Allergy Sufferes Unite!

I have been taking some form of Sudafed for my severe allergies since I was five years old. My initial dose was 1/2 a pill four times a day, so once I started school I would take a trip to the nurses office to down the half pill of heaven that would allow me to live through another day without constant sneezing. Since the Sudafed Law was passed back in 2005, life has gotten somewhat complicated for those of us who depend on the wonder drug of sudafed, not to make Meth, but to simply get through our daily lives without constant sneezing, eye watering, itchy throat and other allergy associated nastyness. At first it was just annoying to have to show my id to get my medication-which used to be available over the counter. Its not crack, its allergy medication. Then I moved to Minnesota from Chicago, and cashiers at pharmacy counters did not seem to know what to do with an out of state drivers license in such a situation so it would take at least ten minutes to get those lovely little pills that make my life easier. Now I've encountered the additional stress of having friends who also have allergies, and being that I have cats, these friends often need some sudafed when they come to my humble, cat hair filled abode. I have no problem sharing the little pills that eliminate the symptoms of allergies with folks who need them, I consider it my responsiblity as a hostess with feline friends. The complication I have run into now is that when I go to purchase my ten day supply of sudafed, I have been told "oh, you've reached your limit for the month, we can't sell them to you." Its not like I am supplying the neighborhood with sudafed. I might share one pill out of a box, certainly not enough to go over a limit of some sort. Obviously I am a resourceful woman who will solve the problem of getting my much needed sudafed by simply asking a friend or family member to get the needed pills for me until my limit is reset. The law was passed because of Meth production. The drug that makes sudafed work is the key ingredient for Meth. So, the powers that be decided to stop the production of Meth they'd make it harder to get sudafed. Show and id, track buyers, limit quantities, etc. Here's the problem: the people who manufacture meth are smart enough to hire people to get the needed ingredient for their money making product. I tried to find results on how effective the whole sudafed law has been in reducing the production and sales of meth, and guess what? Oh yeah, you got it: the production and sales and use of meth are INCREASING. Going up. The law doesn't work. So, why not repeal the damn thing so that people can get allergy relief or cold relief. Reality is the over the counter stuff doesn't work as well. It does nothing. I just have to buy for myself and can get around the irritation of having to ask someone once in a while to become my supplier but what if I had kids who needed sudafed as well? The monthly limit that a single person is allowed to purchase is nine grams. An effective daily dose is 240 grams (either as one 24 hour tablet, 2 12 hour tablets, or 4 six hour tablets). If you need a dose a day, in 31 days you need 7.4 grams to get through the month. The limit of 9 grams allows for 37 doses. If you have two allergy sufferers that you have to buy for, there is no way to make it work, unless you strategically enlist the help of others. Six pills is not much wiggle room. Lost pills, friends who need one, long vacations-things happen. Why must we beg, borrow, or conjole to simple stop sneezing? If the law isn't working anyway, repeal it and let allergy sufferers get their sudafed relief in peace. Its a ridiculous law that irritates more hardworking allergy sufferers than it actually slows the production of meth. Yes meth is a bad thing, but sudafed is not responsible for meth heads.