Vigilant pharmacists are alerted by customers requesting a particular over-the-counter drug too often.
When that red flag goes up it may be time for intervention in case they are experimenting with the drugs to create a more potent mixture.
But the pharmacists are appealing to authorities for greater enforcement of the law and legislation to allow them to monitor the use of simple cough syrups and other medications some use to get high.
President of the Barbados Pharmaceutical Society and operator of the Eagle Hall Pharmacy, Derek Catlyn, said cough syrups with codeine were the major over-the-counter sellers in the mid-30s to 50s age group, as people copied making the popular blend known as “syrup” in the United States.
“People would hear about these things from the rap music and would experiment with it. They would buy Tuscosed and expectorants to achieve these highs, so I think more [regulatory] powers need to be given to pharmacists to be able to police the issue going forward,” he said, adding that people were becoming bolder with their experiments.
Similarly, former president of the society and pharmacist at Avis Pharmacy, Bandele Serrano, agreed that something needed to be done urgently. (RA)
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