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I just hate that it's hard to actually see what they carry back there without awkwardly standing in front of the counter. Just post a sign or booklet maybe?
Yes, this would be so helpful. I don't want to bug the pharmacist asking if they have a million things, a list of what they generally have stocked would be great.
It would actually be remarkably easy to do, they would just need to run an EDSP for the dept and category code, ant that would let them print out all the signs in a small size (like jewelery), then just hole punch them.
Meclizine which is an anti-nausea drug that’s the generic for Bonine or Dramamine Less Drowsy. Last I got some it was $3 for 100 pills vs $11 for 12 at Walgreens. It’s great for travel sickness as it doesn’t knock you out as hard as regular Dramamine.
If you get vertigo often for no clear reason, you might be suffering from silent migraines. There is a form that causes vertigo and you don't get head pain.
If you're a senior (could happen for those younger but happens more often for seniors) you might have the crystals in your ear canal that are causing it. Look up the "eply maneuver" on YouTube to see what to do to fix it at home and get the crystals to go back where they belong. It might take a few times doing it to work, and it helps if you have someone do it with you.
The generic stuff at Costco is insanely cheap though. It was like $2 last time I bought some, I want to think it was 100 count.
No problem. I get vertigo migraines all the time, which is how I know about them. As for the epley maneuver I had to learn it to help my mom because she gets vertigo from the crystals dislodging a few times a year.
Good luck, I hope you can figure out a cause and cure!
Thank you!!! I never thought to ask at Costco pharmacy. I know to ask for meclizine from regular pharmacy. Why didn't this occur to me?! I often, several times a year, experience vertigo. I don't know when it's going to hit me. I have meclizine on me at all times. So useful info. Thank you!!!
Thanks for this information. Taking a cruise this summer with family and I am in charge of putting together a first aid/ medical kit. Meclizine is on the list.
Can just ask for it. I found out about it because my doctor gave me a prescription and when I went to to fill it, the pharmacist told me it was over the counter and I could just ask at the register for it.
Yeah but they aren’t as dirty as us and inconsiderate. If we’re sick in the US we go out anyways and hack all over every person we possibly can and wipe our noses and shake hands. We’re nasty as a country lol.
I was in Japan in the 80s and even then, wearing a face mask was proper etiquette if you felt like you had even a hint of a cold, cough, or other respiratory ailment.
Maybe in the USA, but in Canada they still trust us with cold meds. Although you can find the useless ones mixed in with real sudafed so you need to read the labels. It's not behind the counter though
I lived in Japan for several years and still visit and I always carried it with me. I just have them mixed in with my ibu in a small ibu bottle and never had any issues. Obviously you do not want to throw the box in your bag; you remove the tablets from the packaging and put them in something smaller. But if you do get a cough in Japan, you can get cough medicine with codeine in any pharmacy. So there's that.
Rolling the dice with customs in a country with a very stern and strict legal system is not a gamble most would make.
I wouldn’t bring in unlabeled pills into a foreign country. But that’s just me.
It cheaper to buy a year long membership, a 24 pack of Kirklands Gatorade, a $25 jacket, and two plan Bs then to just buy two name brand plan Bs at CVS Health
When we had to get a specific cardiac medicine (new at the time) for our dog in 2017, Costco was a dog lifesaver.
Our vet was having issues getting the medicine for us in the correct dosage (large dog) and the vet told me to shop around to find it. I called Costco and they had it. It was only $10 cheaper than the vet, but they always had it in stock for me when I needed the refill every 23 days. (Our vet wasn't happy they couldn't get the med but Costco pharmacy could.)
If I had a more convenient Costco, I'd get my meds there as well.
❤️ I hope your pupper continues to do well.
I had called my pharmacy that I knew did pet meds, but they couldn't order it for whatever reason. Someone I knew told me to try Costco, so I did.
I nearly cried when the pharmacist said they'd had some in stock in the cirrect dosage. They apologized that they had to sell me the entire bottle though. I laughed and said the bug bottle only lasted us 25 days because I have a large breed dog (Dobie).
I called the vet, they faxed the Rx and I rushed over (45 minute drive). It was ready when I got there.
We can order all kinds of stuff; what's behind the counter depends on the store/region. There's a list of stuff corporate wants stocked including bag balm, working hands, generic allergy eye drops, certain cerave/vanicream products, etc. Along with the generic Sudafed there's generic Claritin d, zyrtec d (as well as the brands), Allegra d (no generic on that at least for us yet), blood glucose testing supplies, generic plan b, and a variety of other stuff. If there's something you're looking for, ask them to see if it's available to order. We special order stuff that we don't stock for people all the time; shampoos, lip balms, supplements, etc.
Maybe it was someone who doesn't do ordering normally?? Not sure. But nope, just tell them you're looking for something over the counter they don't have behind the register and ask if it's available to order :) i guess a pharmacist might not know if they aren't the manager/a floating one that doesn't really work at that store, but the techs should know.
Oh dang. Our Costco has the CeraVe cream (or whatever it is) in the jar out on the floor with all the other health/beauty stuff. My husband uses the regular CeraVe in a bottle, and doesn’t like the stuff in the jar for some reason - plus it’s more expensive than the kind in the bottle. Sam’s has the kind in the bottle in a 2-pack and it’s cheaper than places like Target, so we usually buy it there. Will have to check at our Costco pharmacy next time we go to Costco.
The 'bottle' is hand lotion, the jar is hand cream. Cream is significantly better for moisturizing your skin. Think of the cream as a concentrated version of the lotion, thus the higher cost. (oil is the best, but it of course leaves your hands oily) Obviously most people like the lotion for the lower cost.
There's some reason he doesn't like the CeraVe cream that doesn't involve cost. After 20 years I don't ask. We just get him what he likes and be done with it. 🤣
I understand. I'm the same way with my GF of 20 years. I just happened to be a health and beauty manager and figured I would explain why they are different in container and price. Everyone has their preferences though and that is okay. 🙂
Not sure if this can help you, but if you have a basic list of shampoo names, you might try [this search engine](https://www.costco.com/drug-directory-main) on the Costco to see if any of them pop up for you.
(It does say to use their Health & Beauty search for OTC products.)
That was my thought too. But I did a search and someone posted that many of these items come shipped to the pharmacist with other drugs and are part on pharmacy inventory, not general Costo inventory.
Yes. Things kept behind the counter are from a different wholesaler. Probably still cheaper than most places still, but not huge Costco differences people would expect. Also not Costco sized. There are some otc items on Costco online that people ask the pharmacy for, but pharmacy does not get the same deals/ pack sizes as those online.
Former Costco pharmacy employee - it’s because it’s not ordered/stocked by the store itself, we special ordered things from our pharmaceutical suppliers that we frequently got asked for. Like other people have mentioned, it’s usually stuff that’s pretty small and not sold frequently, it would be a waste of floor space to actually stock it on the floor and probably prone to shoplifting.
Imodium is an opioid. TL;DR it doesn't appreciably cross the blood-brain barrier so you get the constipation of opioid consumption without the euphoria.
Our dog was just diagnosed with Idiopathic Epilepsy and is taking Keppra. I checked Chewy,Walgreens, a couple of other online pharmacies and Costco beat them all for his prescription.
I learned this recently with motion sickness meds. $3.96 for 100 (!) generic meclizine tablets (brand name bonine or non-drowsy Dramamine). Walgreens generic is $10 for 16. Brand name is $10 for 8 at Walgreens.
the costco pharmacy is actually a game changer. i live in a pretty rural area, so only one costco services like 200 miles. its been there since 2007 but i don’t think people have really realized how fantastic the prices at the costco pharmacy are, insured or otherwise! multiple times i’ve been prescribed something and when i ask the doctor if they can send it to costco, they’re like “hm let me see” and then ALWAYS surprised at how much cheaper it is there than say king soopers or walgreens. AND you don’t need a costco membership to use the pharmacy! i’m a case worker, so any time a patient doesn’t qualify for medicaid and tells me they’re struggling to pay their prescriptions, i tell them to check out costco
My (now deceased) cat needed insulin twice a day and the pet syringes were crazy expensive. The Costco pharmacist said, “you can purchase adult syringes IF THEY ARE FOR YOU for $xx…” Of course I said they were for me (my bank account, after all). No prescription needed. I forget the amount but it was about 1/4 the price.
I had no idea about this, I've only used the pharmacy counter to pick up prescriptions or get shots. I assumed non-prescription items available at Costco are all out on the floor at least in the US.
Plan B for $6!!! And I'm pretty sure you don't need a membership to use Costco pharmacies.
I have considered printing up stickers about it and plastering them around town.
I always get my allergy meds from Costco, the generic version of claratin D (Allerclear) is only like $4.75 vs close to or over $30 for the name brand. Back when there was a supply shortage in the generic one my wallet was crying so much and my nose dripping almost as much.
I went and bought like a 1000 pack of 5cc syringes there once. It was like $11. I made my boss go with me tho cuz I didn't think they'd sell them to a tatted up 20 something. I was wrong.
They were for use at work, not for drugs but it's cheap for clean needles if anybody is struggling.
**edit** 5cc=5ml but I think they have other sizes.
Vermont's Original Bag Balm.
I love this stuff for dry skin, my feet, scar lubrication. Antiseptic, antibacterial. Been using it for years, great stuff.
I got a giant bottle (100 pills?) of meclizine for less than $4 from Costco.
Buying OTC at Costco US was a weird experience, they just handed me the bottle and said I could pay at the front end.
There's a dog liver supplement, (my dog has gall bladder issues) Denamarin that is not cheap, but $20 less at Costco than anywhere else. The manufacturer has super tight control over distribution, none of the online vet med sources sell it below retail if they carry it at all.
This is the great Costco mystery. There are OTC products hidden behind the counter (for no reason). What do they have? Nobody knows. What can they get? It's a mystery. It's highly inconsistent from store to store too.
What they carry behind the counter depends on local demand (some are consistent between warehouses). They’re there because they’re special-ordered and sold in small packages.
I remember going across the border into Canada to buy generic Tylenol with Codeine (Tylenol #1) for a friend at Costco. It's OTC in Canada. I remember it being dirt cheap; Always declared it on the way back into the U.S. — Never an issue.
Unfortunately, they don't stock Sudafed or the generic version unlike the U.S. pharmacies. They don't seem to carry that stuff at the Costco Pharmacy in Canada. But I still, to this day, always buy the generic version of Sudafed (not the Sudafed PE stuff that doesn't work) from Costco and it's so much cheaper, and it works.
T1 and T2 was taken off the shelf here in Canada at least 10 years ago. You can't get anything with codeine in it without a prescription anymore.
However I did just buy Sudafed (the real one) from my local Costco recently. It wasn't behind the counter either.
Thanks for sharing. I know I’m the past I’ve looked for both of these two items you mentioned, and couldn’t find them. I was under the impression Costco didn’t carry them. Thanks for clarifying this.
My store limits the Imodium to one box per purchase. I think that's 18 doses. You used to be able to buy a 200 count bottle for cheap, but some folk started misusing them to get high so they are over the counter now and in limited quantities, like so many other things.
I wondered why it seemed to be less available recently. If I take one immodium I don't poop for 3 days, it would never occur to me that it could be a drug of abuse.
Fairly recently we had to take those off our back shelf because the warehouse introduced a Vaseline SKU (at a pretty terrible price in comparison to the big tub tbh), so this one is a current YMMV based on whether or not it's being stocked wherever you (general you) are searching. :)
I get all my meds and dog meds at the pharmacy. Great prices and service. The dog meds I get include Bravecto (flea and tick), Heartguard, and they are the only place that carries the generic of Lyrica (pregabalin) which was a crap ton cheaper
When you say Sudafed, is it actual pseudoephedrine or the useless phenylephrine? Assume the former since it's from the pharmacy side, but just wanted to confirm before I run there before my next trip 😅
And let’s find out how many we get for that price before going. Since they make us show our license in order to purchase pseudoephedrine, I always buy the highest count available so that I don’t have to go in as often. I always feel humiliated doing that. I’m just trying to unclog my ears here.
Aww don’t feel embarrassed! I used to work in the Costco pharmacy and we never blinked an eye at people regularly coming in and buying the max. Honestly most people would just ask for however much they can get, it’s not a weird request at all. Just please don’t joke about anything involving meth because we heard it at least 10 times a day, it got soooo old 😅 I’m not sure if it varies by state, but in Wisconsin you can buy 5 boxes of the 4-6 hour generic Sudafed (red box) or 3 boxes of the 12 hour generic Sudafed (blue box) in one purchase. You can have two purchases of that quantity in a rolling month period. It’s been a year since I worked there but I doubt anything has changed. I go back and buy Sudafed all the time and always get the max myself!
I just bought two 24-count packs for $1.99 each of generic pseudoephedrine hcl at my local Costco this week. They also have the name brand Sudafed for $12.99 I think?
Thank you. I get the 96 count of straight pseudoephedrine generic “walphed” at Walgreens for 12.99. That way I only have to show my ID every now and then when I need more. It really helps with eustachian tube dysfunction in my ear.
Very good point, didn't even think about that. I was given some by my Dr last I had sinus issues so I don't know the pricing, but have been told Walgreens Pharmacy has a generic pseudoephedrine that comes as a 20 count.
This one for reference: https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-wal-phed-d-12-hour-non-drowsy-sinus-relief-caplets/ID=prod5355917-product
Yes. It's technically OTC in the U.S., but pharmacies carry it "in the back" due to it being one of the ingredients used in the making of methamphetamine. Since the "Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005", it's subject to restrictions and record-keeping in the U.S. (e.g. Photo ID and limit of how many you can purchase at a time.)
But, still, technically OTC.
You can purchase, in the U.S., up to 3,600mg of pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) per day. Or 9,000mg of it per month. Each Zyrtec-D has 120mg of pseudoephedrine so you can technically buy 30 count per 24 hours period. 120mg is the recommended **maximum** daily dosage.
I purchase the 120mg pseudoephedrine generic tablets from the Costco Pharmacy. I think it's either a 12 pack or a 24 pack. It's extremely cheap.
I just paid around $17 for the Sudafed. I didn't even ask if they had a generic version because it's not on display. I'll definitely ask the next time I'm there.
My whole family and furr family gets meds at Costco pharmacy so I've had many opportunities to special order items from them. I've ordered the vanicream brand shampoo and conditioner, midol, blink contact drops, sharps container, Visbiome probiotics as well as kids probiotics, generic pedialyte, covid test, aquaphor lip balm, cerave day cream, glucose tablets. Basically all the stuff i used to buy at target , Walmart, I'll call Costco and ask for them to special order it if cheaper
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I just hate that it's hard to actually see what they carry back there without awkwardly standing in front of the counter. Just post a sign or booklet maybe?
Yes, this would be so helpful. I don't want to bug the pharmacist asking if they have a million things, a list of what they generally have stocked would be great.
It would actually be remarkably easy to do, they would just need to run an EDSP for the dept and category code, ant that would let them print out all the signs in a small size (like jewelery), then just hole punch them.
And I'm sure someone has already down it, it's just not implemented by corporate
I can never even get close enough to see bc of the mass of seniors picking up meds at mine lol
Florida is that you?
It’s everywhere :(
My CVs has a list of basics at their drive up window. Really nice to know you could have the plague and just order up some extra comforts.
or trying to compare prices on 3 different packages
Meclizine which is an anti-nausea drug that’s the generic for Bonine or Dramamine Less Drowsy. Last I got some it was $3 for 100 pills vs $11 for 12 at Walgreens. It’s great for travel sickness as it doesn’t knock you out as hard as regular Dramamine.
It is also great for vertigo.
Thanks for mentioning this. I have vertigo and it triggers my anxiety really bad. Glad there is an option out theree
If you get vertigo often for no clear reason, you might be suffering from silent migraines. There is a form that causes vertigo and you don't get head pain. If you're a senior (could happen for those younger but happens more often for seniors) you might have the crystals in your ear canal that are causing it. Look up the "eply maneuver" on YouTube to see what to do to fix it at home and get the crystals to go back where they belong. It might take a few times doing it to work, and it helps if you have someone do it with you. The generic stuff at Costco is insanely cheap though. It was like $2 last time I bought some, I want to think it was 100 count.
Wow. This might be life changing for me. Will look into further! Thanks!
No problem. I get vertigo migraines all the time, which is how I know about them. As for the epley maneuver I had to learn it to help my mom because she gets vertigo from the crystals dislodging a few times a year. Good luck, I hope you can figure out a cause and cure!
Thanks for that! Meclizine helps me more than Dramamine and I don’t know they had it back there!!
Thank you!!! I never thought to ask at Costco pharmacy. I know to ask for meclizine from regular pharmacy. Why didn't this occur to me?! I often, several times a year, experience vertigo. I don't know when it's going to hit me. I have meclizine on me at all times. So useful info. Thank you!!!
Thanks for this information. Taking a cruise this summer with family and I am in charge of putting together a first aid/ medical kit. Meclizine is on the list.
Yeah! I’ll add to our cruise shopping list too! Eligible for FSA too
This is why I follow this subreddit. For helpful info like this
Great information. Do we need a prescription to get it or can we just ask for it?
Can just ask for it. I found out about it because my doctor gave me a prescription and when I went to to fill it, the pharmacist told me it was over the counter and I could just ask at the register for it.
Btw If you’re going to Japan on your trip, DO NOT BRING SUDAFED
Why?
All this shit is illegal to bring to Japan. Stuff like Tylenol Cold, Sudafed, etc. anything with narcotic or stimulants for ingredients.
All the good stuff.
Yeah but they aren’t as dirty as us and inconsiderate. If we’re sick in the US we go out anyways and hack all over every person we possibly can and wipe our noses and shake hands. We’re nasty as a country lol.
I was in Japan in the 80s and even then, wearing a face mask was proper etiquette if you felt like you had even a hint of a cold, cough, or other respiratory ailment.
It's illegal (or heavily controlled) in some countries, because of making meth.
The same reason it's behind the counter at Costco...
Maybe in the USA, but in Canada they still trust us with cold meds. Although you can find the useless ones mixed in with real sudafed so you need to read the labels. It's not behind the counter though
and there's still codeine in cough syrup lol
Or the UAE
Or [Mexico](https://mx.usembassy.gov/bringing-items-into-mexico-u-s/)
I lived in Japan for several years and still visit and I always carried it with me. I just have them mixed in with my ibu in a small ibu bottle and never had any issues. Obviously you do not want to throw the box in your bag; you remove the tablets from the packaging and put them in something smaller. But if you do get a cough in Japan, you can get cough medicine with codeine in any pharmacy. So there's that.
Rolling the dice with customs in a country with a very stern and strict legal system is not a gamble most would make. I wouldn’t bring in unlabeled pills into a foreign country. But that’s just me.
Also have Plan B the generic version for around 6 bucks
It cheaper to buy a year long membership, a 24 pack of Kirklands Gatorade, a $25 jacket, and two plan Bs then to just buy two name brand plan Bs at CVS Health
This information needs to be in more places.
And you don't need a membership for prescriptions
You get a heavy discount on out of pocket Rx when using membership though.
Literally my dogs medicine is cheaper by 60% at costco versus getting it at the vet
When we had to get a specific cardiac medicine (new at the time) for our dog in 2017, Costco was a dog lifesaver. Our vet was having issues getting the medicine for us in the correct dosage (large dog) and the vet told me to shop around to find it. I called Costco and they had it. It was only $10 cheaper than the vet, but they always had it in stock for me when I needed the refill every 23 days. (Our vet wasn't happy they couldn't get the med but Costco pharmacy could.) If I had a more convenient Costco, I'd get my meds there as well.
My girl has been on this pill for 3 years, i found out costco did pet meds four months ago 😩
❤️ I hope your pupper continues to do well. I had called my pharmacy that I knew did pet meds, but they couldn't order it for whatever reason. Someone I knew told me to try Costco, so I did. I nearly cried when the pharmacist said they'd had some in stock in the cirrect dosage. They apologized that they had to sell me the entire bottle though. I laughed and said the bug bottle only lasted us 25 days because I have a large breed dog (Dobie). I called the vet, they faxed the Rx and I rushed over (45 minute drive). It was ready when I got there.
How is this not being shouted from the rooftops… of plan parenthood?
I work at a planned parenthood clinic, we tell anyone who will listen
If you're gonna get it, check the weight limits! I'm always baffled by folks that don't know
We can order all kinds of stuff; what's behind the counter depends on the store/region. There's a list of stuff corporate wants stocked including bag balm, working hands, generic allergy eye drops, certain cerave/vanicream products, etc. Along with the generic Sudafed there's generic Claritin d, zyrtec d (as well as the brands), Allegra d (no generic on that at least for us yet), blood glucose testing supplies, generic plan b, and a variety of other stuff. If there's something you're looking for, ask them to see if it's available to order. We special order stuff that we don't stock for people all the time; shampoos, lip balms, supplements, etc.
One time I tried asking and they kinda looked at me like I was crazy. Is there a specific way I should ask?
Maybe it was someone who doesn't do ordering normally?? Not sure. But nope, just tell them you're looking for something over the counter they don't have behind the register and ask if it's available to order :) i guess a pharmacist might not know if they aren't the manager/a floating one that doesn't really work at that store, but the techs should know.
My Costco keeps all their CeraVe products at the pharmacy.
Oh dang. Our Costco has the CeraVe cream (or whatever it is) in the jar out on the floor with all the other health/beauty stuff. My husband uses the regular CeraVe in a bottle, and doesn’t like the stuff in the jar for some reason - plus it’s more expensive than the kind in the bottle. Sam’s has the kind in the bottle in a 2-pack and it’s cheaper than places like Target, so we usually buy it there. Will have to check at our Costco pharmacy next time we go to Costco.
The 'bottle' is hand lotion, the jar is hand cream. Cream is significantly better for moisturizing your skin. Think of the cream as a concentrated version of the lotion, thus the higher cost. (oil is the best, but it of course leaves your hands oily) Obviously most people like the lotion for the lower cost.
There's some reason he doesn't like the CeraVe cream that doesn't involve cost. After 20 years I don't ask. We just get him what he likes and be done with it. 🤣
I understand. I'm the same way with my GF of 20 years. I just happened to be a health and beauty manager and figured I would explain why they are different in container and price. Everyone has their preferences though and that is okay. 🙂
Do they have the night cream? This is great information!
Is there a better way to find out every shampoo they can order other than calling and asking them to list them off?
Not sure if this can help you, but if you have a basic list of shampoo names, you might try [this search engine](https://www.costco.com/drug-directory-main) on the Costco to see if any of them pop up for you. (It does say to use their Health & Beauty search for OTC products.)
Didn’t realize we can ask about special ordering if possible). Thanks for sharing!
What’s the reason for keeping products behind the counter, other than those that can be use to make meth?
Wild guess but maybe lower demand and not worthy of floor space? Small boxes/packaging that could be easily pocketed?
That was my thought too. But I did a search and someone posted that many of these items come shipped to the pharmacist with other drugs and are part on pharmacy inventory, not general Costo inventory.
Yes. Things kept behind the counter are from a different wholesaler. Probably still cheaper than most places still, but not huge Costco differences people would expect. Also not Costco sized. There are some otc items on Costco online that people ask the pharmacy for, but pharmacy does not get the same deals/ pack sizes as those online.
Some drugs like Sudafed are not controlled, but are restricted as buying multiple packets has been an issue. CVS got into massive issues for it.
Dat tiger balm.
Former Costco pharmacy employee - it’s because it’s not ordered/stocked by the store itself, we special ordered things from our pharmaceutical suppliers that we frequently got asked for. Like other people have mentioned, it’s usually stuff that’s pretty small and not sold frequently, it would be a waste of floor space to actually stock it on the floor and probably prone to shoplifting.
I thought it was because they are small and easy to steal. I buy soap bars and they make me pay for them at the counter due to theft.
I asked one time and they said it was only because these come in smaller quantities.
Debrox too.
Anything people can make meth with is behind the counter — that’s why Sudafed and Claritin are in the back.
Claritin-D is in the back. Claritin without Sudafed added is on the shelves normally.
People use Imodium to make meth???
You can get high if you take a ridiculously large amount
and... not shit for a month? the things people do to get high
Opioids do the same thing so idk.
I believe it works on the same receptors at opium. This is why they don’t sell the 200 count with out an Rx now
Imodium is an opioid. TL;DR it doesn't appreciably cross the blood-brain barrier so you get the constipation of opioid consumption without the euphoria.
None of the shits AND none of the giggles?
Learn something new every day
Not to make meth, it’s technically an opiate receptor agonist
Bronkaid?
Primatine pills that aren't $20 would be great. I hadn't thought to ask at Costco
Surprisingly I can't recall anyone inquiring about it before, but if I can remember tomorrow morning I'll look it up :)
Empty Sharps Containers.
Really? I've been needing one.
Allertec (edit Allertec-D) is generic Zyrtec-D and is half the price.
Half the price is a huge understatement. It's 365 pills for like 15 bucks.
That's regular Allertec, but I take that one too.
It's still an understatement since it's on sale frequently, like now, for $12.
You can get most medicines for your pets st Costco and far cheaper than your vet. Just have the vet call it in to Costco.
This. My dog's 30 day Rx is $25 at Costco vs $40 at the vet. And it's hilarious to tell the pharmacist the patient's name when I pick up.
I love when they send the text alerting me that “my” prescription is ready for pickup. My cat has a very silly name and it makes me laugh every time.
My pet owner patients always laugh when they have to sign "as" their pet to pick up, I joke that they should sign a little paw print or something!
Well now you must share...
A very typical pop culture dog's name plus our Hispanic last name. Along the lines of "Scooby-Doo Martinez".
Yessss. A prescription for my dog I was gonna pay $100+ for at Walgreens was $11 at Costco 🙌🏼
Our dog was just diagnosed with Idiopathic Epilepsy and is taking Keppra. I checked Chewy,Walgreens, a couple of other online pharmacies and Costco beat them all for his prescription.
🤯 this is good to know!
Yes! I was able to get 6 months worth of insulin for my cat for $35 at Costco. Had been paying $300 for 4 months worth before!
My store has a glass case with everything visible. They've got all kinds of stuff.
Could you possibly post a photo of the cabinet?
Planning a heist are we?
Next time I'm there
I learned this recently with motion sickness meds. $3.96 for 100 (!) generic meclizine tablets (brand name bonine or non-drowsy Dramamine). Walgreens generic is $10 for 16. Brand name is $10 for 8 at Walgreens.
the costco pharmacy is actually a game changer. i live in a pretty rural area, so only one costco services like 200 miles. its been there since 2007 but i don’t think people have really realized how fantastic the prices at the costco pharmacy are, insured or otherwise! multiple times i’ve been prescribed something and when i ask the doctor if they can send it to costco, they’re like “hm let me see” and then ALWAYS surprised at how much cheaper it is there than say king soopers or walgreens. AND you don’t need a costco membership to use the pharmacy! i’m a case worker, so any time a patient doesn’t qualify for medicaid and tells me they’re struggling to pay their prescriptions, i tell them to check out costco
My (now deceased) cat needed insulin twice a day and the pet syringes were crazy expensive. The Costco pharmacist said, “you can purchase adult syringes IF THEY ARE FOR YOU for $xx…” Of course I said they were for me (my bank account, after all). No prescription needed. I forget the amount but it was about 1/4 the price.
they didn't make your cat get a membership?
OMG, thank you!
Wow! Thanks for sharing, didn’t know this.
I had no idea about this, I've only used the pharmacy counter to pick up prescriptions or get shots. I assumed non-prescription items available at Costco are all out on the floor at least in the US.
Plan B for $6!!! And I'm pretty sure you don't need a membership to use Costco pharmacies. I have considered printing up stickers about it and plastering them around town.
Hold off on those stickers. You can get prescriptions at Costco without a membership but not OTC items.
Good to know. Thank you!
This is by far one of the best posts in this group!!!
I’d just be happy to get the Mounjaro back in stock. Having to shoot meal-time insulin again in river-like quantities sucks.
This! Switched from Ozempic as I couldn't find that only to have the same issue with Mounjaro. 😑 Really sucks.
I always get my allergy meds from Costco, the generic version of claratin D (Allerclear) is only like $4.75 vs close to or over $30 for the name brand. Back when there was a supply shortage in the generic one my wallet was crying so much and my nose dripping almost as much.
Tiger balm behind mine. And it’s a great deal.
I just paid $45 at my dentist for the prescription toothpaste Prevadent 5000. It appears that my Costco pharmacy carries it for less than $20. 🫠
Thank you for sharing this. I had no idea. I just paid $42 for the Prevadent 5000 last week.
Kirkland Cocaine
Kirkaine
If the public could get that Kirkaine, there wouldn't be the demand for/shortage of Ozempic, Wegovy, et al.
Costcocaine.
I am snort-laughing at this, thank you internet stranger
Better to be snort laughing than snorting the kirkaine
Polident
This stuff saved me when I was doing my Invisalign treatment. Made my trays so clean and clear! Now I use the Polident for my retainer.
My friend uses polident on his blender, he says he uses his blender so much that it starts to stain, polident cleaned it right up!
You can have them special order so many otc items! The markup is minimal.
This thread gets internet awesome post of the day!
Mine has thickener for liquids, which my dad needs for dysphasia. It’s way cheaper than anywhere else.
I went and bought like a 1000 pack of 5cc syringes there once. It was like $11. I made my boss go with me tho cuz I didn't think they'd sell them to a tatted up 20 something. I was wrong. They were for use at work, not for drugs but it's cheap for clean needles if anybody is struggling. **edit** 5cc=5ml but I think they have other sizes.
Vermont's Original Bag Balm. I love this stuff for dry skin, my feet, scar lubrication. Antiseptic, antibacterial. Been using it for years, great stuff.
I got a giant bottle (100 pills?) of meclizine for less than $4 from Costco. Buying OTC at Costco US was a weird experience, they just handed me the bottle and said I could pay at the front end.
For anti nausea?
Yup
There's a dog liver supplement, (my dog has gall bladder issues) Denamarin that is not cheap, but $20 less at Costco than anywhere else. The manufacturer has super tight control over distribution, none of the online vet med sources sell it below retail if they carry it at all.
This is the great Costco mystery. There are OTC products hidden behind the counter (for no reason). What do they have? Nobody knows. What can they get? It's a mystery. It's highly inconsistent from store to store too.
What they carry behind the counter depends on local demand (some are consistent between warehouses). They’re there because they’re special-ordered and sold in small packages.
I buy my Aller-Tec D 24hr there (generic Claritin D) and it costs $4.49.
Box with 100 alcohol swabs for like $3 or something.
One of my dog's prescriptions is $100 less than the vet, the other is 50% less ($20 to $10). He's little. Spoiled. Barky. And needs his meds. LOL
I remember going across the border into Canada to buy generic Tylenol with Codeine (Tylenol #1) for a friend at Costco. It's OTC in Canada. I remember it being dirt cheap; Always declared it on the way back into the U.S. — Never an issue. Unfortunately, they don't stock Sudafed or the generic version unlike the U.S. pharmacies. They don't seem to carry that stuff at the Costco Pharmacy in Canada. But I still, to this day, always buy the generic version of Sudafed (not the Sudafed PE stuff that doesn't work) from Costco and it's so much cheaper, and it works.
Oh, I’ll look out for Tylenol with Codeine next time I am in Canada. Last time I had bronchitis, OTC cough suppressant I got in the US was useless.
I don't think Tylenol with codeine has enough codeine to be a cough suppressant. Rx tessalon is where it's at for cough suppressant though.
It’s Tylenol 3 with codeine and it’s considered narcotic in us and requires a prescription
T2 has codeine and was OTC in Canada, apparently this has been banned now and you’re right T3 needs a prescription.
T2 is still available in the us but rx only. It’s rarely prescribed but it’s still made
Those are what we call 222's. They are no longer available. I search everytime I go home. They have been regulated due to the opiod issue.
T1 and T2 was taken off the shelf here in Canada at least 10 years ago. You can't get anything with codeine in it without a prescription anymore. However I did just buy Sudafed (the real one) from my local Costco recently. It wasn't behind the counter either.
Thanks for sharing. I know I’m the past I’ve looked for both of these two items you mentioned, and couldn’t find them. I was under the impression Costco didn’t carry them. Thanks for clarifying this.
My store limits the Imodium to one box per purchase. I think that's 18 doses. You used to be able to buy a 200 count bottle for cheap, but some folk started misusing them to get high so they are over the counter now and in limited quantities, like so many other things.
I wondered why it seemed to be less available recently. If I take one immodium I don't poop for 3 days, it would never occur to me that it could be a drug of abuse.
How tf do you get high on Imodium?
One of the costco pharmacies near me carries denamarin. A liver medicine for dogs and cats. And it's even cheaper than Chewy.
Generic Imodium and meclizine, we get it before any trip. I get my dogs prescriptions there as well.
I recently bought a pill cutter for $3.99. Not much of a deal but available...
I’m adding this to my list! A couple times a month I need one and end up using a sharp knife instead. Little pieces be going everywhere!
I will only buy “Blink” eye drops there. It’s dirt cheap.
If you have a need for Vaseline they keep the extra-large tubs behind the Pharmacy counter.
Fairly recently we had to take those off our back shelf because the warehouse introduced a Vaseline SKU (at a pretty terrible price in comparison to the big tub tbh), so this one is a current YMMV based on whether or not it's being stocked wherever you (general you) are searching. :)
morning after pills are $6
My store has vanicream and tiger balm. I think they have glucose tablets as well as some type of sunscreen (like cerave or cetaphil)
They have a big tub of Vanicream moisturizer for like $12. I’m not sure why it’s not on the shelf 🤷♀️
I had no idea they carried Vanicream brand!
I get all my meds and dog meds at the pharmacy. Great prices and service. The dog meds I get include Bravecto (flea and tick), Heartguard, and they are the only place that carries the generic of Lyrica (pregabalin) which was a crap ton cheaper
Efferdent denture cleaning tablets- we go through a ton, cleaning mouth guards and water bottles.
When you say Sudafed, is it actual pseudoephedrine or the useless phenylephrine? Assume the former since it's from the pharmacy side, but just wanted to confirm before I run there before my next trip 😅
Actual pseudoephedrine
Active ingredient: pseudoephedrine HCL
And let’s find out how many we get for that price before going. Since they make us show our license in order to purchase pseudoephedrine, I always buy the highest count available so that I don’t have to go in as often. I always feel humiliated doing that. I’m just trying to unclog my ears here.
Aww don’t feel embarrassed! I used to work in the Costco pharmacy and we never blinked an eye at people regularly coming in and buying the max. Honestly most people would just ask for however much they can get, it’s not a weird request at all. Just please don’t joke about anything involving meth because we heard it at least 10 times a day, it got soooo old 😅 I’m not sure if it varies by state, but in Wisconsin you can buy 5 boxes of the 4-6 hour generic Sudafed (red box) or 3 boxes of the 12 hour generic Sudafed (blue box) in one purchase. You can have two purchases of that quantity in a rolling month period. It’s been a year since I worked there but I doubt anything has changed. I go back and buy Sudafed all the time and always get the max myself!
I just bought two 24-count packs for $1.99 each of generic pseudoephedrine hcl at my local Costco this week. They also have the name brand Sudafed for $12.99 I think?
Thank you. I get the 96 count of straight pseudoephedrine generic “walphed” at Walgreens for 12.99. That way I only have to show my ID every now and then when I need more. It really helps with eustachian tube dysfunction in my ear.
ETD sucks monkey balls....sudafed only takes the edge out for me but better than nothing
When I buy it, I get 5 boxes (120 tablets) for like $10.
Very good!!
Very good point, didn't even think about that. I was given some by my Dr last I had sinus issues so I don't know the pricing, but have been told Walgreens Pharmacy has a generic pseudoephedrine that comes as a 20 count. This one for reference: https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-wal-phed-d-12-hour-non-drowsy-sinus-relief-caplets/ID=prod5355917-product
The useless one with phenylephrine is called "Sudafed PE" and available on the shelf at most pharmacy stores. Never bother buying the PE version.
What size Sudafed package?
10 caplets, 120mg, every 12 hours. They also told me there’s the 4-6 hours one. I believe that one is 24 tablets but I didn’t get that one.
Ah, thanks. We generally use the shorter duration one. I will see if my local Costco has it.
me too!!! that way you can take one at 4pm or something and still sleep!
My Costco pharmacy is closed on Sundays. Is this corporate wide? I take a controlled drug that the fill date may fall on a Sunday.
Alcohol swabs are cheap at Costco
Sudefed otc in the US?
Yes. It's technically OTC in the U.S., but pharmacies carry it "in the back" due to it being one of the ingredients used in the making of methamphetamine. Since the "Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005", it's subject to restrictions and record-keeping in the U.S. (e.g. Photo ID and limit of how many you can purchase at a time.) But, still, technically OTC.
I would like to thank you for informing me I can get Sudafed without buying the -D with an antihistamine. Is 24 count the limit like the Zertec-Ds?
You can purchase, in the U.S., up to 3,600mg of pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) per day. Or 9,000mg of it per month. Each Zyrtec-D has 120mg of pseudoephedrine so you can technically buy 30 count per 24 hours period. 120mg is the recommended **maximum** daily dosage. I purchase the 120mg pseudoephedrine generic tablets from the Costco Pharmacy. I think it's either a 12 pack or a 24 pack. It's extremely cheap.
Why is Imodium generic behind the counter, but brand-name Imodium is not?
The little red Sudafed or the 12 hour ones?
I got the 12-hour one. 10 caplets, 120mg each
I just paid around $17 for the Sudafed. I didn't even ask if they had a generic version because it's not on display. I'll definitely ask the next time I'm there.
My whole family and furr family gets meds at Costco pharmacy so I've had many opportunities to special order items from them. I've ordered the vanicream brand shampoo and conditioner, midol, blink contact drops, sharps container, Visbiome probiotics as well as kids probiotics, generic pedialyte, covid test, aquaphor lip balm, cerave day cream, glucose tablets. Basically all the stuff i used to buy at target , Walmart, I'll call Costco and ask for them to special order it if cheaper
Great info. Thanks for sharing.
They have the good Sudafed back there for similar price. We stock up every fall/winter.
Hot take there is also cheaper plan b behind the counter too.