Proper Way To Cutting Sachet Of Medicine Or Retailing Drug Pack

Medicines are expensive. This is as a result of the cost of research. The end product is usually way above the reach of the common man. To cut cost, many patients ask for cheaper alternative. Some may still ask for ways to reduce the cost of the cheaper alternative or the expensive one. They ask if the sachet can be cut to retail it.

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Cutting of sachet drugs is done in the hospital. This is called unit dose dispensing. It has its advantages. It encourages compliance and reduce wastage. This is how it is done. If a patient wants to take paracetamol 1g three times a day for three days, the quantity of paracetamol tablet needed is calculated. If the available paracetamol tablet is in the strength of 1g, the patient will need 9 tablet. If the sachet contains 10 tablet, one will be cut off.

The above scenario prevent the extra tablet from being left in the house that may lead to poor storage condition or drug misuse. This is the best practice. However, the story is different for a community or retail pharmacy.

Community Or Retail Pharmacy

It is not a strange scenario when customers walk up to a pharmacist and ask for just a tablet of a brand of ampicillin and cloxacillin. To them, they just need one capsule for whatever they want to treat. When you ask them what they are treating, they feel their privacy is under threat. Telling them that just a capsule is not enough, they match out angered. If only they know the harm they are doing to themselves.

In a community pharmacy, it is difficult to decide which drug to cut the sachet or retail. Some drugs come in a pack or more than one sachet. However, the following guides can help.

Cutting medicine

Drugs That Can Be Retail Or Cut

It is good to cut sachet drugs or retail packs. This reduces cost for the patient and waste. But not every sachet drug should be cut or pack retailed. Drugs that single use does not cause any negative effect can be cut and retail. Those drugs does not cause resistance or dependency from such use. There are some drugs that just a single dose can provide relief from the signs and symptoms. In such a case, the patient does not really need prolonged use. An example is allergy drugs.

Drugs Not Suitable For Retailing Or Cutting

There are some sachet drugs that should not be cut or retail no matter what. They are of two types. The first is drugs that can cause negative effect if the use is not up to the dosage duration. They can lead to rebound condition or resistance. They are mostly antiinfective medications. The drug needs to be completed. Cutting the sachet or retailing it is doing the patient more harm than good. Example is amoxicillin.

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The other group is drug are those extremely cheap drugs. It does not make any sense to me retailing a drug that is less pricey. It will only deface the place and make the community pharmacy look like one of these patent medicine shops without borders. It reeks of poor standard.

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