John,

The prescription meds account for roughly half of the regulated items. Some of these Rx's are prescribed for my wife (seasonal alergies and chronic asthma) whereas the remainder are mine.

I'll be the first to admit to having never fully understood the logic behind why some things are regulated (hemostatic bandages, saline irrigation solution, etc.) whereas others are not (surgical cricothyroidotomy kit, syringes, etc.).

It has always struck me as odd that a single 800mg ibuprofen is a prescription item, although a bottle containing (500) 200mg caplets is not.

An Epipen Jr. delivers a single .15mg dose of epinephrine and costs ~$65.00, whereas a 1/2 oz canister of Primatene Mist provides dozens of doses (0.22mg epinephrine each) and is available OTC for ~$12.00

0.9% saline irrigation solution in a 500mL container is Rx only, yet one can legally purchase as many 250mL containers as you want (even though the label continues to state "RX Only").

I could go on and on, but I think many of these items are actually left to the descretion of the retailer. One retailer required a copy of my Red Cross certificate in order to process an order for QuikClot (which is not labeled Rx) although nothing was required from the same retailer for NPA's, ET tubes/Stylets, and occlusive chest seals (marked as "Rx Only").

Jim