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Thankfully, I Don’t Look Like a Mule For Everyone

I’ve had problems with anemia since the late ’90s, so I take a daily iron supplement. Every few months, I walk into a pharmacy (usually the one at Walmart) and ask for a bottle of ferrous gluconate. Said bottle is handed over each time with few other words. I’m asking for the pills by a specific identifier, not as generic ‘iron supplements’, so pharmacists assume that I know what I’m doing. I’ve thus bought my pills in Quebec, Ontario, BC, the Yukon, and even Oregon without incident for about 12 years.

And then I came to Alberta.

Tonight, I went to the Shopper’s Drugmart (I just love that name, incidentally, it makes me laugh) and nonchalantly ambled over to the prescriptions area where, after a moment’s wait, I was able to place my order.

“Have you filled a prescription here before?”
“No. I don’t have a prescription…”
“Oh, that’s fine. I just need to register the sale. Name and address, please.”

I gave the information, using Rae rather than my legal name, and Jody’s address, none of which matches any of my ID. That was fine because I wasn’t asked for any! I mustn’t have looked like a drug dealer to this person!

At least, the pills are super cheap in Alberta, $6.50 for 100 tablets! I haven’t paid a price like that since the 20th century!

4 thoughts on “Thankfully, I Don’t Look Like a Mule For Everyone”

  2. Really?

    I never thought of iron supplements as a drug. I always thought they were behind the counter simply because of how dangerous they can be to children.

  3. Shoppers Drug Mart needs names and addresses, etc. for their computer program records, not for any other reason. Their records are not even connected to other Shopper franchise stores, and yes, there are quite a few prescription drugs that Alberta pharmacists can prescribe now. It is weird but convenient. I needed a few blood pressure pills to tide me over until I could get a doctor’s appt. The pharmacist made me do 3 BP readings in their machine and quizzed me a lot before prescribing 10 pills of which I have been taking daily for about 10 years now.
    Aside from all that, I love your blog and your choices in life! Way to go girl!

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