Can the syrup of Ipecac be purchased without a prescription from a doctor at CVS pharmacy?

"Syrup of Ipecac is for emergency use in poisoning. It is a medicine that can be purchased in any pharmacy without a prescription that, when given to a child or an adult, will cause vomiting."





http://www.utmb.edu/setpc/ipecac.htm

Can the syrup of Ipecac be purchased without a prescription from a doctor at CVS pharmacy?
The American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends that ipecac syrup should no longer be used routinely as a home treatment strategy and that existing ipecac syrup in the home should be disposed of safely
Reply:Last time I looked it could. It's a great thing to have in your first aid kit. Check with the poison control center before you use it, however. Vomiting shouldn't be induced with some poisons such as those that have hydrocarbons in them or those that are corrosive in nature. It also shouldn't be taken just to induce vomiting if you are bulimic or something. Frequent vomiting messes with your electrolyte balance and you can have a cardiac arrhythmia that could be fatal.
Reply:Syrup of Ipecac (often with charcoal) used to be the "gold standard" in poisonings. However, that has changed recently and the American Academy of Pediatrics has now changed its recommendations to NOT use this in children under 12 years of age and NEVER without getting a doctor's or Poison Control OK first. The reason is that 1. It should not be used in some poisonings at all (particularly corrosives, petroleum products and hydrocarbons and many people don't know what the poison is or contains) and 2. It results in uncontrolled, forceful vomiting. This could result in aspiration and choking, pneumonia and death; particularly if the person is semi-conscious. The person must be awake enough (or old enough) to "protect his airway." 3. Vomiting that is forceful can actually tear the stomach (a "Mallory-Weiss tear") Ipecac should only be given in water. The dose in adults is 30cc (about 2 Tbs in 3-4 glasses water). If Ok'd in children over 1 year it is 1 tsp in 1 glass of water. For these reasons some pharmacies will not sell ipecac lightly, although it is over the counter. A "presciption" is simply an OK from the provider to the pharmacist that it is OK. But again, Ipecac is not to be given lightly.

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