# Annoying wasteful packaging of medicines



## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

Is it just me or has the world gone mad in the way pills are dispensed?

I take one heart-burn tablet, pantoprazole, every day.

The tablets are tiny - 8mm x 6mm x 3mm.

They come in a cardboard box 100mm x 80mm x 25mm.

Inside the box are four foil cards, 95mm x 75mm.

Each card has seven of the pills in little bubbles, each bubble is marked with a day of the week.

So, each box contains 28 little pills that would happily sit on a 50 pence piece!

I take two other types of pill a day and they too come in boxes which are sheer overkill.

It seems that the size of the box is dictated by the size of the instruction leaflet it encloses!

They are all repeat medicines so the boxes and leaflets go straight into the (recycling) bin. 

I pop all the pills out of the foil and store them in the little brown plastic containers of not-so-long-ago, the ones with the child-proof caps.

I peel off the dispensary labels and stick them on the appropriate containers so there is no chance of getting them mixed up.

So much more convenient for travelling and take up far less room in my washbag.

I suspect that >£1M could be saved every year.


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## bulawayolass (Jul 27, 2010)

It isnt the chemists fault blame the gov. rules. vet side is heading that way we dont give out the same amount of loose meds as we used to due to rules, so packaging goes up and costs go up.

The chemist will use a standard size as it is cheaper to buy in 1000 foil containers of a set size than varying size.

Caro :?


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## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

'Spose it is 'elf and sifety catering for the lowest common denominator (of intelligence/responsibility).

The point is - can we afford it in these less affluent times?


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## ardgour (Mar 22, 2008)

In this case I would not just blame official rules etc..
The drug companies charge huge amounts for these drugs and packaging them in this way makes it look like you are getting more than a few insignificant looking pills - it is all about marketing techniques and brand perception. A classic psychological trick to make us feel we are getting something really special.

Chris


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## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

_psychological trick_

Chris - are you saying that I'm off my trolley?!!


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## ardgour (Mar 22, 2008)

pippin said:


> _psychological trick_
> 
> Chris - are you saying that I'm off my trolley?!!


I couldn't possibly comment  but I bet they have a nicely packaged (and very expensive) pill to help if you are


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## 747 (Oct 2, 2009)

A padded cell might be a better bet. :lol:


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## Spiritofherald (May 18, 2012)

I agree generally about packaging of many things, especially in supermarkets, but I can see the benefit of some pills being labelled with the day they are to be taken as it is easy to forget if one has already been taken, especially by those with memory problems, eg. the elderly (which I sometimes feel I am fast becoming :lol: )


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Anyone bought any 'software' recently.?
The packaging for one CD comes in a shoe box.!!!

Ray.


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Getting the bloody pills out of the bubbles is a heck of a job in some cases.

Some of the burst-out packs seem to be made of kevlar, and the peel-back ones are stuck down so securely you can't get a fingernail under the edge of the foil to peel it off.

So far my fingers are free from arthritis and my eyesight (with specs) is excellent. What will I do in a few years when I can hardly pick up the packets, let alone see to peel off the welded-on foils!!!

Dave :evil:


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## dovtrams (Aug 18, 2009)

I recently bought a new blade for my woodcutting bow saw. It is 24" long and came packed in a box 3x2x1 feet. Moreover, inside was 22 yards of packing material in one long strip. Apologise for old money measurements but it is something that needs sorted, what a waste.

Dave


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## Bob45 (Jan 22, 2007)

There was a very amusing part of Room 101 on BBC1 recently which illustrated the annoying use of needless packaging.
Terry Wogan talked about buying a new toothbrush wrapped in stiff clear plastic which was almost impossible to get into. The host Frank Skinner suggested using a tin opener, then scissors and produced each one from under the table. Each one was wrapped in similar hard to remove plastic.
They gave up in the end.
I am also on a few medicines and some are so difficult to remove from the bubble stuff they are in. 
What will we all do when we get old!
Shout "I don't believe it" - I wonder.

Bob


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

Never mind the packaging what about the side effects listed in the leaflets?.

The list appears to be endless and almost identical no matter what pills you're taking. I'm convinced its just a cribbed 'catch-all' list to cover the makers' asses.
Maybe there is a pill I can take to counteract the side effects, but no, that will have side effects too #-o


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## Spiritofherald (May 18, 2012)

dovtrams said:


> I recently bought a new blade for my woodcutting bow saw. It is 24" long and came packed in a box 3x2x1 feet. Moreover, inside was 22 yards of packing material in one long strip. Apologise for old money measurements but it is something that needs sorted, what a waste.
> 
> Dave


I guess that would have been an Amazon purchase? I've had a few parcles off them packaged like that.


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## 747 (Oct 2, 2009)

I ordered a new rear wiper blade for my car from the Euro Car Parts website. It arrived in a huge cardboard box a couple of days later. The very lightweight package had me baffled as to what it was until I opened it. 8O


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## suedew (May 10, 2005)

Spiritofherald said:


> I agree generally about packaging of many things, especially in supermarkets, but I can see the benefit of some pills being labelled with the day they are to be taken as it is easy to forget if one has already been taken, especially by those with memory problems, eg. the elderly (which I sometimes feel I am fast becoming :lol: )


sorry disagree, if you are that confused you wont know what day it is anyway, well I don't and like to think i'm not confused at all :roll:

sue
p.s. thanks for the reminder not had mine today yet


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

Nor me  .

Got side tracked earlier on, pup had the runs!

Oh joy!!


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

Spiritofherald said:


> I agree generally about packaging of many things, especially in supermarkets, but I can see the benefit of some pills being labelled with the day they are to be taken as it is easy to forget if one has already been taken, especially by those with memory problems, eg. the elderly (which I sometimes feel I am fast becoming :lol: )


What you need is a seven day pill dispenser

.


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## Gazzer (May 1, 2005)

Yes I bought a micro SD card from Amazon which was exceedingly well packed in a bomb proof plastic case and the enclosed in a shoe box with enough paper to keep the camp fires burning for a week :wink: 

My biggest gripe with medication (apart from all the packaging) is every time I get my monthly batch the tablets are either a different colour, different shape or both! Very confusing. What it must be like for the elderly on here I can't begin to imagine.


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