Quebec considers moving Benadryl behind pharmacy counters

Quebec considers moving Benadryl behind pharmacy counters

The province of Quebec is considering moving Benadryl behind pharmacy counters.

The over-the-counter medication, commonly used to treat allergies, cold symptoms and even as a sleep aid, is currently readily available on pharmacy shelves.

The proposal comes after a coroner called for tighter controls following the death of an 18-year-old in the Montérégie who died of acute diphenhydramine poisoning.

The investigation found he had obtained the medication from multiple pharmacies.

The question is now being studied by the Quebec Order of Pharmacists. A draft regulation would move Benadryl and similar medications off open shelves.

“I think this is the things to do. It’s been linked to several deaths over the years,” said Jean-François Desgagné, president of the Quebec Order of Pharmacists.

“This conversation’s been going for a long time- and now we decided to act.”

Desgagné explains that medications containing diphenhydramine have been around for awhile, and as a result, most people believe they are safe.

“At the regular doses, it can cause some very serious side effects, like drowsiness and dry eyes. For older people, these side effects are even worse,” he said.

He says elders can fall or hurt themselves because of the drowsiness, and it can cause some respiratory problems.

“And when you misuse the medication, it can cause death,” he said.

“There are better and safer medication to treat allergies — and with this measure, I think it’s an opportunity for people to start a conversation with their pharmacists to find out about better treatments."

While a prescription wouldn’t be required, pharmacists would have to record each sale in a patient’s file.

The goal isn’t to remove access, but to allow pharmacists to identify risks and spot troubling purchase patterns.

Hugues Mousseau, executive director of the Association of Pharmacy Chains and Banners of Quebec, said the industry supports improving safety, but also acknowledges the change could create more work for staff.

This additional demand will have to coincide with an expansion of the scope of practice of pharmacists, which is also expected to enter into force this fall, Mousseau says.

This is why they are asking for an amendment to the proposed regulations.

“What we’ve proposed, is to find a way to move some of those products behind the counter as the government wants to do, but to do so on specific threshold for products that exceed a certain limit in terms of the number of milligrams per format or number of caplets and so on,” Mousseau said.

“We want to do this in order to balance patient safety with the pharmacists and pharmacy team efficiency. And that’s those two objectives can coexist in our in our view.”