states that would never happen. I was only there about 10 days and then flew home.

[akl63]

Lol, here twice the amount, the DEA might show up.
I don't get the contins. But whenever I got 15s or even Percs/Norcos they count it twice. Then someone else counts it and circles the number on the bottle.

I never got anything "real" for pain in EU. I even broke 4 toes on my left foot, and they didn't give me anything. I was pretty young, but it still hurt like hell. I was shocked at this hospital I went to in a hoe-dunk town in Austria was the nicest hospital I've seen by far. Probably the best ER service I've had, I don't blame them for not scripting a 14 year old hard drugs.