Counterculture 32: A Man's problem
"Can I have a private word with you?" he says.
Thomas agrees, takes him to a quiet corner and asks how he
can help.
The man replies: "I'm having waterworks problems, if you know what I mean? I've seen there's something advertised for it that you can now get without a prescription. I'd like to buy a pack."
"You would need to speak to our pharmacist about that. I'll get her for you," says Thomas.
"Her?" the man says, looking horrified. "I can't talk to a woman about it, it's too embarrassing. Can't you help me?"
"What about your GP then?" suggests Thomas.
"I hate going to doctors. Can't you just sell me a packet?"
"Well," Thomas says reluctantly, "tell me exactly what your problem is and I'll pass the information to our pharmacist."
"OK. For the last few months I've been having to get up in the night, two or three times sometimes, to pass water. And occasionally I get caught short during the day as well."
"Alright," says Thomas, "I'll tell Dee and see what she says.
But even if she lets you buy it, you will still have to see your GP after a few weeks."
Questions
1. What is the medicine the customer wants to buy?
2. What is it for and how does it work?
3. Why can't Thomas sell it to him?
4. Why would the man have to go to his GP eventually, anyway?
Answers
1. Tamsulosin (Flomax Relief)
2. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) – enlargement of the prostate gland. The prostate is a doughnut shaped organ, about the size of a golf ball, that surrounds the urethra (the water pipe leading from the bladder). Its function is to help in the production of sperm. From middle age, due to hormonal changes, the prostate gets larger, puts pressure on the urethra and can obstruct the flow of urine, leading to discomfort and more frequent trips to the toilet. Tamsulosin, which has been used for several years as the main prescription treatment for BPH, relaxes the muscle tissue of the urethra and allows a more normal flow of urine.
3. The conditions for OTC sale only allow supply by a pharmacist, using a special questionnaire to decide whether the customer is suitable for treatment or should be referred to his GP.
4. Part of the conditions of sale are that even if the pharmacist decides to sell tamsulosin, the man would have to see his GP after six weeks of treatment, to make sure that he is suffering from BPH and not something more serious. If it is BPH, tamsulosin can then be supplied OTC for a year before the man would have to see his GP again.
