Can You Look Up How Much Sudafed (Pseudoephedrine) You Have Purchased?
In our latest question and answer, our pharmacist discusses whether or not you can look up how much pseudoephedrine you have gotten in the past and related questions.
How can one find out how much Claritin-D or Sudafed they have purchased? I am a chronic sinus and allergy sufferer, and so is my 13-year-old son. The last time I went to the pharmacy I was told I had bought my allowed amount and would need to get a prescription to obtain more. Is there an appeal process for the CMEA restrictions? Should I have my son's doctor write him a script? How do we find out how much we have bought already, so I'm not embarrassed at the pharmacy counter?
Sep 14, 2022- You cannot look up your own pseudoephedrine purchase history yourself, but your pharmacy can access this information from tracking systems and tell you how much you've purchased. If you need more pseudoephedrine than the over-the-counter limits allow, your doctor can write a prescription that is not subject to these same restrictions.
Answer
Hello and thanks for your great question! I'll break up your question into parts and be sure to touch on each topic you brought up.
First and foremost, a quick background on the law that restricts the purchase of pseudoephedrine.
The CMEA (Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act) was passed in 2005, which limits the over-the-counter sale of pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine. The law limits the purchase of pseudoephedrine to:
- Maximum 3.6 grams pseudoephedrine per calendar day
- Maximum 9 grams pseudoephedrine per 30 days at retail (7.5 grams if via mail order)
Pharmacies and stores are required to keep pseudoephedrine and ephedrine products behind the counter or in a locked cabinet. Additionally, they must check the purchaser's ID and log certain details (such as name, address, purchased amount, date/time of sale, etc...).
Several forms of ID are acceptable and include:
- Driver's License
- Voter Registration card
- U.S. Military Card
- School Identification Card with Photograph
A full list of acceptable IDs for the purchase of pseudoephedrine can be found on the DEA website.
Now, let's get on to your questions.
Can You See How Much Pseudoephedrine You Have Purchased?
I completely understand your frustration and the potential embarrassment that comes from being turned away at the pharmacy counter for going over your daily or monthly limit of pseudoephedrine.
Unfortunately, there is no way for an individual to look up their pseudoephedrine purchase history. This is not publicly available information but your pharmacy can certainly look up your purchase details (even if it is not at their store) and provide this information to you.
Pharmacies log pseudoephedrine purchases in one of several data tracking solutions, the most popular being MethCheck and NPLEx.
Again, the information your pharmacy submits to these compliance tools is not public. You'd have to ask your pharmacy to look your details up and report what the system is showing for your purchase history. From there, they should also be able to tell you how much pseudoephedrine you can legally purchase.
An alternative of course is to track your purchase history yourself. The DEA website has several tables that help individuals track their purchase amount by the number of tablets of each specific drug and its strength.
Is There An Appeal Process To CMEA?
No, there is not. You are limited by the over-the-counter purchase amounts of pseudoephedrine stated in the law.
However, this is a good segue into your next question regarding having your son's doctor write a prescription
Do Prescriptions For Pseudoephedrine Fall Under The Same CMEA Restrictions?
The restrictions for pseudoephedrine purchases as documented in the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act are only applicable to over-the-counter purchases. Valid prescriptions from your doctor do not apply.
Therefore, yes, your son's doctor could certainly write a prescription for pseudoephedrine that exceeds the limits stated in the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act and that is legal to purchase.
Pseudoephedrine prescribed by your doctor is not recorded in the tracking systems (e.g. MethCheck) I wrote about above and doesn't contribute to your daily or 30-day over-the-counter purchase limit.
Final Words
I hope this answer helped! Please reach back out if anything else comes up.
References & sources
Glossary — Terms in This Answer
- Pseudoephedrine
- A decongestant medication used to relieve nasal congestion that is restricted due to its use in illegal drug manufacturing.
- CMEA
- The Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act, a 2005 federal law that limits how much pseudoephedrine and similar cold medicines people can buy.
- Ephedrine
- A stimulant medication similar to pseudoephedrine that is also restricted under the same federal law.
- Phenylpropanolamine
- A decongestant drug that, like pseudoephedrine and ephedrine, is limited in purchase amounts by federal law.
- MethCheck
- A data tracking system that pharmacies use to record and monitor pseudoephedrine purchases to ensure compliance with purchase limits.
- NPLEx
- A data tracking system used by pharmacies to record pseudoephedrine purchases and monitor compliance with federal purchase restrictions.
- Over-the-counter
- Medications that can be purchased without a doctor's prescription, which are subject to the pseudoephedrine purchase limits.
- DEA
- The Drug Enforcement Administration, the federal agency that regulates controlled and restricted medications like pseudoephedrine.
Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD
Doctor of Pharmacy, board certified clinical pharmacist (BCPS), American Herbalist Guild, Medication Therapy Management certified
Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS, is a licensed pharmacist with more than 13 years of experience across retail pharmacy, clinical pharmacy, medication safety, pharmacy program development, and healthcare administration. He is the founder of HelloPharmacist.com, where he helps patients...
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