Friday, March 6, 2009
What to bear in mind the next time you visit the pharmacy counter.
1. Don’t try to get anything past us. Prescriptions for painkillers or sleeping aids always get extra scrutiny.
2. We’re not serving fries in here. I’d think twice about using a drive-through pharmacy. Working there distracts us-not a good thing when it comes to pharmaceuticals.
3. We’re human… and we make mistakes (about two million a year). Ask if we use a bar-code system to help keep us from pulling the wrong drug off the shelf or giving the wrong strength of the right drug. (more…)
Friday, March 6, 2009
More secrets from behind the drug counter.
1. Don’t put up with the silent treatment. Pharmacists are required by law in most states to counsel patients and answer their questions. If your pharmacist seems too busy to do talk with you, take your business someplace else.
2. An over-the-counter version might do the trick. You may just need to take more pills and forgo insurance reimbursement. But always talk to your pharmacist, and do the math.
3. Ask about over-the-counter drugs. “People assume that if it’s over-the-counter, it’s safe,” says Daniel Zlott, a pharmacist at the National Institutes of Health. “I’ve seen serious complications.” (more…)
