Hot take: Stimulants should be available behind the counter, without even needing a prescription. There is absolutely no reason for them to be limited beyond the pharmacist asking a couple questions to verify you know what you’re doing.

But ClimateChangeAnxiety, what if people just use them for fun! As is their fucking right. Who are you to decide what drugs people can and can’t use just because they’re fun? Alcohol has no productive use and I can buy it at gas stations.

I vaguely understand the need to make some drugs at least somewhat restricted. Somewhat, kinda, maybe, tbh I’m not entirely sold on the idea. But basic stimulants should not be on the restricted list, at all. If you want to take Adderall more power to you, do what you want.

I literally see no valid reason to restrict access to Adderall outside of “The cruelty is the point”

Edit: My partner was able to come up with one other small reason which is just “People on stimulants who don’t need them are kind of annoying to be around” lmao

As poorly as the industry treats pharmacy workers I am always impressed they manage to care about their jobs at all. Much less that they woudl form emotional relationships with drug manufacturers. That does seem to happen. So I guess I am just not built to understand them

Where I live pharmacists are required by law to ask if you want the cheapest available brand of the medication. I've never experienced them being weird to anyone who says yes, probably because most people do when asked directly.

They are weird about stimulants though. I get prescriptions for three bottles of 30 pills each. Because it is a stimulant I have to buy all three bottles at once. For some kind of war on drugs-related reason they legally can't let me make three purchases for one bottle each to spread out the cost. And I've experienced them get super pissy about me wanting to just buy one of the three bottles and then get my GP to make a new prescription next month.

I usually buy mine online and they handle stimulants really badly. One online pharmacy has decided that my concerta is too risky to send through the mail, requiring me to pick it up at pharmacy. Another one can't be arsed to make their price calculation algorithm factor in national health insurance coverage for stimulants, charging me full price every time.

Stimulant refilling is my least-favorite chore.

also, the one tech at my pharmacy that has never once been anything but barely civil with me was finally nice to me this week, which has given me another little data point that affirms my impression that pharmacy staff treats me better after having bought the name brand.

have you had that experience?

I've had the opposite experience, the pharmacists remind me to buy the generics. I think that they know I'm broke lol, or they could be required to by law. I don't know which it is, but it's cool.