Pubdate: Thu, 03 Nov 2005 Source: Tribune Review (Pittsburgh, PA) Copyright: 2005 Tribune-Review Publishing Co. Contact: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/trib/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/460 Author: Caroline Shannon COLD MEDS MOVE BEHIND THE COUNTER Pauline Cole, 10, of Jeannette, walked up to the Wal-Mart pharmacy counter in Greensburg, stood on her tiptoes and waved a card showing a box of Sudafed at the pharmacist. "Where is this?" she asked, peering over the counter. "If we have it, it would be on the shelf over there," the pharmacist said, pointing to a shelf located next to the pharmacy. The freckle-faced girl walked over to the shopper-friendly "Cough and Cold Express" station and picked up a box of Sudafed. Pennsylvania pharmacies do not have to restrict sales of medicines that contain pseudoephedrine -- such as Sudafed, Tylenol Flu and Aleve Sinus & Headache -- but many are doing it on their own. The ingredient can be illegally used to make the highly addictive street drug, methamphetamine. The U.S. Senate passed a bill in September that would limit how much cold medicine people can buy and require them to show photo identification and sign a log. But for this cold season, at least, the potential for a consumer nightmare has proven to be not so much of a hassle at Pittsburgh pharmacies. "It doesn't surprise me that the drug stores are having some issues with (enforcing their policies) because it is voluntary right now," said Rob Quigley, executive director of Drug Free Pennsylvania. Wal-Mart's company-wide policy limits customers' purchases of products containing only pseudoephedrine to three per visit. Pharmacy employees are told to ask customers for identification proving that they are 18 or older. The store keeps plastic cards showing the picture of the product on the shelves in place of the actual product. Customers take the card up to the pharmacist and then are directed to a nearby shelf -- only a few steps from where the products originally were kept. Eckerd, CVS and Rite-Aid pharmacies all have similar policies with slight variations in the restrictions. At the Squirrel Hill Rite-Aid store, three shelves are vacant and covered with signs directing consumers to the pharmacy. Since August, all drugs containing pseudophedrine have been kept out of reach. A sign states: "Pseudoephedrine, the active ingredient in many nasal decongestants, is being chemically altered by criminals to produce illegal drugs." Methamphetamine can be made from commonly available household products such as drain cleaner, lithium batteries, rock salt, paint thinner and cold medicines. Kristal Milo, a pharmacist at a CVS store Downtown, said the company requires, "anything that has a single entity of pseudoephedrine" to be kept behind the counter. Mike DeAngelis, manager of CVS corporate communications said the policy, which was instituted July 1, states that every CVS is limited to selling 9 grams of pseudoephedrine to each customer, "which equates to 3 boxes or 4 bottles in liquid form." Milo said she has her doubts about the system. "People can still get it at flea markets if they are going to abuse it," she said. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth