[pests]

Many countries in the world use individually-sealed blister packs for medicine distribution.

I think in this case the benefits might outweigh any downsides. Taking the correct medication as perscribed is a major source of stress and problems for many people.

> Medication non adherence in patients leads to substantial worsening of disease, death and increased health care costs.

> and sometimes involves individual constraints (e.g. poor inhaler technique, problems remembering doses etc).

> A third type of non adherence is known as non conforming, this type includes a variety of ways in which medication are not taken as prescribed, this behavior can range from skipping doses, to taking medications at incorrect times or at incorrect doses, to even taking more than prescribed.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3191684/

[sparky_z]

Another benefit I've heard (perhaps an extreme version of the third type) is that it cuts down on impulsive suicides. It's easy to throw back a whole bottle of pills and take a month's worth of doses in a few seconds. The blister packs make you really work for it.

[KennyBlanken]

This is one of the reasons that suicide by tylenol - which is reportedly very drawn out and extremely painful - is so common in the US compared to other countries. It's available in much greater concentration and quantity at retail than the rest of the world. In the UK, bottles have about 30 tablets.

In the US, finding 1000 count (!) bottles is easy: https://www.cvs.com/shop/cvs-health-extra-strength-acetamino...

https://www.cnn.com/2013/02/08/health/us-uk-pain-sgmd/index....

On top of which, the maximum daily dose listed by many generics is not considered safe: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3585765/

[Brybry]

If I'm reading https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3585765/ correctly then it says that the maximum listed dosage is safe but the FDA recommended lowering it with no supporting evidence.

It claims the previous higher maximum was anecdotally established but later supported as safe by multiple studies and the reason for the article seems to be concern that the new lower maximums could cause confusion in patients and doctors.

[ascorbic]

And in the UK it's going to be in a blister pack not a bottle, which is a lot more work. You can't even buy more than two packs at a time, so you'd need to go from store to store.

[housemusicfan]

A 16 pack of extra-strength paracetamol, which is more than enough to kill you in one sitting, is 65p at Tesco.

Do you really think someone intent on killing himself will look at a blister pack and think, "You know, if this was in a bottle I'd go through with it, but this doesn't seem worth it, it's way too much work to take me own life"?

[dagw]

Many people who commit (or attempt) suicide aren't really intent on killing themselves. There is ample evidence than putting even relatively minor barriers in the way, making it so that people have to slow down and really reflect on what they are doing is enough to stop some people in their tracks and make them reconsider what they are about to do.

[lozenge]

Suicide has a planned and an impulsive component. Both need to be present for an attempt to happen.

It doesn't sound like you know much about suicide research? Preferring to substitute your own guesses on a well researched topic.

[pjc50]

The US doesn't bother controlling tylenol suicides because it's already awash with guns.

[mhb]

Sure, but they're hard to swallow and have a metallic taste.

[calciphus]

I had never considered that angle, but I know from other examples that even a small impedement to suicide can tip the scales safely for some. A short fence you have to climb over, for example.

[DoreenMichele]

People who are suicidal are often miserable and looking for a quick and easy out. Making them work for it absolutely can be a deterrent.

[lobochrome]

Exactly. It also reduces pharma waste since you only get as many pills as the doctor prescribes. In Japan, where I currently live, I have barely any leftover medicaments in my drawers (where my prescriptions usually are packaged in individual sachets).

There were tons of leftovers in the EU, where I lived before - that's wasteful. Not a little bit of plastic.

[eddythompson80]

Tons of leftovers of prescription medication? WTH?

[pests]

It's a thing for some.

> first [Canadian] National Prescription Drug Drop-Off Day, which resulted in the return of more than two tonnes of unused medications

> The first is inertia: it takes effort to discard something, but no effort to leave it where it is. The second is a natural inclination to keep something that might be useful later on, particularly if future procurement involves inconvenience or expense.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3191684/

[highhedgehog]

Yeah, it builds up over time. I do not take any medication on a schedule, but over years you stack up ibuprofen and stuff like that.

Every single person I know has a drug drawer with expired drugs.

[wesleychen]

I always end up with a bunch of extra painkillers after getting dental work done (wisdom teeth removal, gum graft, etc.)

[pests]

I used to take an as-needed medication that would build up in times when it wasn't needed if I just let the pharmacy autofill everything that "should" be used up.

[sweetjuly]

Most pharmacies in the US will count out each pill/mL. Most insurers will not pay for more than three months at a time and so the pharmacy won't give you more than 90 days * your daily dosage.

[pests]

People skip or miss doses (hey, the problem the thread topic is trying to solve) and then pharmacies will auto-fill perscriptions that should be empty. Some people are on as-needed medications that also get auto-filled. I posted some more in a sibling comment.

[acosmism]

i never thought of blister packs that way but they seem key!

[tgsovlerkhgsel]

The most common medication is so cheap that I don't think the US pharmacy handling is worth it. And few packs I've had are more than 90 days worth of pills, with the exception of some really cheap stuff (as in $10 per pack of 100).

Picking up common prescription medication consists of me walking into a pharmacy - any pharmacy! - with my prescription, handing it to them, and telling them "one of this please". They will then immediately retrieve the pack of that medicine, ask me some questions to check for allergies etc. and hand it to me. I don't have to have the prescription sent to a specific pharmacy then wait for them to have the bottle ready and verified by a pharmacist.

[Elfir3]

Same here, with the added benefits that the prescription is digital. Also, in my go to pharmacy my wife account is linked to mine, so she can pickup my medication as soon as my call with the doctor is done.