A pharmacist who is licensed in three different states shared the five medications you should not buy at the Dollar Tree. He also offers his opinion on which ones are worthwhile. Will you take his advice?
TikTok user Grant Harting (@grant_harting) says he is a pharmacist licensed to work in three different states. In a video posted on Saturday, Harting takes viewers on a tour of Dollar Tree, specifically the medicine section.
“A lot of people don’t know that Dollar Tree even has medications here,” he says. “But some of them are really good, and some of them are bad. So today we are going to be looking and seeing which ones are good and which ones are bad.”
The video has amassed more than 18,000 views. Here are the medications that Harting points out.
Fish oil
The first area that Harting visits is the supplement section. He picks up a bottle of People’s Choice Fish Oil, which includes 18 capsules for $1.25. Harting says he believes these capsules are likely the same soft gels you’d get at another store. According to the Mayo Clinic, people take fish oil for its anti-inflammatory effects.
However, there is something consumers should note about this Dollar Tree product.
“But this is a scam. Let me explain why,” Harting says. That’s because, according to Harting, to do fish therapy, you need about 1 to 3 grams per day. Unfortunately, the capsules in the Dollar Tree bottle are only 1,000 milligrams per serving.
“Serving size is two soft gels,” he says. “There’s only 18 softgels in here. You would have to take two a day. That’s only nine days of therapy for $1.25. That’s actually not a good deal.”
Harting says you have to watch out for serving size when purchasing Dollar Store supplements.
Ginseng
The next supplement Harting picks up is a People’s Choice bottle of Ginseng. People take the supplement to boost overall energy and manage stress. It’s also used to help with depression and diabetes. Harting notes that the 30 tablets at 500 milligrams per serving would only provide therapy for 15 days.
“But, we want to know, is that relevant?” Harting asks. “And in this case, it’s not. Because the dosing on ginseng depends on what you’re using it for. You could probably need 250 milligrams per day or you might need 500 milligrams per day. It depends on what you’re using it for. Although this is kind of misleading, it’s not a scam. It’s just a little more difficult to understand how much you’re taking.”
That means you still have to look at the label. “Sorry to say that, you always have to look at the label,” Harting says.
Testosterone
Next up in the video is Test Booster by a brand called Nature’s Science. The product promises to increase the user’s testosterone in a convenient manner. The package is labeled as a dietary supplement and includes 12 capsules.
Harting is not a fan of the product.
“Do I even need to say anything about this?” he says. “This should be obvious that you should never buy this.”
The package says that the product is made in the U.S., but Harting is skeptical that the ingredients also originated here. After struggling to pronounce the ingredients listed on the label, Harting is even more convinced no one should buy it.
“OK, don’t buy that—whatever that is,” he says. “I had to look up the products, and they don’t do anything. Is that a surprise to anyone?”
An even bigger red flag is that Harting attempted to visit the brand’s website, and it wouldn’t load. He considers that a red flag.
Advil
While Harting was in the store, he says he saw a woman picking up two boxes of name-brand Advil. In this case, Harting says he believes she was actually not making the best choice. “In my mind, I just want to be like, take the Dollar Tree brand,” he says. “You get more. It’s the same thing.”
Generic drugs do indeed contain the same active ingredients as the name brand. This means that you can generally expect the same results when using generic medication as the more expensive name brand ones.
Benadryl
And, finally, Harting says he observed another customer looking intently at two different brands of allergy medication. “He had two of the Benadryl diphenhydramine packages, and he was looking at them,” Harting says. “He was like flipping around, looking at the back of the label and the quantity and everything. He was doing a real good inspection. I don’t know his name, but he’s my best friend now.”
Whatever choice that Dollar Tree customer made in his antihistamine, at least he can rest assured that it was an informed one.
The Daily Dot reached out to Harting via TikTok direct message and Dollar Tree via media contact form for comment.
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