r/mildlyinfuriating • u/astercalendula • Jun 22 '26

SPOILER ALERT I can't open my arthritis medicine because I have arthritis

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Currently waiting for my husband to get home because I can't open my arthritis medicine due to me having arthritic hands.

*UPDATE: *

Thank you to everyone who suggested solutions.

I especially loved learning about how Meloxicam helps your dog/cat/chinchilla!

To reply to some common comments:

  • I will request a different cap next time. This is a new-ish condition, and I just don't take it regularly enough to bother going to the pharmacy. Also, I've fiddled with it enough now that the nubs wore down and it's no longer me-proof.

  • Thank you for the warnings of ulcers and kidney damage. I guess it's pretty common with NSAIDS, so I'll keep the dosage as needed only.

  • Why I didn't use tools: it was 10 PM. I didn't want to.

24k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

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7.7k

u/rubiedoobieunicorn Jun 22 '26

Take it in to the pharmacy and tell them you want a non safety cap. They’ll add your request to your profile, but if they forget you can remind them and they’ll swap it.

1.4k

u/DazzlingReporter5881 Jun 22 '26

Or just smash it with a hammer

291

u/No_Evidence_5582 Jun 22 '26

I read this in Yzma’s voice

115

u/Soulless--Plague Jun 22 '26

40

u/sliceofcobloaf Jun 22 '26

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant, I tell you! Ingenious, I say!

14

u/gamedude88 Jun 23 '26

Or, to save on postage, you can use this.

1

u/Pura9910 Jun 26 '26

A LLAMA!!??

26

u/peanut6547 Jun 22 '26

I was actually sad to not see a Yzma GIF

44

u/aerdvarkk Jun 22 '26

Go find a little kid to open it for you. At 12 y/o I was opening stuff like this for my aunt all the time because she had bad hand strength.

9

u/h2opolodude4 Jun 22 '26

Or, to save on postage...

1

u/mt77932 Jun 22 '26

I read this in Grog Strongjaw's voice.

1

u/TheRealJayk0b Jun 22 '26

How with the artitis?

0

u/sksksk1989 Jun 22 '26

They have arthritis. A hammer wouldn't work. Kitchen knife might work, if they have a really sharp one.

91

u/JustAMinah Jun 22 '26

there a was a couple times cvs did NOT give me the right cap, and I had to go back to the store, to get them to open it and it feels they have been on top of it ever since (and it's noted in my profile for the cap, as they double checked and I pointed it out to them)

I hate when (before rec in my state) med dispensaries had these squeeze sides bottles after the changed it from jars (probably to save money/cheap) and like, it's it's obvious the business was never trult about med patients because why would you change the design to something even more difficult to open for your patients? and they were all quick to cater to rec customers the moment it was officially legal (they really did med patients dirty. it's why I go to select dispensaries in my state)

there's handful of a stuff that's hard with fine motor skills, like when they make caps smaller to "reduce waste/be green" but now you can't get a good grip on it because its not thick, and the bottle openers I use can barely fit around in because it's too thin.

72

u/Ghstfce Jun 22 '26

CVS has the ones that are both. You just flip it over

26

u/whatdoidonowdamnit Jun 22 '26

My local pharmacy has those too. Much easier for me to open when my hands are still asleep in the morning. Nothing’s wrong with me I just sleep on top of my arms tucked under me.

10

u/Ghstfce Jun 22 '26

Perfect song for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=609nfedNmfo

3

u/whatdoidonowdamnit Jun 22 '26

That’s perfect. That’s exactly how I sleep, but in my bed and without alcohol. I wear baggy pajama pants or nightgowns so it’s easy for me to sit and pee when I wake up.

14

u/Stock-Bill-5665 Jun 22 '26

I blew my moms mind when I flipped all her caps over

56

u/pollo_de_mar Jun 22 '26

I don't throw out non safety caps so if I should get a bottle with a safety cap, I can swap it out.

9

u/freddit32 Jun 22 '26

I keep my meds in a little basket, with a couple of extra non safety caps so when I get a new scrip I can change it out for the non safety one.

344

u/[deleted] Jun 22 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

210

u/Canamaineiac Jun 22 '26

It's not the designers - it's just that the pharmacist put a standard child-safety cap on the pill bottle when they filled the prescription. They've got different caps, the pharmacist probably just had a brain fart, or they're trained to use that as the standard unless specifically asked otherwise. 

102

u/pennielain Jun 22 '26

It’s the second thing. (I’m a pharmacy tech) we and the pharmacists are trained to always default to the safety cap. We’re trying to prevent “Granny’s Purse Syndrome” (children coming into the ER because they ate the pills out of Granny’s Purse)

But it’s super easy to change out the lid, pop over any time and they’ll do it

13

u/Fire284 Jun 22 '26

Some caps have both designs built into one which imo is cool! Caps for OTC medications often have two layers, one thats the normal cap, one thats a child safety version, and you can pop them apart to have the normal one. Idk if all pop apart easily but the costco bottle I tested it on was easy without any medical issues.

4

u/elleisboring Jun 22 '26

You're replying to a bot account.

9

u/elleisboring Jun 22 '26 edited Jun 22 '26

PSA: The comment I'm replying to is from a bot. Report the account and it will be banned.

Edit: The option to report for being AI is under "spam."

If you ever see a comment with "_____ really went _____," or is some overly quippy generic remark there's a straight up 99% chance it's a bot. Bonus points if the account is less than 6 months old, because they're sold off to astroturfers and marketers to pose as a legit account based on the high karma they (sadly) accrue.

3

u/Humble_Interest_9048 Jun 22 '26

I agree, but report it as what?

5

u/elleisboring Jun 22 '26

Spam -> disruptive use of bots or AI -> submit

3

u/Humble_Interest_9048 Jun 22 '26

Thanks, apparently I can’t read. The mods are on it, too. The comment has already been removed.

2

u/touchmeinbadplaces Jun 22 '26

I didnt know the dark souls devs also made medicine

1

u/robsbob18 Jun 22 '26

Gotta earn it

-11

u/[deleted] Jun 22 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

8

u/-roachboy Jun 22 '26

it's either a bot or someone using chatgpt lmao

1

u/Guilty_Meringue5317 Jun 22 '26

A bot using chatgpt

1

u/mecrappy Jun 22 '26

"the ability to speak, doesn't make you intelligent"

~Qui Gon Jin

0

u/ItsAllAdvertising Jun 22 '26

designers had more to worry about then arthritis when designing the safety regulations Karens demanded

46

u/GuaranteeComfortable Jun 22 '26

Every time you got on the plarmacy, check your bag and the bottle before you leave the drive through. Or ask the person if the prescription has a non safety cap so you can open it.

0

u/ledow Jun 22 '26

Drive through pharmacy....

Just when you think countries couldn't get any weirder.

57

u/oopsdiditwrong Jun 22 '26

Why is that weird? Pretty sweet to have a pediatrician call in the prescription and not have to drag a sick kid into the store

-52

u/ledow Jun 22 '26

That also works without requiring a drive-through either. You're still dragging them out into the car with you, right? Even prescription delivery isn't uncommon.

But a drive-through? There are these things called feet.

You don't have to have a road going through literally every single kind of store in every town.

29

u/mrspoopy_butthole Jun 22 '26

How does it inconvenience you?

-13

u/heili Jun 22 '26

People line up for the drive through pharmacy window to the point that they are blocking the road and the intersection.

12

u/Meowakin Jun 22 '26

The problem is that our towns and cities are designed around cars. It’s truly awful, drive-throughs aren’t the problem, they are a symptom of

-28

u/ledow Jun 22 '26

I know.

And then you have health problems because of it.

Nobody walks anywhere, not even for a few yards, even if they're in their 20's... because they can just use the drive-through.

I'm by no means a fitness fanatic, and never have been, but fuck... just park up and walk in, if you're at all capable.

And if you're not through ill health... I'd question your ability to safely drive a car too.

(Disabled people with modified cars... slightly different).

21

u/[deleted] Jun 22 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

-17

u/ledow Jun 22 '26

Strange how entire countries manage without that shite, eh?

P.S. my ex was registered disabled, wheelchair-bound, through EDS/JHS. that runs through her family.

I know perfectly well the problems involved.

None of them require a drive-through.

9

u/Kayrim_Borlan Jun 22 '26 edited Jun 23 '26

The world managed for millennia without modern medicine or any other life-improving invention. I take it you think we might as well go back to pre-historic times as well? After all, life doesn't "require" those, either.

9

u/kjpmi Jun 22 '26

It sounds like you are hating on pharmacy drive up windows NOT because it’s actually outrageous, but because it’s something from the United States. Your entitled smugness smells of shit.
Just FYI, it’s not just a thing in the US.
They are now popping up in the UK. And Canada has them as well. I’m sure other countries have them too.

As others have mentioned, it’s a convenient thing for disabled people, for parents coming from the doctor with a sick child in the car, and for immunocompromised people who risk getting sick every time they go to a public place.

Your callousness is disgusting and you seem like a truly awful human being.

12

u/Bandin03 Jun 22 '26

But a drive-through? There are these things called feet.

Plenty of people either don't have those things or can't use them. They need medication too. And sick people going through the drive through are a lot less likely to get other people sick.

13

u/oopsdiditwrong Jun 22 '26

Prescription delivery is pretty sweet too, but that's for chronic issues not like acute strep throat in my experience. I'm saying the kid is already in the car on the way home from the doc and I barely have to stop on the way home.

I am mid 30s and jacked up my back last year, had to have spine surgery earlier this year (back to 100%). I could barely walk in the interim, and when I did it was excruciating. So while I have feet, it was much better sitting in my driver's seat with lumbar support. Older people need this all the time.

I don't get the anti drive through argument here.

I'll add that if we were discussing drive through liquor store, I'd probably be with you on it

-10

u/ledow Jun 22 '26

How about "if you can't walk without excruciating pain, you shouldn't be driving either"?

19

u/oopsdiditwrong Jun 22 '26

People in wheel chairs can't drive?

Bud, I'm out of this one. This is nonsense

-5

u/ledow Jun 22 '26

Adapted cars? Sure.

As I noted above.

7

u/Shadowpriest Jun 22 '26

Some places allow you to drop off and pick up scripts by drive-thru which can be very convenient for people with mobility issues or prefer to be as socially distant as possible.

Now being able to buy snacks, lotto tickets, cigarettes, and beer at a drive-thru (Ohio for example) would definitely throw folks for a loop!

4

u/lotsofsyrup Jun 22 '26

that is a pretty common thing

-13

u/[deleted] Jun 22 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

6

u/lauvan26 Jun 22 '26

You can also ask for you meds to be put in blister packs.

1

u/PurpleBuffalo_ Jun 22 '26

Those can be harder to open than bottles

1

u/artsyfartsyMinion Jun 23 '26

Not if you have a pillbob. They open the blister and catch the pills so they don't fly everywhere. My Dad had one.

1

u/MilesNiles Jun 22 '26

Those are very uncommon. 

1

u/lauvan26 Jun 22 '26

You just to request it. Most people don’t because they don’t need but people who take a lot of pill can request blister pack or to have their medication in small baggies that are labeled by days of the week.

3

u/MilesNiles Jun 22 '26

I mean from the standpoint of having worked in 8 pharmacies over the last 15 years I haven’t seen a blister pack maker once in any of them. It’s just not cost effective outside of specific specialty pharmacies. 

1

u/artsyfartsyMinion Jun 23 '26

Not in Australia, lots of pharmacy's do it

2

u/kissmiss08 Jun 22 '26

Yep, I had to do this. It just saved any pain that came from trying to open all my prescription bottles. 🫠

2

u/BallSufficient5671 Jun 22 '26

I didn't know you could do that! Tysm

1

u/Farucci Jun 22 '26

Medication Catch-22.

0

u/BarrierX Jun 22 '26

A solution to a problem? But we need to farm karma!