5 ms·

It's a big pain. The prescription line at my pharmacy is never shorter than 15 minutes. Thus the drug is $11/month but costs me $60 in time to wait in that li

It's a big pain. The prescription line at my pharmacy is never shorter than 15 minutes. Thus the drug is $11/month but costs me $60 in time to wait in that line. Meanwhile, other drugs are just mailed to me, including my prescriptions. The prescription line is always fun. I remember some dude coughing on everyone, picking up his cell phone, "oh it was positive? great, I'm in line to get the medication" referring to COVID. In my opinion, the easiest place to get sick is waiting in the prescription line. Yet another tax on congestion sufferers. Having said all that, your doctor can write you a prescription and all the restrictions go away, including the ID check. It has always delayed my fills even further so we don't bother anymore. The most positive outcome from buying pseudoephedrine in line was being told "hey, your ID expires tomorrow" which was a good catch. I wasn't paying any attention to that. (I don't drive, so it's just a piece of plastic with my name. But necessary for paying taxes online in NYS.)

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
woodruffw 2y ago
This is a complete tangent, but FWIW: you can pay taxes in NY with an expired license. Source: I've been paying taxes in NY with a learner's permit that's been expired for well over a decade. Edit: I've also used said expired permit to buy pseudoephedrine. In my experience, they get frustrated and put random garbage into the tracking system when the card doesn't verify, demonstrating that it's all theater. It did take a while, though, so your point about this being a waste of time holds.
Alupis 2y ago
> Thus the drug is $11/month but costs me $60 in time to wait in that line In what reality? You were not being paid $60 to grocery shop or whatever else you might have done with that 15 minutes. Nor did it actually reduce your bank account by $60 to wait 15 minutes. If you applied this logic to everything in life, reading this very comment probably "cost" you a dozen bucks too. What a fun way to live? > Meanwhile, other drugs are just mailed to me, including my prescriptions. How often are your anticipating needing pseudoephedrine? For most people it's a once a year, at most, thing.
- jrockway 2y ago
  I take it every day; deviated septum and allergic to everything even after decades of immunotherapy. Maybe I should get surgery. But this is easier.
  - Alupis 2y ago
    You can't take pseudoephedrine every day. Nor is pseudoephedrine used for allergies - it is a decongestant, not an antihistamine. Nor does immunotherapy "solve" allergies. A simple google search before posting would have made your fictitious scenario a little bit more believable.
    - jrockway 2y ago
      Guess what happens when allergens irritate the inside of your nose? You get congested.
      - Alupis 2y ago
        Guess what people take for allergies - drugs that actually prevent reactions. Allergic reactions that effect the nose are almost always going to result in discharge, aka. a runny nose. It's the body's natural way of removing the allergen. Pseudoephedrine doesn't help with this at all. The side affects of prolonged pseudoephedrine use (usually defined as more than 7 days, btw) are far more serious than a stuffy nose. You cannot even purchase enough pseudoephedrine to use every day over a full month. The government restricts maximum grammage per month - and no doctor is going to prescribe long-term use of pseudoephedrine to "help with allergies". That is to say I don't believe your story at all. But I get it - googling these things before you posted would have "cost" you approximately $24 or something something something...
        Izkata 2y ago
        Sudafed (the working version) was one of the go-tos for seasonal allergies, alongside Claritin. Not everyone reacts to allergens the same way. You'd take Claritin daily for the month or so, then Sudafed for a day or two when it got bad.

deleted 2y ago

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woodruffw 2y ago

This is a complete tangent, but FWIW: you can pay taxes in NY with an expired license. Source: I've been paying taxes in NY with a learner's permit that's been expired for well over a decade. Edit: I've also used said expired permit to buy pseudoephedrine. In my experience, they get frustrated and put random garbage into the tracking system when the card doesn't verify, demonstrating that it's all theater. It did take a while, though, so your point about this being a waste of time holds.

Alupis 2y ago

> Thus the drug is $11/month but costs me $60 in time to wait in that line In what reality? You were not being paid $60 to grocery shop or whatever else you might have done with that 15 minutes. Nor did it actually reduce your bank account by $60 to wait 15 minutes. If you applied this logic to everything in life, reading this very comment probably "cost" you a dozen bucks too. What a fun way to live? > Meanwhile, other drugs are just mailed to me, including my prescriptions. How often are your anticipating needing pseudoephedrine? For most people it's a once a year, at most, thing.

jrockway 2y ago
I take it every day; deviated septum and allergic to everything even after decades of immunotherapy. Maybe I should get surgery. But this is easier.
- Alupis 2y ago
  You can't take pseudoephedrine every day. Nor is pseudoephedrine used for allergies - it is a decongestant, not an antihistamine. Nor does immunotherapy "solve" allergies. A simple google search before posting would have made your fictitious scenario a little bit more believable.
  - jrockway 2y ago
    Guess what happens when allergens irritate the inside of your nose? You get congested.
    - Alupis 2y ago
      Guess what people take for allergies - drugs that actually prevent reactions. Allergic reactions that effect the nose are almost always going to result in discharge, aka. a runny nose. It's the body's natural way of removing the allergen. Pseudoephedrine doesn't help with this at all. The side affects of prolonged pseudoephedrine use (usually defined as more than 7 days, btw) are far more serious than a stuffy nose. You cannot even purchase enough pseudoephedrine to use every day over a full month. The government restricts maximum grammage per month - and no doctor is going to prescribe long-term use of pseudoephedrine to "help with allergies". That is to say I don't believe your story at all. But I get it - googling these things before you posted would have "cost" you approximately $24 or something something something...
      - Izkata 2y ago
        Sudafed (the working version) was one of the go-tos for seasonal allergies, alongside Claritin. Not everyone reacts to allergens the same way. You'd take Claritin daily for the month or so, then Sudafed for a day or two when it got bad.