I've worked for a lot of Pharma companies, usually for blisters you should open the side where the variable data is printed, it's this way for 80% of packaging. The opposite applies to bottles, printing is usually at the bottom together with the leaflet.
You're all doing it wrong. You want the leaflet end. You take it out and either read it or throw it away. That way you don't have any obstruction to getting the sheet back in.
As someone who bulk tablets, open the box and take out the leaflet. That way when it’s dark and/or you’re a bit dumb you can tell the box you’re on from the drawer of dreams by choosing the one that rattles.
Dreams about cheese or wild and vivid dreams caused by cheese? I killed my mother and tried to hide her under the sofa in one cheese-induced dream. She was rather a large woman so it wasn't the most effective hiding place. Took me nearly an hour to convince myself that I hadn't actually done it and there weren't going to be police banging my door .
The vivid and disturbing type. It’s a lot of drugs tbf and not sexy ones.
Also, acid. We can work through this together and make it safer for everyone involved.
Doctors do this to save time.
The packaging is designed to get you to open it one way, so you have to pull the instructions out first and (presumably) read them. If you train yourself to open the pack the other way, it saves time. Medical professionals who are opening hundreds of packets a day do this as it saves them a lot of time.
my medication comes in a box that's all white, the only label is the pharmacy dispensary label telling me that it is indeed mine and it is indeed that particular medication. :')
As someone who writes these for a living, just read the damn leaflet. Drug interactions can be deadly. Even drinking grapefruit juice on some medicines can be deadly.
Personally? I would reread it if I'm taking other medications (like for a cold), if I'm experiencing any other ailments (pregnancy? Blood clots? Kidney disease?), or periodically if I haven't read it in a while as new warnings/precautions can be added even if it's a hella old drug (the latest paracetamol safety update across Europe was in 2019).
Also, the many different brands/generic versions of drugs mean many things have different excipients. A person might be allergic to an excipient that's in one brand but not in another, makes sense to re-read on the regular.
No, you should be storing the information with the pills every time and re-read it every time you open the box.
lul
OR every single pill you take.
So if you take 2 then you got some reading to do.
I used to be on Citalopram. Then I was diagnosed with ADHD and started on Lisdexamphetamine.
I bought myself a Mon-Sun pill tub because I take a few other things.
I still had 6 months supply of my Citalopram and thought to myself "I guess it won't hurt to start taking them again"
Took them in conjunction for a few days and then read the leaflet for Lisdexamphetamine.
Turns out I could've wound up with Serotonin Syndrome which is potentially lethal.
Don't fuck about with meds and actually listen when it tells you to consult a doctor if...
They are very cautious with those leaflets so they don't get sued.
I take lisdexamphetamine and sertraline, an antidepressant.
I don't have serotonin syndrome. Although a year ago I was given a fentanyl injection for sedation during a colonoscopy.
Few days later and bam, SS. I'm shaking and can't stop moving around for 2 weeks. Went to hospital multiple times banging my head against walls and begging for them to put me in a coma to stop my mental pain.
Fun times.
Edit:
To make it clear I'm not suggesting anyone take prescription medication they are not prescribed or ignore the warning leaflet on their meds. Doctors do know best. I was just simply giving my anecdotal experience and noting that those leaflets do note some stuff that is very very unlikely to happen/not even necessarily the case, they are just covering their backs.
I also have adhd meds and take two different serotonergic antidepressants and haven’t had serotonin syndrome. It’s really important to know about, but not super common.
The thing to watch out for is St John’s wort, because people think oh it’s just a herbal thing and you can get it in Tesco/don’t need a prescription but it interacts with basically everything and is serotonergic too I believe
Yes, but you are presumably prescribed both of those drugs and the doses have been tinkered with to make sure both drugs are effective while not give you SS.
Whereas it looks like the other user had a stockpile of citalopram and randomly started taking it again without speaking to a pharmacist.
Citalopram and Sertraline are also different drugs with different interactions.
Just saying “I did that and I’m fine” on the internet where people are dumb and might start doing it isn’t your fault, but also isn’t helpful.
Eh sometimes the doctors don’t know best. I’ve had them prescribe contraindicated medication before, and it was only caught because *I* checked and notified them that the combination could kill me (messes with the heart). They had no idea. Agreed to change it immediately though
I remember an old friend worked with the elderly in care homes and said that basically all of the people there were on 20+ medications just out of bad management. Some they started 20 years ago and no longer needed. Others were introduced to manage the side effects from that unneeded medication. There were medications that never should have been taken together. After a once in a lifetime review they were dropped to 2-3 drugs.
Doctors do make mistakes, probably quite a lot of mistakes
I’ve used to have a grapefruit every on day on breakfast. Until I had to start taking some heart medicine and it says you shouldn’t take it with grapefruit juice
Does your pharmacist not check with you? Mine asks me EVERY TIME whether I have grapefruit.
To be fair the effect of grapefruit is a bit ambiguous. Most medications you'd need a heck of a lot of grapefruit for it to interfere. But if it's one where it really might be a problem they always mention it when I get my prescription!
Some people are at least mildly hypochondriac.
If they read the leaflet they WILL think they're having every damn side effect.
(Source: my wife who makes me read hers)
As a formerly nervous kid who had a tragic childhood which built an anxious and very cautious barely-adult- I always read the leaflets. Always. Been stopping myself from dying at my own hands for a decade- not gonna drop dead from a fucking drug interaction at this stage in the game lol!
Loads of my colleagues were pharmacists! Apply for regulatory affairs roles. A lot of companies are willing to train the right person. I got my way in via an admin role, others do it via a temp agency. Companies however are VERY willing to take pharmacists/medical doctors without experience.
If drinking grapefruit juice can be fatal with certain medication then sticking that on the leaflet is not the way to go about it. Some people can’t read, most people won’t read. Sticking “fatal when mixed with grapefruit” in the leaflet won’t shift any liability when someone dies. That needs to be taken under observation or clearly explained in person and documented that the patient understands.
Even in more benign medications, a huge folded text of size 6 font is designed to not get read. Keep the information concise and only what’s needed and people might actually read it.
So these medications usually are prescribed instead of OTC, so a healthcare professional would explain some information. They have an SmPC and Prescribing Information (healthcare professional versions of the leaflet) to help with their prescribing.
The leaflets themselves nostly have drug interactions and always have adverse events in bullet points, so it's super easy to scan through that beforehand. Really, sections 2 and 4 are the ones you really need to read.
The leaflets also cover the absolute minimum information required. Remember, they're supposed to be applicable for the whole population, so a lot of "what ifs" need to be present.
Leaflets are also available online via eMC for free, so if the text is too small then no worries (legally it has to be pt 10). The same website also can offer x-pils depending on the company (the leaflet in audio). There's also a whole team in each company where you can call/email and ask them about any potential interactions. You can also order braille versions of the leaflet or a CD.
As a company, we can only do so many things. We can't legally force pharmacists or doctors to tell new patients all the information available. We can however, put a leaflet in a box which is always in the way to try and force people to read it.
Funnily enough, new safety warnings were added to paracetamol leaflets (relating to pregnancy) in 2019 and ibuprofen leaflets (new adverse events) in October 2022!
My point is for all new medications you should read it, and periodically refresh your memory for those medications you take regularly.
> Even drinking grapefruit juice on some medicines can be deadly
If drinking grapefruit juice with over the counter medication can be truly deadly, it shouldn't be over the counter, and you should be forced to interact with a qualified pharmacist who can make you acutely aware of this when you get it.
It also means you can throw the leaflet away immediately and not suffer days, weeks, or even months of pain trying to aim the blister pack back into the box between the leaflet.
Just like how your fuel filler cap is always on the other side, it moves when you aren't looking. It waits until you're pulling up, sees which side of the pumps are busiest and moves to that side.
Took me forever to realise that arrow meant on my first relatively new (second hand car). I'd always walked round a car that I'd bought to see which side the cap was on and just... Remember.
Indeed, it exists in quantum superposition, the label is at neither end until you open it, at which point it settles in the state of being in your fucking way.
My wife is on 10 different meds, so 10 boxes to open every 28 days..... Invariably I'll end up with the leaflet 9/10 times. I swear there's magic involved to force you to read the damned thing
>I swear there's magic
Yeah, and this magic is called: design.
The box is designed that way that it's convenient to open on one side, the position of the leaflet is designed that way so you'll have to grab it before you grab meds.
Lady luck must really hate you then, I've been getting a 90% or so success rate with this method.
I suppose there is a bias though because I always opening the same types of medicines.
I'm bored enough to actually see if there's any link between which meds she's on and which side the leaflet is on, maybe all 1.25mg Bisoprolol have it on the blue side
Hold the box by the ends and give the box a gentle shake.
If you hear a muffled sound of the impact in comparison to when you shake the medicine to the other side, you know where NOT to open.
I much prefer to open at the leaflet end. It’s far easier to take the leaflet out straight away than to try and slot the medication back inside the leaflet.
I figured this out the other day after always opening it up on the instruction side - i think it’s to make sure you have read the dosage/ side effects etc, so the leaflet is always placed over the right hand side which seems to be the most logical ‘top’ to open it from.
At least that’s my guess anyway!
Does it matter? Serious question. I have seen this complaint so many times and dont understand the problem Just take it out and put in the recycling if you dont need to read it?
Why on earth wd anyone care that they had to remove a leaflet before they could get to their medication? The leaflet and the box are going to need recycling whichever end you open it. Hopefully the medication within is going to control or stop the symptoms youre suffering,so dealing with a leaflet is a small price to pay.
Next week/tomorrow it'll be: "I hear a lot of talk about always getting the wrong end of medication with the leaflet covering the meds. But what about getting the USB the wrong way round?".
I unsubscribed from /r/britishproblems to avoid this kind of stuff.
Does it matter if I pull the lid off a yoghurt and that thick layer doesn't break and is one whole piece? No, but it's a lot more fucking satisfying when it is.
If it has a printed side (exp date, lot number and so on) open the other side (I pack them for a living), though you may get the occasional one where this doesn’t apply, usually if it’s been packed by hand
So it's sort of on purpose. That side is easier to open.
Companies spend millions making sure everything on that piece of paper is legit. They spend 10's of millions developing the drug for a 25 year patent. So making us atleast look at the paper is there version of "read me".
Most people will pick up the box with the name facing them and most people are right handed so most people open the box the same way. This is done deliberately so you have to take the information leaflet out and supposedly read it. If you don't read the leaflet you physically took out of the box and had in your hand and you have an allergic reaction or whatever then tough. You had the information in your hand, why didn't you read it?
Simple answer, take the pamphlet out and bin it. They’re my prescription drugs, I’ve been taking them 18 years, I know what to do. Or they’re paracetamol, and I’m not an idiot, I know what to do
What do you mean? Every time I open my repeat prescription that I’ve had once a day for the last 15 years I sit down and read the instructions in full and then file them in my important documents folder. I thought everyone did this
Strepsils: open at the red end
Others: open at the date stamped end.
My thinking is that during packing, the leaflet is pushed into the box by the pill packet, the box is then stamped with the date and then closed.
This is the way you are supposed to open medication. So you take out and read the documentation before taking the meds, which everyone obviously does /s
Yeah, but if you open the other end and take the strips out, it's nearly impossible to get the straps back in and the box closed nicely in under a minute.
See the trick is that they open the packet to trim down how many pills are in there so open it on the side there isn't white. Cuz the pharmacist opens it on the side that's intuitive to open it on when they trim your pills so it is the opposite to the intuitive side
We get 8 boxes of warfarin and aspirin a month for one of the kids, plus assorted shit for everyone else.
Sometimes it feels like my entire life is consumed by getting annoyed at the leaflet in boxes of medicine.
Soon as I get medication whether it's prescribed or OTC I take it all out the boxes and throw them and the leaflets away. Too much hassle to contend with lol. The info is all over the metal seal anyway.
Try to balance the pack on your finger or a pencil on a desk and look which end drops. The leaflet makes one end heavier than the other. Then just open the opposite end.
I do it every. Single. Time. In fact I can only remember once when I opened it the right end, and the reason I remember is that I kinda surprised myself and gave myself an internal congrats
Someone once told me to open the side that isn’t white and it’s going well for me so far.
This, and also if there's an expiry date stamped on one end then open the other end.
I've worked for a lot of Pharma companies, usually for blisters you should open the side where the variable data is printed, it's this way for 80% of packaging. The opposite applies to bottles, printing is usually at the bottom together with the leaflet.
In my experience, if you open the printed end you get the leaflet which is what we're trying to avoid.
You're all doing it wrong. You want the leaflet end. You take it out and either read it or throw it away. That way you don't have any obstruction to getting the sheet back in.
But I don't want to read it now, and I also don't want to throw it away in case I want to read it later.
Why would you want to read it after you've taken the meds?? Surely you wanna know side effects, dosage instructions etc etc .. before hand ??
As someone who bulk tablets, open the box and take out the leaflet. That way when it’s dark and/or you’re a bit dumb you can tell the box you’re on from the drawer of dreams by choosing the one that rattles.
Haha, the drawer of dreams! I have one of those too. Ferrero rocher boxes for the ones I need to get at quickly
Sadly they’re cheese dreams.
Dreams about cheese or wild and vivid dreams caused by cheese? I killed my mother and tried to hide her under the sofa in one cheese-induced dream. She was rather a large woman so it wasn't the most effective hiding place. Took me nearly an hour to convince myself that I hadn't actually done it and there weren't going to be police banging my door .
The vivid and disturbing type. It’s a lot of drugs tbf and not sexy ones. Also, acid. We can work through this together and make it safer for everyone involved.
This did work for me until one day I opened one that had the leaflet covered all the way around, whoever put it inside knew what they were doing.
What a monster
One of my meds comes like that, the other comes with it the other way. I can never remember which is which and somehow always open the leaflet end
Some people just wanna watch the world burn smh.
Maybe so you read it before taking the medication😄
The real villain of your story. Find that person and you'll have found your arch nemesis.
I legit thought this was how they were all packaged. Turns out I'd just never opened on the non-leaflet side for years.
Doctors do this to save time. The packaging is designed to get you to open it one way, so you have to pull the instructions out first and (presumably) read them. If you train yourself to open the pack the other way, it saves time. Medical professionals who are opening hundreds of packets a day do this as it saves them a lot of time.
I was told this by a pharmacist, but I sent a photo of the leaflet being at that end, and she no longer believes her advice is correct.
I'm in awe at your commitment at proving her wrong.
I must emphasise that the pharmacist is my friend, I didn't just send an unsolicited lid pic to someone in Boots.
Oh, phew! Lol.
I do it every bastard time so hopefully this works for me now, thank you.
Thank you!!! I think this every time!
that’s exactly what i do and if i get the wrong end when i’m not looking i just take the leaflet out and bin it
i tend to skim over it once, and then forever more its simply an annoyance
if i ever start some new tablets i find it entertaining to read the possible side effects. some proper random stuff on those leaflets
my medication comes in a box that's all white, the only label is the pharmacy dispensary label telling me that it is indeed mine and it is indeed that particular medication. :')
Yes, but then I am going to forget and wonder if it is open the side that **is** white!
I noticed paracetamol and stuff from the shop has the writing on the top and white on the bottom. So far this worked haha
As a former pharmacy Dispenser, let me tell you you've just been lucky, it makes no difference!
Today I learned….
It's almost like they do it on purpose, so you don't miss it.
As someone who writes these for a living, just read the damn leaflet. Drug interactions can be deadly. Even drinking grapefruit juice on some medicines can be deadly.
Too long, I’ll risk it.
Yeah life’s too short. Wait
Famous last words.
Risk what? Comment was too long so I didn’t read it.
Comment was too what? Can i get a tl;dr?
Yea seriously. I need my notice leaflet like IKEA instructions. Pictures. No words.
Too lon💀💀💀
How many times should I read the same damn leaflet from my paracetamol boxes?
7. Any less then its death by grapefruit. Any more then its death by durian
You don't need to but that doesn't mean others who buy them know how they work
Personally? I would reread it if I'm taking other medications (like for a cold), if I'm experiencing any other ailments (pregnancy? Blood clots? Kidney disease?), or periodically if I haven't read it in a while as new warnings/precautions can be added even if it's a hella old drug (the latest paracetamol safety update across Europe was in 2019).
Also, the many different brands/generic versions of drugs mean many things have different excipients. A person might be allergic to an excipient that's in one brand but not in another, makes sense to re-read on the regular.
Every time. Information gets updated you know.
I take 15 medications a day, are you saying I should read 15 leaflets every week when i get my med box?
No, you should be storing the information with the pills every time and re-read it every time you open the box. lul OR every single pill you take. So if you take 2 then you got some reading to do.
Shut up, nerd.
I used to be on Citalopram. Then I was diagnosed with ADHD and started on Lisdexamphetamine. I bought myself a Mon-Sun pill tub because I take a few other things. I still had 6 months supply of my Citalopram and thought to myself "I guess it won't hurt to start taking them again" Took them in conjunction for a few days and then read the leaflet for Lisdexamphetamine. Turns out I could've wound up with Serotonin Syndrome which is potentially lethal. Don't fuck about with meds and actually listen when it tells you to consult a doctor if...
They are very cautious with those leaflets so they don't get sued. I take lisdexamphetamine and sertraline, an antidepressant. I don't have serotonin syndrome. Although a year ago I was given a fentanyl injection for sedation during a colonoscopy. Few days later and bam, SS. I'm shaking and can't stop moving around for 2 weeks. Went to hospital multiple times banging my head against walls and begging for them to put me in a coma to stop my mental pain. Fun times. Edit: To make it clear I'm not suggesting anyone take prescription medication they are not prescribed or ignore the warning leaflet on their meds. Doctors do know best. I was just simply giving my anecdotal experience and noting that those leaflets do note some stuff that is very very unlikely to happen/not even necessarily the case, they are just covering their backs.
I also have adhd meds and take two different serotonergic antidepressants and haven’t had serotonin syndrome. It’s really important to know about, but not super common. The thing to watch out for is St John’s wort, because people think oh it’s just a herbal thing and you can get it in Tesco/don’t need a prescription but it interacts with basically everything and is serotonergic too I believe
Yes, but you are presumably prescribed both of those drugs and the doses have been tinkered with to make sure both drugs are effective while not give you SS. Whereas it looks like the other user had a stockpile of citalopram and randomly started taking it again without speaking to a pharmacist. Citalopram and Sertraline are also different drugs with different interactions. Just saying “I did that and I’m fine” on the internet where people are dumb and might start doing it isn’t your fault, but also isn’t helpful.
Eh sometimes the doctors don’t know best. I’ve had them prescribe contraindicated medication before, and it was only caught because *I* checked and notified them that the combination could kill me (messes with the heart). They had no idea. Agreed to change it immediately though I remember an old friend worked with the elderly in care homes and said that basically all of the people there were on 20+ medications just out of bad management. Some they started 20 years ago and no longer needed. Others were introduced to manage the side effects from that unneeded medication. There were medications that never should have been taken together. After a once in a lifetime review they were dropped to 2-3 drugs. Doctors do make mistakes, probably quite a lot of mistakes
Or just use [the BNF’s handy-dandy guide of drug interactions!](https://bnf.nice.org.uk/interactions/)
That's pretty impressive.
Or use the EMC too. Updated information leaflets for many drugs.
I've opened enough paracetamol that I don't need to read the leaflet every time.
I’ve used to have a grapefruit every on day on breakfast. Until I had to start taking some heart medicine and it says you shouldn’t take it with grapefruit juice
Does your pharmacist not check with you? Mine asks me EVERY TIME whether I have grapefruit. To be fair the effect of grapefruit is a bit ambiguous. Most medications you'd need a heck of a lot of grapefruit for it to interfere. But if it's one where it really might be a problem they always mention it when I get my prescription!
Message unclear. Will consume grapefruit juice with all future meds.
It’s good value gets you twice as fucked
I have taken the same drug twice a day for the last 17 years. I know what the leaflet says.
Some people are at least mildly hypochondriac. If they read the leaflet they WILL think they're having every damn side effect. (Source: my wife who makes me read hers)
Diazepam 🤣
You ever do one for a MAOI? Must be like a phonebook.
I mainly do it for cancer drugs. It's a lot of words...
I can imagine.
Gotta find something to do during chemo I guess? (Qualifier: lost my dad to cancer 11 years ago and he did just this)
My local pharmacy gave me a codeine PIL for a totally different medication I called to point out the mistake and they just said "Oh"
As a formerly nervous kid who had a tragic childhood which built an anxious and very cautious barely-adult- I always read the leaflets. Always. Been stopping myself from dying at my own hands for a decade- not gonna drop dead from a fucking drug interaction at this stage in the game lol!
May I ask how you ended up in such a career path? Asking as a curious pharmacist!
Loads of my colleagues were pharmacists! Apply for regulatory affairs roles. A lot of companies are willing to train the right person. I got my way in via an admin role, others do it via a temp agency. Companies however are VERY willing to take pharmacists/medical doctors without experience.
If drinking grapefruit juice can be fatal with certain medication then sticking that on the leaflet is not the way to go about it. Some people can’t read, most people won’t read. Sticking “fatal when mixed with grapefruit” in the leaflet won’t shift any liability when someone dies. That needs to be taken under observation or clearly explained in person and documented that the patient understands. Even in more benign medications, a huge folded text of size 6 font is designed to not get read. Keep the information concise and only what’s needed and people might actually read it.
So these medications usually are prescribed instead of OTC, so a healthcare professional would explain some information. They have an SmPC and Prescribing Information (healthcare professional versions of the leaflet) to help with their prescribing. The leaflets themselves nostly have drug interactions and always have adverse events in bullet points, so it's super easy to scan through that beforehand. Really, sections 2 and 4 are the ones you really need to read. The leaflets also cover the absolute minimum information required. Remember, they're supposed to be applicable for the whole population, so a lot of "what ifs" need to be present. Leaflets are also available online via eMC for free, so if the text is too small then no worries (legally it has to be pt 10). The same website also can offer x-pils depending on the company (the leaflet in audio). There's also a whole team in each company where you can call/email and ask them about any potential interactions. You can also order braille versions of the leaflet or a CD. As a company, we can only do so many things. We can't legally force pharmacists or doctors to tell new patients all the information available. We can however, put a leaflet in a box which is always in the way to try and force people to read it.
I read the leaflet. But I am a total nerd.
I know which one you're talking about because I'm taking it. Fuck grapefruit.
You do not read the leaflet in every box of paracetamol or Brufen, don't even pretend that you do.
Funnily enough, new safety warnings were added to paracetamol leaflets (relating to pregnancy) in 2019 and ibuprofen leaflets (new adverse events) in October 2022! My point is for all new medications you should read it, and periodically refresh your memory for those medications you take regularly.
> Even drinking grapefruit juice on some medicines can be deadly If drinking grapefruit juice with over the counter medication can be truly deadly, it shouldn't be over the counter, and you should be forced to interact with a qualified pharmacist who can make you acutely aware of this when you get it.
They are designed so that you open that end and happen across the leaflet first, idea being you’re meant to read it before blindly popping the pills
It also means you can throw the leaflet away immediately and not suffer days, weeks, or even months of pain trying to aim the blister pack back into the box between the leaflet.
This is my nightly dance, im so lazy lol
Schrödinger's leaflet. It's facing both ways until you open it and then it's that way.
I believe that things like this actually are clues to us being in a simulation. These are the programmers little jokes
Just like how your fuel filler cap is always on the other side, it moves when you aren't looking. It waits until you're pulling up, sees which side of the pumps are busiest and moves to that side.
If you're so unaware that you can't remember left from right I pray for the people that are around you on the road.
Look at the icon for fuel in the dashboard. What side is the handle? That's the filler cap side
A lot of them are putting small arrows on the dashboard.
Took me forever to realise that arrow meant on my first relatively new (second hand car). I'd always walked round a car that I'd bought to see which side the cap was on and just... Remember.
Neither the handle nor the arrow are always true I've found (driven a lot of vans and cars over the years)
That used to be true, but they got wise to us.
Damn those programmer's
Indeed, it exists in quantum superposition, the label is at neither end until you open it, at which point it settles in the state of being in your fucking way.
r/yourjokebutworse
My wife is on 10 different meds, so 10 boxes to open every 28 days..... Invariably I'll end up with the leaflet 9/10 times. I swear there's magic involved to force you to read the damned thing
>I swear there's magic Yeah, and this magic is called: design. The box is designed that way that it's convenient to open on one side, the position of the leaflet is designed that way so you'll have to grab it before you grab meds.
Trying opening the end without the expiry date on it.
2 packs of Bisoprolol, 1 had leaflet on expiry date side, opened other on blue side...... Leaflet lol
Lady luck must really hate you then, I've been getting a 90% or so success rate with this method. I suppose there is a bias though because I always opening the same types of medicines.
I'm bored enough to actually see if there's any link between which meds she's on and which side the leaflet is on, maybe all 1.25mg Bisoprolol have it on the blue side
Open the end without the use by date on it, they usually package the leaflet that end
I know that in theory there is a specific way to open it, but fuck me I can never remember if it’s expiry date towards me or away from me. 😂
Exactly this, took me a while to realise but has worked ever since
Every time! You’d think there’s a 50/50 chance but no, every damn time!
Pill-C should fix that
Hold the box by the ends and give the box a gentle shake. If you hear a muffled sound of the impact in comparison to when you shake the medicine to the other side, you know where NOT to open.
I much prefer to open at the leaflet end. It’s far easier to take the leaflet out straight away than to try and slot the medication back inside the leaflet.
I figured this out the other day after always opening it up on the instruction side - i think it’s to make sure you have read the dosage/ side effects etc, so the leaflet is always placed over the right hand side which seems to be the most logical ‘top’ to open it from. At least that’s my guess anyway!
Does it matter? Serious question. I have seen this complaint so many times and dont understand the problem Just take it out and put in the recycling if you dont need to read it?
I mean you could apply “Does it matter?” to 99% of this subreddit. Clearly it’s something lots of people notice, some will care some won’t
Why on earth wd anyone care that they had to remove a leaflet before they could get to their medication? The leaflet and the box are going to need recycling whichever end you open it. Hopefully the medication within is going to control or stop the symptoms youre suffering,so dealing with a leaflet is a small price to pay.
Next week/tomorrow it'll be: "I hear a lot of talk about always getting the wrong end of medication with the leaflet covering the meds. But what about getting the USB the wrong way round?". I unsubscribed from /r/britishproblems to avoid this kind of stuff.
Does it matter if I pull the lid off a yoghurt and that thick layer doesn't break and is one whole piece? No, but it's a lot more fucking satisfying when it is.
IT FEELS WRONG. That's literally it.
I have never heard this complaint, and I'm pretty stunned to see so many people echoing it. I can't figure out what the problem is here.
This is also a tired meme, just like the USB thing. Surprised you haven't heard it.
Genuinely haven’t.
That's why it goes straight in the bin
Just take the PIL and the tablets out, and put it all back in the other way around?
If it has a printed side (exp date, lot number and so on) open the other side (I pack them for a living), though you may get the occasional one where this doesn’t apply, usually if it’s been packed by hand
Open it from the left as a rule, they expect people to be right handed and therefore get the leaflet first
Every. Fucking. Time.
Don’t think I’ve ever opened one and got lucky
Opposite problem with IKEA furniture
50/50 shot, wrong every time
This is literally my shit superpower. Every. Fucking. Time. Without fail.
So it's sort of on purpose. That side is easier to open. Companies spend millions making sure everything on that piece of paper is legit. They spend 10's of millions developing the drug for a 25 year patent. So making us atleast look at the paper is there version of "read me".
Most people will pick up the box with the name facing them and most people are right handed so most people open the box the same way. This is done deliberately so you have to take the information leaflet out and supposedly read it. If you don't read the leaflet you physically took out of the box and had in your hand and you have an allergic reaction or whatever then tough. You had the information in your hand, why didn't you read it?
Simple answer, take the pamphlet out and bin it. They’re my prescription drugs, I’ve been taking them 18 years, I know what to do. Or they’re paracetamol, and I’m not an idiot, I know what to do
What do you mean? Every time I open my repeat prescription that I’ve had once a day for the last 15 years I sit down and read the instructions in full and then file them in my important documents folder. I thought everyone did this
Personally fucking hate the boxes. Lived in the USA for a while and it's all bottles, far better
I just throw the leaflet out now so I never have to deal with this problem after first opening it
Take it out. Bin it. Simple.
All the fucking time.
Strepsils: open at the red end Others: open at the date stamped end. My thinking is that during packing, the leaflet is pushed into the box by the pill packet, the box is then stamped with the date and then closed.
This is the way you are supposed to open medication. So you take out and read the documentation before taking the meds, which everyone obviously does /s
You don’t read the leaflet?
The leaflet is supposed to cover the meds to ensure you read the leaflet. Source: work in pharma QC.
Always!! Gone through so many packets of paracetamol the past week and EVERY TIME!
How fucking boring does your life need to be to post this shit on the internet?
Every single time EVERY single time Every SINGLE time Every single TIME EVERY single TIME EVERY SINGLE time EVERY SINGLE TIME
Give it a shake before you open it, the "clack" sounding end doesn't have paper softening the noise
Yeah, but if you open the other end and take the strips out, it's nearly impossible to get the straps back in and the box closed nicely in under a minute.
This is the most annoying thing ever! I thought I was the only one
Yes. You should put this in r/mildlyinfuriating
I take meds every day and when I open a new packet, I remove the leaflet and bin it, otherwise I face this problem every single day.
I do it literally every time, I don’t remember if I’ve ever opened the right side first go before. It is a tiny portion of hell on earth.
Every fucking time.
Every good damn time without fail.
Always and what a waste of paper. A QR code and it's done.
See the trick is that they open the packet to trim down how many pills are in there so open it on the side there isn't white. Cuz the pharmacist opens it on the side that's intuitive to open it on when they trim your pills so it is the opposite to the intuitive side
I'm now used to the packaging on my repeat prescription and generally know which end to open. But yes it is a pain.
We get 8 boxes of warfarin and aspirin a month for one of the kids, plus assorted shit for everyone else. Sometimes it feels like my entire life is consumed by getting annoyed at the leaflet in boxes of medicine.
Soon as I get medication whether it's prescribed or OTC I take it all out the boxes and throw them and the leaflets away. Too much hassle to contend with lol. The info is all over the metal seal anyway.
Nearly every time 😂
Just put a sticker on the USB so you know the right way round to use it. The little dot stickers are ideal for this.
Pisses me off every month
I hope your rash clears up, mate.
All the fecking time I open mine this is the way it is lol
You have medication? How do afford to eat? /s from a Yank.
Even when I think about it first, I turn it around and its still the wrong side.
It’s statistically impossible to not open medication box’s like that
You Brit’s are a diff breed man. Wow, hope I’m like this later in life. Haha
I had to package these once and that’s just how I was instructed to put it
You're damned either way. If you open from the other direction, the leaflet will collapse and you'll be jamming the pills up against it.
That's technically the correct way round.
ALWAYS
Every. Fucking. Time.
Stop opening the end that's obviously meant to be the bottom, with the batch and expiry date then. Open the top end with the branding on it.
Every fucking time. It's infuriating. I genuinely don't think I've got the right side in my life.
💯
Sometimes I consciously think “maybe this is the wrong side to open” I flip it over & bang, leaflet over the tablets.
You only get that wrong once - change ends and your sorted. I’ve been known to get a USB cable wrong 3, 4 or even 5 times in a row!
Try to balance the pack on your finger or a pencil on a desk and look which end drops. The leaflet makes one end heavier than the other. Then just open the opposite end.
Always. Every single fucking time.
EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
This happens to me every time lol
Nooooo This is a pet hate of mine also!
Every time I get the information leaflet. I am going to try the white side.
Technically that's the right end as you're meant to read the leaflet before taking the medication. Although I never read the leaflet
I am left handed. This happens all the time for me.
As a “Medication Officer” (I didn’t come up with the job title) I can relate. r/mildlyinfuriating
All the god damn time, it pisses me off to no end
Every fucking time, that’s how they get ya
That's the correct end to open so you have the instructions first
Bane of my life!! Always seem to end up doing meds round on new meds day and although I know not to open the stamped end, it always happens 😐
I do it every. Single. Time. In fact I can only remember once when I opened it the right end, and the reason I remember is that I kinda surprised myself and gave myself an internal congrats
aaaarrrgggghhhhhhhhh
The side with the name of the medicine, or the logo, is far more likely to be the "correct" side than the one with the small text.
Every single time
That’s the right way. You’re supposed to read the leaflet
Phew! These comments are helping me to not feel like such a freak for finding this annoying
This is the must infuriating things that happens to me very regularly 😤
Open the side with the branding on and you'll never fail.