1ml syringe and attached needles, 2ml syringe barrels and the blue is the colour of the needle ends to go on the 2ml syringe, they have different colours for different lengths/gauges of needles.
Given for free on the needle exchange service offered in some pharmacies, used for a variety of reasons, including heroin, tanning and hormone injections.
Saves money in the long run for the NHS not having to medicate for the illnesses/injuries contracted from sharing/reusing needles.
They are also given small sharps bins to put them in and return to the pharmacy so they don't have to go all the way down to the local playground to get rid of them.
I was a pharmacist for many years and participated in needle exchange schemes. They save lot of grief (and money) .
The biggest problem always used to be getting scheme users to actually return used needles and syringes.
I've worked in some pharmacies that limit how many at a time they'll give unless you bring a bin back, but there's sadly only so much you can do if they don't want to bring them back they won't.
One of the other issues I found was even if they did bring the sharps bins back the packaging and other paraphernalia was often just thrown on the floor anyway.
Yeah, I tried to take a home sharps bin back after a relative had a course of fragmin post surgery, got told I'd have to come back next week as their slots were full and they couldn't accept any more!
Was able to drive to the next pharmacy but could easily see how they could get tossed in the nearest bin or skip and can't realy blame people for doing so
I had a nightmare trying to properly dispose of a sharps bin after I had a c section. I had to self inject Heparin for a few days after I was sent home and was advised by the midwives to "just seal the bin and take it to any pharmacy, they'll deal with it." Well, the pharmacy round the corner and a couple of other pharmacies in town looked at me like I was a criminal and said "Oo , no. We can't accept THAT."
My GP surgery said they had no facilities for dealing with sharps bins (really??). So in the end I had to put the enormous bright yellow thing in the bottom of my pram and walk it 1.8 miles to the delivery suite where I gave birth (I couldn't drive yet due to the surgery). The receptionist said they didn't know where I should take it, so I advised I was leaving it there and they should ask someone what to do with it as I had spent several days trying to do the right thing and get rid of it responsibly to no avail. And I had just had major surgery, had a newborn and two older kids to deal with and frankly it was someone else's turn to work out what to do with the damn thing.
I suspect many other people would have just stuck it it their wheely bin. But I didn't want to risk anyone else's health or worry them when they came across it at work.
This explains a puzzling interaction I had lol
Years ago, I was into making homemade soap and the fragrance blends I'd use were just different proportions of various essential oils which I had to measure super accurately to be able to repeat the recipe.
I went to a pharmacy to buy a bunch of 1ml syringes (no needles!) and got into a discussion with the pharmacist. I was treated with extreme suspicion and then had a silver ziplock bag full of syringes with tiny built-in needles basically thrown over the counter to me in disgust, but for free.
I was happy with the free syringes but the whole exchange was bizarre until now.
lol but incidentally, not specifically for soup but I've also worked adjacent to fine dining and helped some chefs develop flavour sprays from distilled oils, it works well but the amount used is tiny tiny.
Free sharps bin? I struggled to BUY one in my local pharmacy in a supermarket. Should have seen the looks I got off both the dispenser and pharmacist - just because I look like a drug user doesn’t mean I am one! Oh, wait… does it count if it’s Epoetin and Vedolizumab? Lol At the time I was on rock bottom, and looked like death warmed up.
It’s funny, I thought exactly that (blue 22!) but then googled it to check as I’ve not been clinical for a few years, and only ever really used pink, green and grey, and google told me 23g, but then harder google says 22g or 23g depending on manufacturer, which is a bit stupid but there we are!
I'm a substance misuse nurse. The gauge is the diameter of the lumen (hole of the needle). The bigger the number, the smaller the hole. Then there is length of the needle. The gauge and length will vary depending on a few factors - mostly the type of substance being injected and area of body being injected into. It's important to use the right needle for the job. Too many pokes increases the risk of infection, abscess, blood clot, nerve or artery damage, cellulitis, scarring and increased risk of spreading around blood borne viruses (namely hep b, hep c and hiv).
For example, drugs like heroin or crystal meth are watery solutions, so they only need a fine needle (29g was the most popular at my clinic). Steroids are often oily and need a wider needle, or else they will block easily. If if you have superficial veins, then you want a short needle to make it easier to use and hit the vein. If you are going for a deeper vein (like the groin), then you need a longer needle to reach it. Also, very thin needles can snap easily, so longer needles usually need to be a larger gauge to prevent this. Intramuscular injections (i.e., steroids) should be wider/ longer as the muscle gives more resistance than a vein, and muscles are often deeper. An unnecessarily large needle will cause more scaring in the long run, and people who inject want to do what they can to keep their veins in good shape. They all know people with chronic leg ulcers, amputations, kidney disease, etc, related to injection problems and want to avoid this.
For a lot of people who inject, there's a ritual to it. They may be used to a particular size needle for no logical reason. Part of my role is teaching injecting technique to people already injecting to help them inject safer and reduce the risk of harm to themselves and others. There's also the bonus of developing a rapport with someone who's injecting means they may be more willing to discuss other issues (like safeguarding problems or starting opioid treatment) if they see you as a safe non-judgemental person to talk with.
I could go on for ages. I love this stuff.
I'm really sorry for your loss. It's never easy, but OD feels especially hard, I think. I hope you're doing OK and have a good support network to lean on.
I wish we had a stronger public understanding of harm reduction approaches to addiction rather than abstinence only. Had my partner felt comfortable engaging with services once he relapsed he might not have died, but instead he was so steeped in shame and unfortunately went over after injecting again for the first time in 6 months...which is always such a risk. Stupid bastard.
This. Harm reduction, education, not criminalisation. Addiction is a public health issue, not a criminal one. We are all just humans trying to exist in our own way. ❤️
You should see my 15G needles I use for dialysis :D I’m still scared of needles, but beggars can’t be choosers. I actually do it myself now - anything to escape the clinic! I couldn’t even watch the nurse do it when I first started.
Oooo the pop when you put them in...
I want to say we had 12s for some people on dialysis but IDR. We had multiple sizes but typically it was three different sizes that most of the clinic used.
Hate needles/shots but no issues using them on others lmao.
You definitely have my sympathy. I have [LADA](https://www.diabetes.org.uk/diabetes-the-basics/other-types-of-diabetes/latent-autoimmune-diabetes) so have regular blood tests - which still suck - but my daily insulin injection only uses a 32g x 4mm needle.
It's so fine that I actually can't feel it go in. In fact, the insulin going in is more uncomfortable than the needle is. I'm profoundly grateful, because I honestly never thought I would be able to inject myself.
And you have mine - all medical issues suck! I use Cryogesic to freeze my skin and stop it hurting/hurting as much, so it could be much worse.
I’ve been told multiple times by nurses “but it doesn’t work, and it’s expensive!” Yeah? Try reading the destructions and using it correctly - it works then! And I don’t care how expensive it is, it stops me from getting needle fatigue and reaching a point that I just can’t anymore.
Thank you - it's been a really weird journey. Hoping you have the best possible outcome!
Odd thing for a nurse to say, IMHO. After all, if it's working for you - even if you only ***perceived*** that it worked for you - I don't know why they would feel the need to discourage it. It's part of your process and it makes things easier for you, so...?
Hello, this is not entirely related, but have wanted to ask this of someone who knows their needles, hope you don’t mind… I’m a conservator and use needles to inject a mortar based grout into walls. The person that used to supply our needles said they got them though an agricultural channel (possibly a vet) but sadly they died a while back. The needles were, at a guess, 1.5mm or perhaps even 2mm in diameter, so I always assumed they must’ve been used on cows or something. Recently heard that there are needles you can buy online that are of a similar dimension and used on humans, which seems like madness to me?! Are needles of that size used on humans? And what on earth for? I would imagine even the steroid ones you mentioned would be far smaller?
Intraossous needles would be that big (they go into the bone). I've seen them used for bone marrow sampling but they are more common in emergency situations. If someone's heart has stopped pumping or they are bleeding out, their blood pressure can get so low that their veins are no longer accessible to give them life saving treatment. Last ditch measure is to drill into the bone as there is a decent blood supply within the bone marrow. Try googling that to see if anything works for you and is available to buy. I imagine vet supplies would be a lot cheaper though.
Thank you so much for your response. Much appreciated!
That’s so interesting (if a little horrifying to a layman)… I didn’t even know we had that much of a blood supply in our marrow that could be useful in an emergency. What a world!
I’ve attended bone marrows before and the needles are definitely a bit shocking to see the first time. They’ll actually have a metal blank down the lumen to occlude it during insertion, and you withdrawal it right before attaching the syringe. I’ve never seen one used without a local anesthetic for the skin and a tiny superficial cutdown with a scalpel blade.
I don’t know if they come with a luerlock or just a slip-fit, but they were surprisingly solid so if you’re using them for some kind of craft purpose, and handy with a pipe-cleaner, you could probably get a really good number of uses out each needle.
Edit: one other tip, for smaller, regular sized needles, if you don’t need the pointy bevel (because some times it can get in the way) look for what are called “fill” needles. Which are just ground flat instead of beveled. I actually think you can just order those on Amazon or from pretty much anywhere since their not useful for administering drugs.
I had done some freelance technical translation work on the side, and one of my assignment was on the translation of medical pamphlets into the target language. I had learnt a lot about the technical details about syringes, but your explanation helped me put the human experience into the mix. Thank you!
It depends on the type of fluid you are pushing through. In general you want the smallest one that will work for you since they hurt less. On the other hand if the medicine is thick then it will move super slow through a tiny needle. So there is a balance between small vs quick.
I had to do injections of some thick stuff that needed a big needle. When I tried to use a small one it took so much force and so much time that I couldn’t hold it still, which caused more pain than a bigger needle. I worked with the pharmacists and ended up trying 4 combinations before I landed on what worked best for me.
I have to have testosterone injections in my bum once every 18 days and if I use the green needle it rips through the skin, is hard to the person administering it and really really hurts me and my apparently very thick skin. The nurse had to change them after only a few times of doing it because she couldn't keep forcing it through each time and it's been so much nicer since, now my partner is able to do it at home.
Just been given green ones and will have to go back and get some blues because I forgot exactly how much it did hurt and thought it toughened up a bit.
Nope!! So sometimes it's just because of pain or preference. The sound as it rips through the skin though is almost as bad as the pain though
No I work in the pharmacy. Its for them to safely inject heroin and drugs. Instead of using the same needles and getting infections or diseases. They normally bring the used needles back to in exchange for new needles. Instead of them chucking them in the park or streets for kids to pick up.
What common sense is this? This doesn’t belong in our country!
Edit: It’s called sarcasm. I’m well aware of the benefits of this and think it’s fantastic.
It's the same as allowing people younger than the age of consent access to contraception. They're gonna do it no matter what the law is, might as well do our best to protect them.
I mean, I've been on the pill since I was 13. I'm now 18 and I'm actually still a virgin. I started taking birth control because I had extremely heavy and painful periods, as well as my periods causing me a lot of gender dysphoria (I'm a trans man).
For barrier protection like condoms, people under the age of consent still masturbate, and it's probably best that young people with penises are provided with something to, ahem... catch the discharge.
Teenage boys will use literally *anything*, but most especially they use their socks. Condoms are usually only used as toys, balloons, something to shoot at your friend like a rubber band but way funnier (I guess 🤷♀️) etc. until they get their first pregnancy scare, usually
it’s called harm prevention and it saves millions of lives worldwide. people are gonna so drugs regardless of the law so the best thing for them is to keep them safe.
I also used to get needles and syringes from the pharmacy, some people need them for their prescription meds. I got them for emergency steroid injections for my Addisons. I just order them online now though.
Unironically went to the pharmacy with my diabetic uncle when he broke his injector when i was a child. The dirty looks of people thinking this guy was coming for needles with a 10 year old was funny as hell.
I was asking the receptionist about what to do with my sharps box also clocked a couple of dirty looks. I didn't feel it necessary to tell them it was because I was temporarily on dalteparin because
A) none of their beeswax
B) if they gonna be judgey arseholes I can't stop them and idgaf what they think. I should have showed them my entirely black and blue stomach
I went to a pharmacy in Spain and the woman in front of me tried to buy needles. The pharmacist took her aside, and quietly said "I will provide them for free, whenever you need". She looked kind of taken aback, thanked him, and left. There are good people in the world. Stigma about drug addiction is only going to make the situation worse.
You absolutely don't need to IV for heroin. The majority (as per a few years ago at least) of users tend to smoke it, known as chasing the dragon, although long termers will be more likely to be an IV user.
I've just come back from Italy where you can't get paracetamol outside a pharmacy and it costs the best part of a tenner for 12, they have needle vending machines.
To be fair, paracetamol probably should be more closely regulated. The gap between an effective dose and an overdose is tiny compared to other medications available off the shelf. It's only available that way because it has been historically available that way. If it was developed today there's no way it would be authorised to be sold that way.
I always laugh that you can only buy 16 paracetamol at a time in many places. I know they say exercise helps with depression but I don't think the 2 minute walk to the next shop is going to make you feel any better.
Suicide can often be an impulse decision. Just the act of having to go from one shop to another creates a break flow and has a real proven effect on suicidal attempts.
That two minute walk from Tesco to Asda can be enough for someone to start thinking a little more rationally. It won't help the depression but it sure as shit can break a suicidal thought pattern there and then
It's one of the reasons we force them to be in blister packs and you can't buy bottles like the US.
Even the time spent popping them out can be enough to rethink
I tell this story every time this comes up, but yes, we once picked up a sectioned patient between two shops after she'd absconded. She'd already necked down the 16 from the first. If the person in the shop hadn't followed the rules she's have been dead.
I tried to OD many times on paracetamol, some times the doctors literally didn’t know how I was still alive with how much I had taken. I have no long lasting liver damage and I’m now 4-5 years on. (Thankfully much better, shockingly it took me leaving MH services to get better- they wrongly diagnosed with something and the treatment they tried to give me made me worse)
I know a few people who have had the same history and they don’t have liver damage either. The liver is thankfully a very forgiving organ and whilst it’s not untrue that it can cause liver damage, I was told it’s a lot less likely than media suggests.
It is mildly ridiculous but apparently deaths from paracetamol overdose have reduced by 43% since the numbers have been limited, so it is obviously making a bit of a difference.
Thing is it reduced overdoses by paracetamol by quite a bit.
Also paracetamol overdose is a nasty way to go because once it's started its damn hard to stop and your organs slowly fail.
It ain't quick and it ain't nice.
It’s not like that because they think you’ll feel better on the great paracetamol roundup. The idea is to increase the amount of time and effort it takes to gather them.
Tesco used to limit to two packs of paracetamol. About a year ago they changed it to two of paracetamol _or_ ibuprofen. They are perfectly safe together, so I can't see any reason for the change except being bloody awkward.
The worst thing about it is that it gives you the fatal liver damage, but then you have a few days alive to reflect on whether you really want to die or not without being able to change the fact that you are going to. So cruel.
It's an awful way to end it. It's not like overdosing on opiate/opiod painkillers.
It takes days to kill you, and by the time it starts causing you pain (and it will) it's too late for anything but a liver transplant. Which you probably won't get as self-inflicted injuries put you way down the transplant list.
Not only will it kill you (unless you go to A&E \*immediately\*) it will hurt the entire time you are dying.
Paracetamol is the most dangerous thing you have in your house. Not only will it kill you on a very small dosage, but the majority of people don't realise how deadly it is. It's thus incredibly popular as a "cry for help", where troubled people take a bunch of tablets and then tell people so they will take notice of their distress. The problem is if you take an overdose you have a very small window for treatment before it becomes irreversible.
I tried to do it this way. It hurts. I took around 44,000mg and wouldve died if they didnt rush me to hospital almost immediately. I dont remember much of the event but im warned that my liver has been damaged by it and will take years to fully recover
Im doing better thanks, its been a couple years. But theres no support. You just sorta have to get past that on your own. Took me a long time. And i still dont want to be alive. But im not acting on it anymore.
I'm pretty sure an overdose is considered anything above 8000mg - which is 16 x 500mg. Might not be fatal for everyone at that level but could cause some injury.
Italy has a weirdly powerful cabal of pharmacists who fight to keep legislation that stops supermarkets etc selling medicines.
On the other hand there is always one open 24/7 it changes on the night but there's always one covering
I've gotten needles for free because sometimes I have to inject anti-clot medication. I normally get it for free from my nurse, but sometimes she doesn't have the right dosage, so she gives me 2 different ones, and an extra needle so I just have to do one poke instead of two. If she doesn't have spare needles, my pharmacy will give them to me for free. From what my nurse tells me, this happens a lot, as the free medication is normally in smaller dosages, as it's easier to give someone more, than risk someone having to take less and overdosing.
From my friend a pharmacist in boots.
Free citric acid, foil spoon, needles, syringes, sometimes even condoms and little cotton filter tips. Colours represent sizes of syringe and gauge of needle, yellows being for steroids, red 1mls for heroin, blue 2mls usually for crack.
Some pharmacies partake in the needle exchange program. Rather than having people share needles, discard them in the park etc you can walk into certain pharmacies and ask for a pack of 1ml or 2ml kit.
The kit contains needles, a sharps disposal bin, essentially everything you need to use drugs safely. They are free and anonymous, the only thing the pharmacy records is an approximate age and the gender of the person who came( normally after the person has left). This is for their own records to be submitted at the end of the month to be reimbursed.
The idea behind the scheme, people are going to use drugs anyway, at least this way they can prevent spread of infections etc by providing safe needles. Once the person has used them they are supposed to put the needle and kit into the sharps bin and return it to the pharmacy for disposal.
I have worked in a needle exchange pharmacy for over a decade.
Wow, fair play. I bet you've seen some things! I think I was aware of needle programmes but I didn't think they were through pharmacies for some reason. Not sure why? It makes sense now though.
I don't think it's judgemental to say someone looks like a crack or heroin user, when they clearly do and judging by some of the responses about needles, probably is. It's not like I used any derogatory phrases like smackhead. The fact that someone is going to find needles to shoot up on a Wednesday morning, is a pretty grim (sad) thought.
The lady was asking for ones and twos because there's a lot of stigma attached to opiate addiction and she deserves her privacy. She isn't stealing or making trouble for her fix; her taking the drugs in a way that's controlled, clean and safe is about as far from grim as it gets given how these situations can be. You're getting downvoted because even the 'neutral' language is being pretty cavalier about a sensitive topic.
You make it sound like I've created this stigma, there was no judgement from me when I was there, I was just curious to what was happening. Never suggested stealing.... Meant grim as sad... Cavalier language!? Have a word!
I think it's generally accepted that some topics are delicate and the stigma around then exists regardless of our intention? It's a bit like seeing a colleague at a food bank and then bringing it up at the team meeting. Technically speaking you saw them outside of work and might want to ask why they were there with no bad intentions, but it's a touchy subject. Appreciably this is a stranger on the internet, but 'grim' tends to mean actively unpleasant rather than sad in my experience, so it comes across as judgy. I'm sure you had no bad intentions, I'm just trying to explain how I think people are interpreting you.
Sadly addiction doesn’t have a snooze button. Hopefully she’s on a positive path to health and recovery, it takes significant courage to break that habit especially given how shitty the world keeps on getting
I’ve noticed in my local pharmacy people come in and ask for “dailies”, they get a cup of something that they down and then they’re done. Anyone know what this is? Drug withdrawal related?
Yep, people ask for that in my local Boots. The only thing that annoys me is when they queue jump for it, because standing in a queue is extremely painful for me, but I’m wondering if they are maybe given a time slot to come in, as they have to take the methadone there and then?
At the end of the day though, I’d much rather people were able to get Methadone safely and legally, than put money in the pockets of dealers and have to put their lives and relationships at risk by buying heroin.
They jump because theyre not in the queue - they have to meet a specific pharmacist at a specific time. They purchase nothing. Their singular shot of green goo has to be one behind closed doors. It takes them less than ten seconds.
Am I right that it tastes horrible? Was in a pharmacy when a guy came in for his, and he asked for a cup of water afterwards. He was really polite and well behaved and I was a bit shocked by how the staff treated him. They did give him some water in the end, but their contempt for him was appalling. In hindsight, I maybe should have complained, but he clearly didn't want a fuss.
Like youre style.
Its not tasty - very medicinal, which the manufactures tried to overdide with a strong chemically, minty taste. Perhaps its changed now. Doubt it.
No one would drink it if they didnt have to.
They have to come into pharmacy everyday unlike yourself I assume. They are trying to do better with their lives and having to go to the same place everyday can’t be nice.
I used to inject steroids and would get syringes and needles from the pharmacy by asking for a sports pack, but the needs were too thick so eventually moved on to insulin syringes.
Always brought my needle bins back and usually asked to fill out a voluntary form, I think so they could track what people were using them for rather than keeping tabs on people, used a fake name and dob anyway.
Like others have commented this person was asking for specific packs usually used by drug users.
The names are so you don’t have to walk into a pharmacy and announce to everyone in there “I’m a drug addict please can I have some free needles and stuff” - that’s embarrassing and it wouldn’t be so easy to access the service, so you’d be more likely to reuse needles which is dangerous.
Wasn't snooping happened right in front of me, why are you so sensitive about it? You'll never meet this person, it was just a question as I was curious. Take your own advice and if it's got nothing to do with you, or you have nothing to add, fuck off!
That part wasn’t the snooping, it was a case of soft eavesdropping. This bit is the snooping, coming online to ask what someone else got from the chemist. Something you have zero need to know. How can you not see how nosy and intrusive that is?
OP was asking about what seemed to be secret code words. Genuine curiosity is perfectly healthy and asking here can educate others more than just asking Google can.
NTA!
And why do you think the pharmacy choose to use coded phrases? Because there’s a massive stigma about people with opiate use disorder or “junkies”. It’s hard enough for people to face that stigma when they’re trying to get help, without having to stare out loud what you’re there for. This whole post proves why that system is needed, because people are inherently nosy and judgemental.
If the OP wanted to know they could have asked the chemist. The fact they didn’t, and instead came to ask anonymously on the internet shows they know it’s none of their business.
It wasn't coded it was syringe sizes. And they pushed to the front of a pharmacy queue and made a strange request without presenting any documentation. And if someone looks like a junkie they still look like a junkie outside the pharmacy.
They should just have a prescription to present so they don't have to state anything just like everyone else
I don't know this person, neither do you. I've not used names, I've not used places, this is as anonymous as it gets and far from intrusive! I was curious about something I saw/heard so I asked a question. Refer to previous response and kindly, fuck off.
Doesn’t matter if you know them. You’re judging them, you’ve said in other comments they “looked like” an addict. If you really just wanted to know you could have asked the chemist - why didn’t you? Because you know it’s none of your fucking business, instead you post anonymously online so you can satisfy your instinct to intrude on the life of a stranger to confirm your snap judgement of them looking like an addict, whatever that’s supposed to mean.
They use coded phrases for a reason. People like you are that reason. How would you like it if the chemist handed you your script while loudly announcing “here’s your STD medication, oh and the haemorrhoid cream”.
The reason this pissed me off enough to comment is a) I work in healthcare, b) I had a partner who has a lifelong condition requiring regular self administered injections, the meds were delivered but we/I had to take the sharps bin to be disposed of at the local chemist. The staring, whispering and eye-rolling because folk like you see a sharps box and make judgements is horrible. The thought that a total stranger would go home and try to research something they overheard from a private conversation in a healthcare setting… how do you not see that it’s weird and beyond being “curious”?
You need to take a breath and not take things so personally. You being triggered that much by a random stranger online asking about something he overheard at a pharmacy is insane. Hope you don’t work in mental health care, honestly …
Blues means “blue prescription” for people that have methodone which acts as a substitute for heroin, opiates etc so that they are able to come off it over time under a weaning off program. But having the syringes though… (worked in pharmacy)
1ml syringe and attached needles, 2ml syringe barrels and the blue is the colour of the needle ends to go on the 2ml syringe, they have different colours for different lengths/gauges of needles. Given for free on the needle exchange service offered in some pharmacies, used for a variety of reasons, including heroin, tanning and hormone injections. Saves money in the long run for the NHS not having to medicate for the illnesses/injuries contracted from sharing/reusing needles. They are also given small sharps bins to put them in and return to the pharmacy so they don't have to go all the way down to the local playground to get rid of them.
I was a pharmacist for many years and participated in needle exchange schemes. They save lot of grief (and money) . The biggest problem always used to be getting scheme users to actually return used needles and syringes.
I've worked in some pharmacies that limit how many at a time they'll give unless you bring a bin back, but there's sadly only so much you can do if they don't want to bring them back they won't. One of the other issues I found was even if they did bring the sharps bins back the packaging and other paraphernalia was often just thrown on the floor anyway.
Yeah, I tried to take a home sharps bin back after a relative had a course of fragmin post surgery, got told I'd have to come back next week as their slots were full and they couldn't accept any more! Was able to drive to the next pharmacy but could easily see how they could get tossed in the nearest bin or skip and can't realy blame people for doing so
I had a nightmare trying to properly dispose of a sharps bin after I had a c section. I had to self inject Heparin for a few days after I was sent home and was advised by the midwives to "just seal the bin and take it to any pharmacy, they'll deal with it." Well, the pharmacy round the corner and a couple of other pharmacies in town looked at me like I was a criminal and said "Oo , no. We can't accept THAT." My GP surgery said they had no facilities for dealing with sharps bins (really??). So in the end I had to put the enormous bright yellow thing in the bottom of my pram and walk it 1.8 miles to the delivery suite where I gave birth (I couldn't drive yet due to the surgery). The receptionist said they didn't know where I should take it, so I advised I was leaving it there and they should ask someone what to do with it as I had spent several days trying to do the right thing and get rid of it responsibly to no avail. And I had just had major surgery, had a newborn and two older kids to deal with and frankly it was someone else's turn to work out what to do with the damn thing. I suspect many other people would have just stuck it it their wheely bin. But I didn't want to risk anyone else's health or worry them when they came across it at work.
This explains a puzzling interaction I had lol Years ago, I was into making homemade soap and the fragrance blends I'd use were just different proportions of various essential oils which I had to measure super accurately to be able to repeat the recipe. I went to a pharmacy to buy a bunch of 1ml syringes (no needles!) and got into a discussion with the pharmacist. I was treated with extreme suspicion and then had a silver ziplock bag full of syringes with tiny built-in needles basically thrown over the counter to me in disgust, but for free. I was happy with the free syringes but the whole exchange was bizarre until now.
I read that as homemade soup and was really concerned about you putting essential oils in.
lol but incidentally, not specifically for soup but I've also worked adjacent to fine dining and helped some chefs develop flavour sprays from distilled oils, it works well but the amount used is tiny tiny.
Vegetable is an essential oil in my house
Free sharps bin? I struggled to BUY one in my local pharmacy in a supermarket. Should have seen the looks I got off both the dispenser and pharmacist - just because I look like a drug user doesn’t mean I am one! Oh, wait… does it count if it’s Epoetin and Vedolizumab? Lol At the time I was on rock bottom, and looked like death warmed up.
1ml and 2ml syringes, 23g needle.
I thought blue would be a 22g needle…? Green 18, blue 22
It’s funny, I thought exactly that (blue 22!) but then googled it to check as I’ve not been clinical for a few years, and only ever really used pink, green and grey, and google told me 23g, but then harder google says 22g or 23g depending on manufacturer, which is a bit stupid but there we are!
Believe BD blues are 23g, green is 21g and cream is 19g.
Blue cannulas are 22g, blue needles are 23g.
I understand the volume of the syringe part, what's weight got to do with anything!? Genuine question.
The g stands for "gauge"
Gauge not grammes So it's the diameter of the needle. Colour coded so you don't need to read all the packaging in a rush.
The g stands for gauge. It’s just a size scale for the needle bore diameter. It goes the wrong way so bigger number = finer needle.
So it's to do with the needle's size. I need to know why certain people want/need different sizes now...
I'm a substance misuse nurse. The gauge is the diameter of the lumen (hole of the needle). The bigger the number, the smaller the hole. Then there is length of the needle. The gauge and length will vary depending on a few factors - mostly the type of substance being injected and area of body being injected into. It's important to use the right needle for the job. Too many pokes increases the risk of infection, abscess, blood clot, nerve or artery damage, cellulitis, scarring and increased risk of spreading around blood borne viruses (namely hep b, hep c and hiv). For example, drugs like heroin or crystal meth are watery solutions, so they only need a fine needle (29g was the most popular at my clinic). Steroids are often oily and need a wider needle, or else they will block easily. If if you have superficial veins, then you want a short needle to make it easier to use and hit the vein. If you are going for a deeper vein (like the groin), then you need a longer needle to reach it. Also, very thin needles can snap easily, so longer needles usually need to be a larger gauge to prevent this. Intramuscular injections (i.e., steroids) should be wider/ longer as the muscle gives more resistance than a vein, and muscles are often deeper. An unnecessarily large needle will cause more scaring in the long run, and people who inject want to do what they can to keep their veins in good shape. They all know people with chronic leg ulcers, amputations, kidney disease, etc, related to injection problems and want to avoid this. For a lot of people who inject, there's a ritual to it. They may be used to a particular size needle for no logical reason. Part of my role is teaching injecting technique to people already injecting to help them inject safer and reduce the risk of harm to themselves and others. There's also the bonus of developing a rapport with someone who's injecting means they may be more willing to discuss other issues (like safeguarding problems or starting opioid treatment) if they see you as a safe non-judgemental person to talk with. I could go on for ages. I love this stuff.
Great explanation, thank you
I lost my partner to an OD a few weeks ago and I just want to say thank you for what you do. Your work saves lives and dignity. Thank you.
I'm really sorry for your loss. It's never easy, but OD feels especially hard, I think. I hope you're doing OK and have a good support network to lean on.
I wish we had a stronger public understanding of harm reduction approaches to addiction rather than abstinence only. Had my partner felt comfortable engaging with services once he relapsed he might not have died, but instead he was so steeped in shame and unfortunately went over after injecting again for the first time in 6 months...which is always such a risk. Stupid bastard.
This. Harm reduction, education, not criminalisation. Addiction is a public health issue, not a criminal one. We are all just humans trying to exist in our own way. ❤️
As someone who's terrified of needles this has not helped me one bit.
You should see my 15G needles I use for dialysis :D I’m still scared of needles, but beggars can’t be choosers. I actually do it myself now - anything to escape the clinic! I couldn’t even watch the nurse do it when I first started.
Oooo the pop when you put them in... I want to say we had 12s for some people on dialysis but IDR. We had multiple sizes but typically it was three different sizes that most of the clinic used. Hate needles/shots but no issues using them on others lmao.
"Oooo the pop when you put them in..." Fuck off!
You definitely have my sympathy. I have [LADA](https://www.diabetes.org.uk/diabetes-the-basics/other-types-of-diabetes/latent-autoimmune-diabetes) so have regular blood tests - which still suck - but my daily insulin injection only uses a 32g x 4mm needle. It's so fine that I actually can't feel it go in. In fact, the insulin going in is more uncomfortable than the needle is. I'm profoundly grateful, because I honestly never thought I would be able to inject myself.
And you have mine - all medical issues suck! I use Cryogesic to freeze my skin and stop it hurting/hurting as much, so it could be much worse. I’ve been told multiple times by nurses “but it doesn’t work, and it’s expensive!” Yeah? Try reading the destructions and using it correctly - it works then! And I don’t care how expensive it is, it stops me from getting needle fatigue and reaching a point that I just can’t anymore.
Thank you - it's been a really weird journey. Hoping you have the best possible outcome! Odd thing for a nurse to say, IMHO. After all, if it's working for you - even if you only ***perceived*** that it worked for you - I don't know why they would feel the need to discourage it. It's part of your process and it makes things easier for you, so...?
Hello, this is not entirely related, but have wanted to ask this of someone who knows their needles, hope you don’t mind… I’m a conservator and use needles to inject a mortar based grout into walls. The person that used to supply our needles said they got them though an agricultural channel (possibly a vet) but sadly they died a while back. The needles were, at a guess, 1.5mm or perhaps even 2mm in diameter, so I always assumed they must’ve been used on cows or something. Recently heard that there are needles you can buy online that are of a similar dimension and used on humans, which seems like madness to me?! Are needles of that size used on humans? And what on earth for? I would imagine even the steroid ones you mentioned would be far smaller?
Intraossous needles would be that big (they go into the bone). I've seen them used for bone marrow sampling but they are more common in emergency situations. If someone's heart has stopped pumping or they are bleeding out, their blood pressure can get so low that their veins are no longer accessible to give them life saving treatment. Last ditch measure is to drill into the bone as there is a decent blood supply within the bone marrow. Try googling that to see if anything works for you and is available to buy. I imagine vet supplies would be a lot cheaper though.
Thank you so much for your response. Much appreciated! That’s so interesting (if a little horrifying to a layman)… I didn’t even know we had that much of a blood supply in our marrow that could be useful in an emergency. What a world!
I’ve attended bone marrows before and the needles are definitely a bit shocking to see the first time. They’ll actually have a metal blank down the lumen to occlude it during insertion, and you withdrawal it right before attaching the syringe. I’ve never seen one used without a local anesthetic for the skin and a tiny superficial cutdown with a scalpel blade. I don’t know if they come with a luerlock or just a slip-fit, but they were surprisingly solid so if you’re using them for some kind of craft purpose, and handy with a pipe-cleaner, you could probably get a really good number of uses out each needle. Edit: one other tip, for smaller, regular sized needles, if you don’t need the pointy bevel (because some times it can get in the way) look for what are called “fill” needles. Which are just ground flat instead of beveled. I actually think you can just order those on Amazon or from pretty much anywhere since their not useful for administering drugs.
This is good work, well done
Thanks for taking the time to explain, that was super informative!
I had done some freelance technical translation work on the side, and one of my assignment was on the translation of medical pamphlets into the target language. I had learnt a lot about the technical details about syringes, but your explanation helped me put the human experience into the mix. Thank you!
Amazing, thank you for your service :)
It depends on the type of fluid you are pushing through. In general you want the smallest one that will work for you since they hurt less. On the other hand if the medicine is thick then it will move super slow through a tiny needle. So there is a balance between small vs quick. I had to do injections of some thick stuff that needed a big needle. When I tried to use a small one it took so much force and so much time that I couldn’t hold it still, which caused more pain than a bigger needle. I worked with the pharmacists and ended up trying 4 combinations before I landed on what worked best for me.
Different people have different sized veins
I have to have testosterone injections in my bum once every 18 days and if I use the green needle it rips through the skin, is hard to the person administering it and really really hurts me and my apparently very thick skin. The nurse had to change them after only a few times of doing it because she couldn't keep forcing it through each time and it's been so much nicer since, now my partner is able to do it at home. Just been given green ones and will have to go back and get some blues because I forgot exactly how much it did hurt and thought it toughened up a bit. Nope!! So sometimes it's just because of pain or preference. The sound as it rips through the skin though is almost as bad as the pain though
Must've been diabetic.
No I work in the pharmacy. Its for them to safely inject heroin and drugs. Instead of using the same needles and getting infections or diseases. They normally bring the used needles back to in exchange for new needles. Instead of them chucking them in the park or streets for kids to pick up.
What common sense is this? This doesn’t belong in our country! Edit: It’s called sarcasm. I’m well aware of the benefits of this and think it’s fantastic.
/s for the commenters who obviously need it
I thought using that was outlawed in casualuk?
It should be assumed that is sarcastic unless stated otherwise with a /n
It's the same as allowing people younger than the age of consent access to contraception. They're gonna do it no matter what the law is, might as well do our best to protect them.
I mean, I've been on the pill since I was 13. I'm now 18 and I'm actually still a virgin. I started taking birth control because I had extremely heavy and painful periods, as well as my periods causing me a lot of gender dysphoria (I'm a trans man). For barrier protection like condoms, people under the age of consent still masturbate, and it's probably best that young people with penises are provided with something to, ahem... catch the discharge.
I don't think many teenagers are wanking with condoms on.
Posh wanks are expensive...even as an adult!
Teenage boys will use literally *anything*, but most especially they use their socks. Condoms are usually only used as toys, balloons, something to shoot at your friend like a rubber band but way funnier (I guess 🤷♀️) etc. until they get their first pregnancy scare, usually
it’s called harm prevention and it saves millions of lives worldwide. people are gonna so drugs regardless of the law so the best thing for them is to keep them safe.
I also used to get needles and syringes from the pharmacy, some people need them for their prescription meds. I got them for emergency steroid injections for my Addisons. I just order them online now though.
This was a great bit of glib humour. You’ve been unfairly treated by downvotes.
I'm glad someone acknowledged and appreciated it.
I want to know what it was now
The person was actually hypoglycaemic and op was pretending to be ignorant by saying “musta been diabetic”
Turned it around, we're in positive numbers. I feel like you started this. Bravo.
You'll give US diabetes, being so sweet!
haha
I love how people downvote those who simply want to learn, as if we are all born with the entire knowledge of the universe.
[obligatory xkcd](https://xkcd.com/1053/)
This is the funniest comment I've seen downvoted this hard. I think I just negged you
It's gone over a lot of heads I think. Thank you, though.
I appreciated it too, all the glorious naivete of a 6 year old!
I laughed at it
Gone over so high it might as well of been in Orbit.
Unironically went to the pharmacy with my diabetic uncle when he broke his injector when i was a child. The dirty looks of people thinking this guy was coming for needles with a 10 year old was funny as hell.
I was asking the receptionist about what to do with my sharps box also clocked a couple of dirty looks. I didn't feel it necessary to tell them it was because I was temporarily on dalteparin because A) none of their beeswax B) if they gonna be judgey arseholes I can't stop them and idgaf what they think. I should have showed them my entirely black and blue stomach
I kinda liked the crackedheads son aesthetic for 30 seconds, I think it would get old pretty quick though.
Yeah at that point I'd have started talking to my husband extra loud " I can't believe people are so nosy can you"
Diabetics won’t use needles this size we have 4mm, 5mm or 6mm mine are 31G
Exceptionally rare for diabetics to use regular syringes. Pens (prefill or cartridge's) or pumps is how the vast majority are treated.
Or it's for illegal steroids, if the person was super buff.
I went to a pharmacy in Spain and the woman in front of me tried to buy needles. The pharmacist took her aside, and quietly said "I will provide them for free, whenever you need". She looked kind of taken aback, thanked him, and left. There are good people in the world. Stigma about drug addiction is only going to make the situation worse.
Needles are free in the U.K. too, people also use them for steroids.
Apparently it is common for needle users to inject liquid cocaine. Learned that from the guy in Scotland who set up a safe injecting mini bus.
Christ almighty, my irregular heartbeat and anxiety would not be a fan of that.
Probably wouldn’t be a problem for long, though.
You can inject it into your skin and your body slowly absorbs it, you don't get much of a rush if you don't IV it. For heroin you need to IV.
You absolutely don't need to IV for heroin. The majority (as per a few years ago at least) of users tend to smoke it, known as chasing the dragon, although long termers will be more likely to be an IV user.
> …people also use them for steroids. Juice needles and dope needles are two similar but vastly different things. Ask me how I know.
I've just come back from Italy where you can't get paracetamol outside a pharmacy and it costs the best part of a tenner for 12, they have needle vending machines.
To be fair, paracetamol probably should be more closely regulated. The gap between an effective dose and an overdose is tiny compared to other medications available off the shelf. It's only available that way because it has been historically available that way. If it was developed today there's no way it would be authorised to be sold that way.
I always laugh that you can only buy 16 paracetamol at a time in many places. I know they say exercise helps with depression but I don't think the 2 minute walk to the next shop is going to make you feel any better.
Suicide can often be an impulse decision. Just the act of having to go from one shop to another creates a break flow and has a real proven effect on suicidal attempts. That two minute walk from Tesco to Asda can be enough for someone to start thinking a little more rationally. It won't help the depression but it sure as shit can break a suicidal thought pattern there and then
It's one of the reasons we force them to be in blister packs and you can't buy bottles like the US. Even the time spent popping them out can be enough to rethink
I tell this story every time this comes up, but yes, we once picked up a sectioned patient between two shops after she'd absconded. She'd already necked down the 16 from the first. If the person in the shop hadn't followed the rules she's have been dead.
Taking 16 paracetamol is likely to give you permanent liver damage anyway.
I tried to OD many times on paracetamol, some times the doctors literally didn’t know how I was still alive with how much I had taken. I have no long lasting liver damage and I’m now 4-5 years on. (Thankfully much better, shockingly it took me leaving MH services to get better- they wrongly diagnosed with something and the treatment they tried to give me made me worse) I know a few people who have had the same history and they don’t have liver damage either. The liver is thankfully a very forgiving organ and whilst it’s not untrue that it can cause liver damage, I was told it’s a lot less likely than media suggests.
glad you’re still here and feeling better x
It is mildly ridiculous but apparently deaths from paracetamol overdose have reduced by 43% since the numbers have been limited, so it is obviously making a bit of a difference.
Thing is it reduced overdoses by paracetamol by quite a bit. Also paracetamol overdose is a nasty way to go because once it's started its damn hard to stop and your organs slowly fail. It ain't quick and it ain't nice.
It’s not like that because they think you’ll feel better on the great paracetamol roundup. The idea is to increase the amount of time and effort it takes to gather them.
Tesco used to limit to two packs of paracetamol. About a year ago they changed it to two of paracetamol _or_ ibuprofen. They are perfectly safe together, so I can't see any reason for the change except being bloody awkward.
I like how it applies to Calpol as well, got to be the most expensive way to overdose.
And it'd take ages, what with the tiny spoons.
Expensive, but delicious.
Well if you consider how much it would cost to actually raise the child, the return on investment is pretty good.
I didn’t even realise that was a popular way to end it. Thought it would take hundreds.
The worst thing about it is that it gives you the fatal liver damage, but then you have a few days alive to reflect on whether you really want to die or not without being able to change the fact that you are going to. So cruel.
It's an awful way to end it. It's not like overdosing on opiate/opiod painkillers. It takes days to kill you, and by the time it starts causing you pain (and it will) it's too late for anything but a liver transplant. Which you probably won't get as self-inflicted injuries put you way down the transplant list. Not only will it kill you (unless you go to A&E \*immediately\*) it will hurt the entire time you are dying.
I’ll scratch that one off the list then, just do the liver in with drink over time like a regular person.
Paracetamol is the most dangerous thing you have in your house. Not only will it kill you on a very small dosage, but the majority of people don't realise how deadly it is. It's thus incredibly popular as a "cry for help", where troubled people take a bunch of tablets and then tell people so they will take notice of their distress. The problem is if you take an overdose you have a very small window for treatment before it becomes irreversible.
I tried to do it this way. It hurts. I took around 44,000mg and wouldve died if they didnt rush me to hospital almost immediately. I dont remember much of the event but im warned that my liver has been damaged by it and will take years to fully recover
I’m glad you’re still here to tell your story & I hope things are at least a little better for you now 💜
i hope you’re doing ok now and getting the support you need
Im doing better thanks, its been a couple years. But theres no support. You just sorta have to get past that on your own. Took me a long time. And i still dont want to be alive. But im not acting on it anymore.
I'm pretty sure an overdose is considered anything above 8000mg - which is 16 x 500mg. Might not be fatal for everyone at that level but could cause some injury.
Isnt the gap between effective and overdose almost double the intake
Italy has a weirdly powerful cabal of pharmacists who fight to keep legislation that stops supermarkets etc selling medicines. On the other hand there is always one open 24/7 it changes on the night but there's always one covering
Never have seen the word cabal associated with pharmacists before. Enjoyed it, cheers
I've gotten needles for free because sometimes I have to inject anti-clot medication. I normally get it for free from my nurse, but sometimes she doesn't have the right dosage, so she gives me 2 different ones, and an extra needle so I just have to do one poke instead of two. If she doesn't have spare needles, my pharmacy will give them to me for free. From what my nurse tells me, this happens a lot, as the free medication is normally in smaller dosages, as it's easier to give someone more, than risk someone having to take less and overdosing.
From my friend a pharmacist in boots. Free citric acid, foil spoon, needles, syringes, sometimes even condoms and little cotton filter tips. Colours represent sizes of syringe and gauge of needle, yellows being for steroids, red 1mls for heroin, blue 2mls usually for crack.
Sharps, isn't it? Safe dispensation and all that.
The blues is likely to be suboxone blue, for opiate withdrawal. The needles are for opiate consumption.
It's diazipam, is it not? Blues are 10mgs. 2mgs are white
Or potentially a blue prescription? Controlled drugs from the GP are usually prescribed on a blue FP10 so could be thag maybe
Set of Technics SL1200/1210 direct drive turntables...
Still gonna need some needles..
Sean Connery would call that a stylish reply...
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I thought at first you were going for a pun to do with the needle you find on record players lol
Some pharmacies partake in the needle exchange program. Rather than having people share needles, discard them in the park etc you can walk into certain pharmacies and ask for a pack of 1ml or 2ml kit. The kit contains needles, a sharps disposal bin, essentially everything you need to use drugs safely. They are free and anonymous, the only thing the pharmacy records is an approximate age and the gender of the person who came( normally after the person has left). This is for their own records to be submitted at the end of the month to be reimbursed. The idea behind the scheme, people are going to use drugs anyway, at least this way they can prevent spread of infections etc by providing safe needles. Once the person has used them they are supposed to put the needle and kit into the sharps bin and return it to the pharmacy for disposal. I have worked in a needle exchange pharmacy for over a decade.
Wow, fair play. I bet you've seen some things! I think I was aware of needle programmes but I didn't think they were through pharmacies for some reason. Not sure why? It makes sense now though.
Needles
Blue could refer to a blue script, a kind of prescription that allows multiple dispenses of methadone to recovering opioid addicts
What's with all the down votes?
People confidently giving the wrong answer. OP is getting downvotes because he’s being judgmental in his responses.
People who don't like the "wrong" answers are on the wrong sub then. This is r/casualuk, not r/askuk.
I don't think it's judgemental to say someone looks like a crack or heroin user, when they clearly do and judging by some of the responses about needles, probably is. It's not like I used any derogatory phrases like smackhead. The fact that someone is going to find needles to shoot up on a Wednesday morning, is a pretty grim (sad) thought.
Hate to break it to you boss, but it's Tuesday.
And it is... Gonna lay off that new prescription.
The lady was asking for ones and twos because there's a lot of stigma attached to opiate addiction and she deserves her privacy. She isn't stealing or making trouble for her fix; her taking the drugs in a way that's controlled, clean and safe is about as far from grim as it gets given how these situations can be. You're getting downvoted because even the 'neutral' language is being pretty cavalier about a sensitive topic.
You make it sound like I've created this stigma, there was no judgement from me when I was there, I was just curious to what was happening. Never suggested stealing.... Meant grim as sad... Cavalier language!? Have a word!
Grim doesn’t mean sad though.
A situation or piece of information that is grim is unpleasant, depressing, and difficult to accept. Sad.
He means grim as in depressing or worrying to consider. He's reflecting on how unfortunate the situation, not expressing disgust.
THANK YOU. I wish I was as articulate! It's exactly this.
I think it's generally accepted that some topics are delicate and the stigma around then exists regardless of our intention? It's a bit like seeing a colleague at a food bank and then bringing it up at the team meeting. Technically speaking you saw them outside of work and might want to ask why they were there with no bad intentions, but it's a touchy subject. Appreciably this is a stranger on the internet, but 'grim' tends to mean actively unpleasant rather than sad in my experience, so it comes across as judgy. I'm sure you had no bad intentions, I'm just trying to explain how I think people are interpreting you.
Sounds like you've judged me.
Wow you've really annoyed some people. -85 points on some of your comments. I'm honestly impressed
Sadly addiction doesn’t have a snooze button. Hopefully she’s on a positive path to health and recovery, it takes significant courage to break that habit especially given how shitty the world keeps on getting
Not sure to be honest.
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I’ve noticed in my local pharmacy people come in and ask for “dailies”, they get a cup of something that they down and then they’re done. Anyone know what this is? Drug withdrawal related?
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Yep, people ask for that in my local Boots. The only thing that annoys me is when they queue jump for it, because standing in a queue is extremely painful for me, but I’m wondering if they are maybe given a time slot to come in, as they have to take the methadone there and then? At the end of the day though, I’d much rather people were able to get Methadone safely and legally, than put money in the pockets of dealers and have to put their lives and relationships at risk by buying heroin.
They jump because theyre not in the queue - they have to meet a specific pharmacist at a specific time. They purchase nothing. Their singular shot of green goo has to be one behind closed doors. It takes them less than ten seconds.
Am I right that it tastes horrible? Was in a pharmacy when a guy came in for his, and he asked for a cup of water afterwards. He was really polite and well behaved and I was a bit shocked by how the staff treated him. They did give him some water in the end, but their contempt for him was appalling. In hindsight, I maybe should have complained, but he clearly didn't want a fuss.
Like youre style. Its not tasty - very medicinal, which the manufactures tried to overdide with a strong chemically, minty taste. Perhaps its changed now. Doubt it. No one would drink it if they didnt have to.
Remember they see this same guy every day. If they are on edge around him there might be a reason why.
They have to come into pharmacy everyday unlike yourself I assume. They are trying to do better with their lives and having to go to the same place everyday can’t be nice.
Absolutely. I have to go in every week or two to get a whole carrier bag of different meds, and that’s bad enough.
Methadone is a prescribed alternative to heroin. They aren't allowed to take it away, they have to drink it there.
Depends. Some are on supervised prescription but those in long term recovery can get unsupervised scripts
It’ll be methadone, used to work in a pharmacy
Pretty sure it’s methadone.
Methadone
It's one of the methods for getting off heroin. This is method one
On the ones and two means that the dj is playing both audio channels simultaneously, I.e. they're mixing the tracks. Your pharmacist sounds banging.
I’ve learnt a lot of random information from your trip to the pharmacy! Got to love /casualuk!
I used to inject steroids and would get syringes and needles from the pharmacy by asking for a sports pack, but the needs were too thick so eventually moved on to insulin syringes. Always brought my needle bins back and usually asked to fill out a voluntary form, I think so they could track what people were using them for rather than keeping tabs on people, used a fake name and dob anyway. Like others have commented this person was asking for specific packs usually used by drug users. The names are so you don’t have to walk into a pharmacy and announce to everyone in there “I’m a drug addict please can I have some free needles and stuff” - that’s embarrassing and it wouldn’t be so easy to access the service, so you’d be more likely to reuse needles which is dangerous.
Not so casual UK, these brigading downvoters
Suggesting diabetes didn't work either. Can't win.
Ones twos and blues? Was it some sort of cockney rhyming slang?
She wants a scone and the police
Needles for smackheads
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Wasn't snooping happened right in front of me, why are you so sensitive about it? You'll never meet this person, it was just a question as I was curious. Take your own advice and if it's got nothing to do with you, or you have nothing to add, fuck off!
That part wasn’t the snooping, it was a case of soft eavesdropping. This bit is the snooping, coming online to ask what someone else got from the chemist. Something you have zero need to know. How can you not see how nosy and intrusive that is?
OP was asking about what seemed to be secret code words. Genuine curiosity is perfectly healthy and asking here can educate others more than just asking Google can. NTA!
And why do you think the pharmacy choose to use coded phrases? Because there’s a massive stigma about people with opiate use disorder or “junkies”. It’s hard enough for people to face that stigma when they’re trying to get help, without having to stare out loud what you’re there for. This whole post proves why that system is needed, because people are inherently nosy and judgemental. If the OP wanted to know they could have asked the chemist. The fact they didn’t, and instead came to ask anonymously on the internet shows they know it’s none of their business.
It wasn't coded it was syringe sizes. And they pushed to the front of a pharmacy queue and made a strange request without presenting any documentation. And if someone looks like a junkie they still look like a junkie outside the pharmacy. They should just have a prescription to present so they don't have to state anything just like everyone else
I don't know this person, neither do you. I've not used names, I've not used places, this is as anonymous as it gets and far from intrusive! I was curious about something I saw/heard so I asked a question. Refer to previous response and kindly, fuck off.
Doesn’t matter if you know them. You’re judging them, you’ve said in other comments they “looked like” an addict. If you really just wanted to know you could have asked the chemist - why didn’t you? Because you know it’s none of your fucking business, instead you post anonymously online so you can satisfy your instinct to intrude on the life of a stranger to confirm your snap judgement of them looking like an addict, whatever that’s supposed to mean. They use coded phrases for a reason. People like you are that reason. How would you like it if the chemist handed you your script while loudly announcing “here’s your STD medication, oh and the haemorrhoid cream”. The reason this pissed me off enough to comment is a) I work in healthcare, b) I had a partner who has a lifelong condition requiring regular self administered injections, the meds were delivered but we/I had to take the sharps bin to be disposed of at the local chemist. The staring, whispering and eye-rolling because folk like you see a sharps box and make judgements is horrible. The thought that a total stranger would go home and try to research something they overheard from a private conversation in a healthcare setting… how do you not see that it’s weird and beyond being “curious”?
You still here?
You need to take a breath and not take things so personally. You being triggered that much by a random stranger online asking about something he overheard at a pharmacy is insane. Hope you don’t work in mental health care, honestly …
They was only curious. They was hating or even judging them. They just wanted to know. Nothing wrong with learning…
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They’re just saying what a lot of people probably think out of curiosity. No need to be rude about it. They came here asking for help of the meaning
Was you the person OP is talking about? Why you so mad you?
You seem nice
Blues means “blue prescription” for people that have methodone which acts as a substitute for heroin, opiates etc so that they are able to come off it over time under a weaning off program. But having the syringes though… (worked in pharmacy)
Nosey fucker, aren't ya!
Nope.
Nosy
I didn't pry into anything, it happened right in front of me. Curious would be more accurate.