it does say that theres only 20 in the label, but im more pissed about the waste. everything couldve been put on 3 trays

  • DaCrazyJamez@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    There are many reasons these may be pacakaged this way: from lowering the possibility of accidentally taking the wrong pill to anti-theft.

    It would be cheaper for the manufacturer to just put them all in a bottle, so rest assured they wouldn’t do this if the benefits didn’t outweigh the costs.

    • TheGrandNagus@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      There’s been a shift away from putting pills in bottles.

      IIRC it was pioneered by the NHS (UK), because they found that the mild inconvenience and time of popping out the pills one by one, in comparison to the ease and speed of downing a whole bottle of them, cut down on people attempting suicide by overdose by a surprising amount.

      • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        That’s… Actually pretty genius. When I’m depressed I don’t have the mental energy to do that.

    • wolfpack86@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Adding that certain markets won’t accept bottles, you must use a blister.

      Why is it one per card, bit of a head scratcher, but given the logistics and distribution costs of shipping this format, agree they wouldn’t do this for fun.

      • SpiderShoeCult@sopuli.xyz
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        1 year ago

        blistering machines used in the pharmaceutical industry usually work with some standard sizes, hence the size of the blister. change parts also cost a small fortune, so it makes no sense to have them tailored for just one product if it works well enough with existing equipment. thay being said, a couple of things below in reply to the whole thread, not just yourself.

        to add to the list of reasons one would want them individually packaged, it’s easier to dispense a set amount of pills in this manner, for medicine that needs to be tailored for each user more often (think if you need 5 capsules, you’d get a blister that is weirdly cut by the pharmacist with a pair of scissors - cutting the blister also removes important information like lot number and expiry date). also, it could have some stability issues outside of the blister, so dispensing them naked in bottles might not be the best thing.

        for antibiotics and such, it’s also crucial to take each and every dose prescribed so dropping one in the sink accidentally when you’re shaking a bottle is something you’re trying to prevent. the size of the blister would also make it harder to lose around the house or one’s backpack/bag/purse/saddlebags/bag of holding and then not taking your last dose (in addition to the change parts thing mentioned at the start).

        individually wrapped bananas are a waste. for critical things like pharmaceuticals, there is more likely than not a good reason for this. look up pharmacovigilance if curious to know more.

          • TheGrandNagus@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            first of all why would anyone steal pills?

            Remember, people in the US often have to pay a shitload for medication.

            But even outside of the US, there’s still the issue of people wanting to steal prescription medicine if you can get high on it/sell it to people who want to get high from it.