# Stupid Sudafed laws **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 13, 2013, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-sudafed-laws/658257 "2013-05-13T20:02:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-sudafed-laws/658257/41 "2014-07-14T16:04:26Z")
For some reason I read the thread title as “Stupid Sudafed Jews”. And really, they’re the worst, next to Ignorant Nyquil Catholics. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-sudafed-laws/658257/42 "2014-07-14T20:13:16Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > 12 hours a day would mean 12 hours a day I can’t breathe. > > Sudafed is approved for constant use for allergies, that’s why it’s bundled with antihistamines like Claritin and Allegra. Sold in 24 hour dosing as well. it says right on the package not to take it for more than 7 days straight without consulting a doctor. I understand your point but you’re taking a great deal of Sudafed. You run the risk of rhinitis medicamentosa which is the rebound of nasal decongestion because of overuse of the drugs you’re taking. ---
**Author:** ![runningdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@runningdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runningdude)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-sudafed-laws/658257/43 "2014-07-14T20:28:00Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > … > I understand it pisses you off, but is it ridiculous? Do you see a better way to fight meth production that would make things less inconvenient for us non-producers? If so, share your idea with your elected officials. Allow the purchase of a month’s supply, perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![runningdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@runningdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runningdude)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-sudafed-laws/658257/44 "2014-07-14T20:29:22Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > it says right on the package not to take it for more than 7 days straight without consulting a doctor. > … If this is the case, I withdraw my month’s supply recommentation ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-sudafed-laws/658257/45 "2014-07-14T20:48:00Z")
> [@runningdude](#): > > Allow the purchase of a month’s supply, perhaps? Don’t tell me, I can’t do a damn thing about it; tell your elected officials. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-sudafed-laws/658257/46 "2014-07-14T21:19:28Z")
> [@runningdude](#): > > If this is the case, I withdraw my month’s supply recommentation I can remember when Sudafed was sold in 100 count bottles for 99 cents (well the generic version of it anyway). It was a godsend drug for me. It literally changed my life because I would get a sinus headache that quickly triggered a tension headache and then a migraine. I can stop a migraine in it’s tracks using Sudafed as one of the OTC drugs used. Without it I’m screwed. No amount of pain medication will abate a migraine unless I address the symptoms. I’ve tried prescription migraine medication and I greatly prefer Sudafed. It’s so important to me I keep it at home, work, and in my car. With that said I also am aware of it’s overuse. The more I use it the less effective it is. So I try very hard to avoid using it for multiple days. Thus my warning. Of course everybody’s mileage will vary but this drug is so important to me that I vigorously guard against fade-out. I too am not happy with the Sudafed laws as I see them as one step away from taking it off the market. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-sudafed-laws/658257/47 "2014-07-14T21:39:47Z")
Verily, sayeth the sages: When you find a product you like, _buy a lifetime supply_ because they will stop making it. Or, in the modern variation, make it illegal. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-sudafed-laws/658257/48 "2014-07-15T00:01:30Z")
I agree the laws are crazy. But they are what they are, so here’s my advice: 1. See a doctor. You are on a freaking huge dose. It might be fine for you, but it’s a high enough dose that you ought to check with an actual physician. As an added bonus, if she determines you can safely take it every day, you may well be able to get a scrip that allows you to buy a 90 day supply or something. 2. get a friend to buy you a pack. Then you can just buy the largest pack twice a month, and always have a few spares around. The friend might have to buy you a pack a couple of times a year. It’s probably illegal, but it’s not immoral, and you’re not going to get busted. I’d probably do it for someone I saw regularly, who I believed was taking it for allergies and not meth, and who had an okay from a doctor to take such a big dose. By the way, I love Sudafed, but I take it for colds, so I maybe take 10-20 tablets a year. Even so, I’ve noticed it gets less effective if I’ve taken it for several days. A doctor might be able to hook you up with a better long-term drug. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-sudafed-laws/658257/49 "2014-07-15T14:04:05Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > Weird, I recently bought 2 48-tablet packs while at the pharmacy for other reasons. He told me I was still under the limit, so it wasn’t a problem to sell me that quantity. That doesn’t make sense. Phenylprine comes in 48 and even 72 count packs, and I’ve bought multiple 72 count boxes without issue. But actual pseudephedrine? Gotta get it from the pharmacist’s counter, and can’t buy more than 3.6 grams in a single day. Unless you have a prescription? > [@](#): > > Am I correct in thinking that tracking does not total up purchases for members of the same household? Thus, my husband and I (both with allergies/chronic sinus problems) would each be able to buy up to that limit and not have our purchases added together? If you don’t know this, I strongly suspect you were not buying pseudephedrine, but rather OTC “Sudafed” with phenylprine. The tracking system requires your driver’s license and uses that as you tracking number. Your husband could buy using his driver’s license and then give them to you, and it won’t show against your total. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-sudafed-laws/658257/50 "2014-07-15T14:46:29Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > That doesn’t make sense. Phenylprine comes in 48 and even 72 count packs, and I’ve bought multiple 72 count boxes without issue. But actual pseudephedrine? Gotta get it from the pharmacist’s counter, and can’t buy more than 3.6 grams in a single day. Unless you have a prescription? It wouldn’t make much sense for her to be told she was still under the limit for phenylephrine, since it isn’t restricted. I suspect she’s talking about the regular 4-hour, 30 mg pills, however, and not the Sudacontin monkey that’s on your back. Two 48-packs would be 2.88 grams. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-sudafed-laws/658257/51 "2014-07-15T19:42:52Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > That doesn’t make sense. Phenylprine comes in 48 and even 72 count packs, and I’ve bought multiple 72 count boxes without issue. But actual pseudephedrine? Gotta get it from the pharmacist’s counter, and can’t buy more than 3.6 grams in a single day. Unless you have a prescription? > > If you don’t know this, I strongly suspect you were not buying pseudephedrine, but rather OTC “Sudafed” with phenylprine. The tracking system requires your driver’s license and uses that as you tracking number. Your husband could buy using his driver’s license and then give them to you, and it won’t show against your total. I did read the label, it was pseudoephedrine, I did have to present my driver’s license to the nice gent behind the counter for scanning, and I live in California. ---
**Author:** ![runningdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@runningdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runningdude)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-sudafed-laws/658257/52 "2014-07-16T05:06:51Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I can remember when Sudafed was sold in 100 count bottles for 99 cents (well the generic version of it anyway). It was a godsend drug for me. It literally changed my life because I would get a sinus headache that quickly triggered a tension headache and then a migraine. I can stop a migraine in it’s tracks using Sudafed as one of the OTC drugs used. Without it I’m screwed. No amount of pain medication will abate a migraine unless I address the symptoms. I’ve tried prescription migraine medication and I greatly prefer Sudafed. It’s so important to me I keep it at home, work, and in my car… I only withdraw my support for nonprescription long-term use. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-sudafed-laws/658257/53 "2014-07-16T14:57:18Z")
If your allergies are _that_ horrible, even on Claritin/Allegra/Zyrtec, you’d probably be better served by some other allergy treatment than by taking more and more Sudafed. Try a neti pot or at least some saline spray, and talk to your doctor about Nasacort or something similar. If those aren’t helping, it might be time to look into allergy injections. In all probability, these things won’t eliminate your need for decongestants, but they might greatly reduce it. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-sudafed-laws/658257/54 "2014-07-21T21:42:53Z")
> [@Student\_Driver](#): > > Some retail groups have been pushing for detromethorphan (which isn’t a precursor to anything, just recreationally abused) to be legally restricted primarily because of the theft issue, and a number of chains have begun putting it behind the counter already. Heh - my 17 year old daughter is in another state for the month. She came down with a cold right after she got there, and wanted cough syrup / cough suppressant. Apparently they wouldn’t even sell her plain guaifenesin (plain Robitussin, with the ingredient that theoretically thins mucus but maybe doesn’t work that well), let alone anything with dextromethorphan because she was under 18. We wound up mailing her a package of the liqui-gels. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-sudafed-laws/658257/55 "2014-07-22T01:32:03Z")
I hate the regulations because, yet again, 99% of people have to live by rules to attempt to stop the behavior of 1% of losers that we refuse to take effective action against. Just because some tweaker wants to get high and blow up his trailer, I can’t get effective cold medicine without a background check. I just hope these assholes don’t start using ice cream or candy to make drugs because then we will have to go through hassles to get those things in the name of Safety. ---
**Author:** ![Sehmket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Sehmket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sehmket)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-sudafed-laws/658257/56 "2014-07-22T01:48:15Z")
I recently moved from Kentucky to Ohio. In the first couple days in my new house, I needed to mow the grass. I kicked up something while mowing, and was having some terrible allergies. I could not for the life of me find the damn box with my sudefed and benedryl in it, and I decided it was easier to run up to the store and get some. I decided to get some of each. The _insert adjectives_ cashier would not sell me sudefed because of my out of state license. That is a national database, sir! You can do this! I was so amazingly annoyed, I didn’t feel like arguing. I took my benedryl and went home, and asked my mom to pick up some for me. It was terribly annoying as a grown-ass woman to ask my mom to get me cold medicine. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-sudafed-laws/658257/57 "2014-07-22T19:41:22Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > I suspect she’s talking about the regular 4-hour, 30 mg pills, however, and not the Sudacontin monkey that’s on your back. Two 48-packs would be 2.88 grams. You know, I hadn’t considered they still sell it in the 4 hour dose packs. I don’t know why not. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![slowlearner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@slowlearner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slowlearner)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-sudafed-laws/658257/58 "2014-07-23T00:15:58Z")
The funny thing is the Feds do nothing with the info. No one looks at it, no one collates it, it is not perused, doesn’t get used in a pie chart or anything, no money has ever been appropriated for that. You can buy all the phed you need and not worry, just go to different chains throughout the month, no one will ever know. I’ve been signing the Federal form Usama Bin Laden for years and nobody cares (I might be in big trouble). You can sign your credit card transactions with funny names, too, the bank doesn’t care that Pluto and Goofy use my cards more often than I do. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-sudafed-laws/658257/59 "2014-07-25T16:30:09Z")
> [@slowlearner](#): > > You can buy all the phed you need and not worry, just go to different chains throughout the month, no one will ever know. Doesn’t work like that. They use your Driver’s license and check with a federal database. It is not a chain independent list, all purchases are linked. Buy at Kroger, go across the street to Walgreens, they’ll hit the database and reject the sale because you just bought your 3.6 grams for the day. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-sudafed-laws/658257/60 "2014-07-25T21:34:35Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Doesn’t work like that. They use your Driver’s license and check with a federal database. It is not a chain independent list, all purchases are linked. Buy at Kroger, go across the street to Walgreens, they’ll hit the database and reject the sale because you just bought your 3.6 grams for the day. They may or may not reject the sale. There are stories on the net of people visited by law enforcement when they accidentally bought too much because it was in an ingredient in combo products. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-sudafed-laws/658257.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-sudafed-laws/658257.md?page=4)