Pharmacies report big sales of drugs to help breathing ailments

By Anesta Henry

Drugs to treat asthma, allergies and sinus trouble have been flying off the shelves of pharmacies in the wake of the volcanic eruption fallout.

Drug store owners and managers also reported to Barbados TODAY an increase in the sale of asthma inhalers, with one store selling over 60 inhalers on Saturday when Barbadians started to feel the impact of the ash.

A St Michael pharmacy reported that people who complained that the ash was giving them headaches have been purchasing painkillers, while there has been an increase in sales of the N95 mask.

“People who have never wheezed yet… are wheezing because they have difficulty in breathing, bronchial issues,” said the pharmacist.

“A lot of asthma inhalers are selling because asthmatics are having difficulty breathing.

“We have people buying medication for itchy skin.

“And a lot of saline drops are selling to flush the nose out. People have really been buying up Panadols for headaches because the dust causes headaches which is leading to acute headaches.

“The N95 masks are selling because the three-ply regular ply masks that people have been using are inadequate for the amount of dust that we are having. People started coming from Friday afternoon in preparation, but Saturday for sure the pharmacy was extremely busy.”

Pharmacies also reported that on Saturday morning, people started stockpiling additional medication out of fear that it would run out if the country had to be closed for a prolonged period because of the ash.

Another pharmacy manager said: “I think some of it is panic buying. But this is a new dispensation and a lot of us have not experienced a volcano eruption so we do not know what will happen and how long the country could be closed for. And also because the pharmacies at the polyclinics and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) are closed, private pharmacies have been seeing an increase in prescriptions from the polyclinics and the hospitals.”

Everton Lashley, owner-pharmacist of RoundHay Pharmacy in Warrens, said he was not surprised that people who are highly allergic to dust started panicking and buying asthma and allergy drugs as volcanic dust is a trigger for asthma attacks and other respiratory issues.

He said: “They started protecting themselves early. So things like menthol crystals and inhalations and those kinds of things are being used.

Persons are trying to protect themselves from the dust getting into their nasal passages and into their lungs which can cause serious problems. So asthmatics that are on inhalers and so on are making sure that they have them close by in case of an emergency.”

Jeffrey Browne, long-time manager and pharmacist in charge at C.S Pharmacy, Broad Street, said that from early Saturday he saw people who suffer from allergies buying their preferred over-the-counter medications.

He said that while he has noticed that people have been buying the regular face mask to protect themselves from the dust, in his opinion, particularly asthmatics and people with allergies should opt for the KN95 mask which offers more protection than the others.

“This dust isn’t playing. This dust is really affecting the asthmatics,” Browne said.

(anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb)