Pharmacies limiting sales of some cold, allergy medications

Area pharmacies are taking steps to limit and monitor the sales of several over-the-counter cold and allergy medications containing an ingredient that can be used to manufacture methamphetamine, known as speed.

The ingredient, pseudoephedrine, is an active component in many products intended to treat cold and allergy symptoms, from the nationally marketed Sudafed to generic and store-brand liquids and pills.

Carson City pharmacists and drug store managers said people who use those products are still be able buy them but large purchases are being blocked.

"Our cash registers are programmed to count the total number of milligrams of pseudoephedrine and any time someone tries to buy more, the register will say 'Sale restricted,' " Walgreen store manager Jeff Pinto said.

He said the cold and allergy medications are on display near the pharmacy window so they can be monitored.

A pharmacist at Sav-On Drugs said only two packages of products containing pseudoephedrine may be purchased at one time.

Pat Ly, head pharmacist at Albertson's, said pharmacy personnel and checkers have all been trained not to allow purchases of more than six packages of medications with the ingredient. He said the items also have been moved closer to the pharmacy windows

"But we don't want to stop people who need them from being able to buy a medication that brings them some relief," Ly said.

At Wal-Mart, the pseudoephedrine products have been moved inside the pharmacy itself and customers have to ask for them at the window, said a pharmacist there. He said the products were moved about three months ago, but a three-package limit has been in effect for a long time.

Nevada does not have its own limit on how much pseudoephedrine can be purchased, State Board of Pharmacy executive secretary Keith Macdonald said Friday. He said the pharmacies appear to be voluntarily enforcing a federal restriction of 24 grams maximum per sale.

But the Nevada Legislature may choose to address concerns about pseudoephedrine as it has in the past for a similar compound, ephedrine, Macdonald said.

"Before this, there was one store in Reno that sold 5.5 million doses of ephedrine, which is a precursor or ingredient for the manufacture of methamphetamine," Macdonald said. "The Legislature moved ephedrine to the controlled substance list and it now can only be purchased with a prescription.

"But there's probably about 15 ways to make methamphetamine. As it becomes harder to get pseudoephedrine, they'll switch to another means," Macdonald said.

Macdonald also speculated that the tighter physical controls and monitoring of the products are intended to curb shoplifting of pseudoephedrine.

He said he had received reports of drug stores with public restrooms having problems with clogged toilets. Found in the plumbing were packaging materials for the cold and allergy remedies, stripped of the pseudoephedrine-based products.