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89 Comments
- AmyVernon, on 10/03/2008, -0/+44I've usually found that pharmacists, if you ask them questions, are very friendly and helpful. They may not offer the info right off, but they're so busy most of the time. These are good suggestions on how to make the most of a pharmacist and let them use their knowledge in ways other than just filling prescriptions.
- ks136, on 10/03/2008, -0/+35Most of the time my pharmacist is actually more helpful than my doctor when it comes to information.
- basye, on 10/03/2008, -0/+19I call my pharmacist my bar tender. :D
- lucy22, on 10/03/2008, -0/+17I have a good pharmacist here. They always answer my 10 million questions.
- Linguo, on 10/03/2008, -0/+16My uncle is Pharmacist and also a hippie. Coincidently, I love pharmacists.
- quomen, on 10/03/2008, -0/+12You mean the other way around, right?
- spitfire547, on 10/03/2008, -0/+12I've worked in a pharmacy as a tech for 2 years and i look at this article nuetrally. The whole silent treatment is just what people percieve the pharmacist is doing. If there was something wrong with the medication or something that needed your attention they would be all over instantly about it. Most questions are about side effects or something small that should have been answered by your doctor (for CVS all drug information is actually printed for you on the label itself). For the over the counter stuff, the pharmacist fills prescriptions cuz thats the only thing they can work with. Besides state run insurance programs, 99% of insurance companies will no cover over the counter products. And every time i've run into a situation where there was an over the counter product that worked just as good as the rx or better the pharm always let them choose what they wanted instead of assuming.
People treat pharmacies and pharmacy staff like ***** because so many drug stores exsist. Its pretty discusting. Would you ever go to your doctors screaming at them and cursing at them like a 10 year old because something didn't go your way? Of course not. Pharmicists and Doctors both have PhDs and thus should both be given high respect. Another thing that is mind boggling is that people expect free drugs because they run out. If you run out of a prescription that you need to live, thats your fault. It's retarted to expect your pharmacist to go through all the countless files of prescriptions to make sure they are all filled when needed.
People need to quit thinking pharmacies are against them cuz if you give us a chance we can pretty much help you with anything, its when people throw tantrums over stupid ***** that we loose interest in caring for you. - theexitwound, on 10/03/2008, -0/+10It's preventative. With a new hole in your mouth, where you eat, drink and spit, and who knows what else, infection is a possibility. a $4 prescription of amoxicillin is worth it.
- chaoswings, on 10/03/2008, -0/+7Yes because we all know they are keeping the cure for cancer and diabetes from us so they can sell more drugs. I agree that people take too many drugs but that's because all too often the patient won't leave with just a "stay in bed and you'll be fine". They all reply with "I'm busy and I can't afford doing that etc" to which my uncle always responds "Do you want to stay in bed for 3 days and feel better afterword, or stick it out with drugs and have a cold and headache for 2 weeks? Which is a better investment?" (note I paraphrased)
- inactive, on 10/03/2008, -0/+710. Replaced your birth control with placebos
- aolshove, on 10/03/2008, -1/+8The one time I've been to the pharmacy, they instructed me on use, queried me for known conflicting medications, and offered generic brands first. I left feeling pretty good about my experience.
- guga31bb2, on 10/04/2008, -0/+6Not that I disagree with anything else in your post, but "Pharmicists and Doctors both have PhDs" is wrong. Neither Pharmacists nor Doctors have PhDs (except for special cases). Pharmacists get a PharmD and Doctors get an M.D.
- theexitwound, on 10/03/2008, -0/+6Well stated. I'm a technician currently, and we have so many rude people who think the Pharmacist is just a counseler, who will offer suggestions, but "isn't really a doctor". It's really frustrating to see them treated so poorly.
Then when the insurance is having issues with their prescriptions, they blame the pharmacist for "holding the medication from them". Lady, listen. If you *want* to pay $359 for your Valtrex to cure your herpes, by all means, go for it, we won't stop you. And the minute you tell US how to do our job, we'll stop suggesting the alternatives. It's all about respect. - nanded, on 10/04/2008, -0/+6You were given antibiotics because dental surgeries like that can't be done in sterile conditions. Your mouth has a lot of bacteria in it, and no amount of mouthwash and brushing can rid you off it. Even the best root canal is going to cause some local vascular damage where this bacteria can enter your blood stream, can potentially cause seeding of infections in other parts of you, the most concerning of which is your heart valves. You think 10 days of oral antibiotics is bad? Try 6 weeks of IV antibiotics for endocarditis. I don't know your medical history, but if you have any kind of benign murmur or other heart condition, that makes you even more at risk for endocarditis. I'm glad you dodged that bullet, but try to take to heart the idea of an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure.
- Flummoxer, on 10/03/2008, -0/+5Uhh, he said Walmart not Wallgreens.
- guyincognitoo, on 10/04/2008, -0/+5You mean patients who won't leave without a prescription.
- foltaggio, on 10/03/2008, -0/+5So you took it?
- RobotBuddha, on 10/03/2008, -1/+6Most pharmacists will be happy to tell you how effective or ineffective various treatments are. They tend to be far more annoyed by the pharmaceutical industry than you'll ever be. They have to actually read all the studies, and wade through the marketing *****. Worse, they have to deal with doctors who haven't done the same footwork and just want to go with what they've been told is the latest and greatest.
Though as for the cures versus treatment. There's really not a lot that can be done at this point with a huge amount of diseases unless we're willing to start a eugenics program or use genetic engineering, along with killing people off at a certain age to take care of age associated diseases. Personally, I'm all for development of safer and more cost effective practical genetic therapies. The overwhelming majority of people in all the western countries, however, are horrified by the idea. - Stroggoth, on 10/03/2008, -1/+6This actually isn't correct. I know the media will tell you it is because people don't take the full course, but in fact anyone in biochem knows that the mass high dose usage in the farming industry leaves large quantities of commercial antibiotics in the livestock and, more importantly soil. Soil you say? Yes, antibiotic resistance starts in soil on farms. Soil have billions of bacteria including e. coli, etc that become exposed to the antibiotics long-term. As a result, they express resistance genes. Bacteria can "swap" genes quite easily between related strains, and so the resistance moves along the food chain back into the livestock and humans.
The only answer is to stop using them in farming, because farms are absolutely doused in them, creating resistance breeding zones. - RobotBuddha, on 10/03/2008, -0/+5Same here. I used to work in a hospital, and the pharmacists almost always seemed far more willing to talk to patients than the doctors. I'm not placing any blame on the doctors, there's probably a million scheduling reasons for it. But in general, pharmacists have always seemed so much more eager to actually communicate with patients instead of talking at them that the title here rather surprised me.
- lennonlotz, on 10/03/2008, -2/+7i'd feel kind of ripped off if i went to the doctor and he instructed me to pay for an unnecessary drug that wouldn't actually help,(and would most likely do more harm than good) when juice and a nap would fix the problem nicely.
and this has been on the front page like 3 times in the last couple months... - inactive, on 10/03/2008, -1/+6i don't like how my pharmacist isn't telling me 9 more things
- arjie, on 10/03/2008, -1/+6I don't know man, my parents are both doctors and they always talk about how people are asking for quick-fix solutions instead of 'exercise', 'sleep it off' and stuff like that. One obese Palestinian wanted a shot in his knee for joint pain, and he refused to do exercise instead. It's the patients who want the drugs.
- ironlung, on 10/03/2008, -0/+4Cheaper to self diagnose. Great. It is because of that mentality that we are running out of antibiotics due to resistance. Good job.
- ruarctb, on 10/04/2008, -0/+4The point is most of those people don't NEED that medicine. Its just people who bitch, piss, and moan unless they get pills.
- inchrnt, on 10/04/2008, -0/+4Yeah ..... and, fat people hate it when they're told to "stop eating cheeseburgers and get some exercise." Drugs are definitely always the only answer ......
maybe your doctor was exactly right and you should stop contributing to the high cost of health insurance with unnecessary claims? - Khast, on 10/03/2008, -1/+5#6 and #8 kind of go hand in hand. Of course people take more drugs. (And the part where the doctor gives a prescription for the newest, latest, greatest medicine.)
What do you see when you go to the pharmacy? You see a lot of generic pens, bottles on shelves, ect....
What do you see when you go to a doctor's office? You see pharmaceutical advertisements on pens, ect. The doctor in some cases has been "advised" how great the new drugs work, and will be more happy to prescribe them, if there is any possibility you may need them.
Of course in the US...the "Ask your doctor if........" commercials are not helping matters any....THESE COMMERCIALS SHOULD BE ***** BANNED! For one, they tell you that if you have some very common problem which has been around since the world began....and all of a sudden makes the watcher feel like it is such a horrible disease.....and then "Ask your doctor if (name of drug) is right for you. And OMFG has anyone ever actually listened to the side effects of some of these drugs?!?! No, thanks.. I'd rather have the original problem...the side effects are worse. - mehtheinfernal, on 10/03/2008, -0/+4I've been a tech for 3 years at a hospital. I guess it's a whole different ball game.
We don't have to deal with insurance copay, etc. We have to deal with nurses not submitting orders on time and then calling all angry because the patient didn't get their meds on time (we never got an order for it).
Other difference is IV meds. We mix them. I guess it's one thing to know that your po meds could be wrong or that you gave them too many or too little, it's another thing to think that maybe you just gave that baby 10,000u of heparin instead of 100u...and yet they expect you to churn out IV's nonstop. Nevermind if someone's crashing, they call you in a panic and want you to mix up a neo/levo drip and run it to them all within a minute.
I have a lot of respect for pharmacists and I've had several people ask if I was interested in becoming one. My answer is always the same "No! They have a really great salary, but I would go home worried I had killed someone every day." It's a very stressfull job.
My one tip would be: Don't expect your pharmacist to know every drug and all information regarding that drug. There are too many out there and information is always changing. They know how to find out for you, but there's no way anyone could have all of that memorized.
I think the one drug that has surprised me the most so far has been Dakin's Solution. We're charging people for some diluted over the counter bleach to irrigate wounds. It's crazy. Oh, and I now look at the expiration date on everything. x.x; - inactive, on 10/04/2008, -0/+4i know everyone by first name at mine, i ring them up to order usually weekly.
- Onyxblaze, on 10/03/2008, -0/+4This is why people walk out with prescriptions.. They go to the doctor, knowing they need meds, when they really don't. You ARE NOT a doctor, you don't know what you need. I'd leave that to the doctor to decide, and let them do their job that they are paid to do. I don't blindly trust my doctor either though. I ask them to explain what each drug does on a biological level, and side effects etc before agreeing to take it.
- diadem2, on 10/03/2008, -0/+4This isn't entirely true. I came in to a Wallgreens immediately after I had a skin graft.
I was bleeding from the mouth with a prescription for vicodin/antibotiocs/etc. I was in pretty much agony, waiting my 15+ minutes before it's my turn (a lot of elderly people live in the area and they arrived before I did).
I took a quick pitstop to pick up some ice to lessen the swelling. The lady at the counter selling ice was very rude (mainly because I couldn't talk), but what do you expect for minimum wadge?
After waiting even more when they were messing with their records, they eventually called a local CVS that helped me immediately.
If they were as apathetic as you said, they would have made me wait while they blundered. They called their competition because they saw I was in agony and knew their competition could help me faster. - RobotBuddha, on 10/03/2008, -0/+4To be fair, the side effects are usually pretty exaggerated. I'm not about to act as apologist for the industry, but they are somewhat unfairly forced to put in anything that occurred during the trials, even if it's just statistical flukes. Headaches for example will almost always get in because adults tend to get headaches when stressed out by being in a drug study.
- Onyxblaze, on 10/03/2008, -0/+4So you did take it and you are fine... ok...?
- theexitwound, on 10/03/2008, -0/+4The new voluntary law states that companies are now limited on how much they can give out to certain medical providers. In our area, all companies are stopping distributing pens, clocks, pads, and food to the pharmacies. I'll miss the pens. But actually, the pharmacists have very little say in what drugs to dispense to a patient. It's the doctors who are being suffocated with advertising. But the new rule takes effect Jan 31st, I believe.
- Wrangler76, on 10/03/2008, -0/+4Sonan, you are the type of person that ruins it for the rest of us. It's actually becoming a big problem where over-confident patients "self-diagnose" themselves using the Internet and coerce their doctors into prescribing them medications they don't really need. The new philosophy taught in healthcare is to co-operate patient and integrate them into the diagnosis and treatment process. Unfortunately, the patients that are pulling this kind of crap really makes doctors reluctant to take any part in the new patient-centred philosophy.
- spitfire547, on 10/03/2008, -0/+3Amen. People come in thinking they own the place and know everything just cuz they can say their drug names properly. People need to understand that PharmD's go through hell to get their liscence and their techs have to go through some pretty tough training as well so we can fill prescriptions properly and give exact and correct consultations. But no matter what its our fault cuz the customer is always right.
- tuxthepenguin, on 10/03/2008, -2/+5Don't go to Walmart for your prescriptions, they could care less about you.
- Spire3660, on 10/03/2008, -0/+3Yeah i love how every 'cure' now is a once daily pill..........
- FiestyPumpkin, on 10/04/2008, -0/+3My grandmother fell and broke her hip two years ago. She was put into a nursing home for rehab. They doped her up pretty well while she was there and she was so out of it. When we finally got her out of there, she was sent home with all the scripts they had given her. After a week of being back home, I started to question the medication. She was on all kinds of stuff. I called her doctor and asked why she was on all this medication for a broken hip that was now healed. She was on antidepressants, three different blood pressure meds, sleeping pills, anxiety medication, Alzheimer's meds, and a couple of others (13 different meds in all). I had to argue with the doctor and explain to him that she only broke her hip and was not on any medication when she went into the hospital. It was so bad that she could hardly hold her head up. She was experiencing fatigue, mood swings, dizziness, muscle pain, and a host of other symptoms. I figured that the hospital was treating the side effects of some of the medication with other medication that gave her other side effects. I got her off almost everything and saw quite an improvement in her shortly thereafter.
- inactive, on 10/03/2008, -0/+3*X
...and what? - Nboy514, on 10/03/2008, -1/+4Local street alley
- docbob84, on 10/04/2008, -0/+3Reasonable, but let me give you an example. You have a sore throat and notice your neck feels lumpy. When you look the back of your throat looks red and splotchy. Strep throat, and many people would self diagnose and decide it's not a big deal, I'm not going to the doctor for a sore throat. What they don't realize is, the same bug (Strep. pyogenes) causes all kinds of things, from skin that sloughs off, to necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating bacteria) to kidney failure. It's not always the best idea to just self diagnose, but if you do make sure you're thorough. Don't use Wikipedia when it's a matter of life or death.
As for the article, some good advice. I wish pharmacists would call me if they think a patient would be better served by a slightly different drug or a similar drug in the same class. I don't claim to know everything there is about pharmacology, and while most physicians are genuinely acting in what they think is their patients' best interest, I would take a pharmacist's word over my own. That said, it's my name and career on the line; don't get pissy if I say give me a week to look up the information I need to make a decision. But I will at least not get mad, and I will look it up. - FiestyPumpkin, on 10/04/2008, -0/+3This is so true! I had a dentist botch a root canal. He didn't have me on antibiotics long enough, didn't get all the infection and vital tissue out of the tooth, did not seal the root canal system properly, he forced the filling material past the apex of the root and part of it is lying on the bottom of the sinus cavity, and did not refer me to a specialist in time to aviod further damage. The infection did spread through my body causing me to be sick a lot, caused vasculitis in the brain, and caused nerve damage in the left side of my face. That was three years ago and I still experience episodes and my doctor wants to send me to see an infectious disease specialist because it obviously has gone systemic..
- Gee1004, on 10/04/2008, -0/+3Don't go to Walmart. Wasn't it last month that their pharmacy put a kid in the hospital
- jgzman, on 10/04/2008, -0/+3Actually, that is EXACTLY what I want my doctor to tell me. As long as I am functional and not in pain, I would LOVE to be told to just sleep it off, or similar.
Actually, I once went to the ER at 0200 after coughing up blood. I sat in the waiting room and private room for about two hours; the doctor told me that because I showed no other symptoms of any kind whatsoever, he could give me three days worth of irritating tests, or I could drink tea with honey so I would stop coughing so hard. - matesoric, on 10/04/2008, -0/+3While I don't think you are an idiot, you are a little mistaken. There are only a few cases where taking a generic may be frowned upon (certain thyroid medications and blood thinners for instance). The main difference is in the inactive ingredients. They MUST have the same active ingredients and prove that it behaves similarly in the body, but in some cases the therapeutic window is so narrow that the acceptable range set by the FDA is too large and differences can be experienced by the patients
- leerayIG88, on 10/03/2008, -1/+4my pharmacist gave me $100 of cocaine.....and I don't own any medicare!!
Woot! - bobbi21, on 10/04/2008, -0/+3All of it contributes. They do studies on people who finish their dose of antibiotics and those who don't and on a person by person basis you still get higher rates of recurrent antibiotic resistant bugs.
I don't think we should be arguing which one has a bigger impact (Improper use of antibiotics for infections you don't need it for are the main problem in hospitals anyway.). All of it is bad and all of it should be minimized as much as possible - FiestyPumpkin, on 10/04/2008, -0/+2I agree with the fact that these advertisments should NOT be televised. I have always been against that. People just go to the doctor to request that they be put on a particular med just because they see the ad for it. I don't know why they televise this stuff to the general public.....we are not doctors.
Also, they come up with medicine for the stupidest stuff. Restless leg syndrome? All you have to do it get up and walk around a bit. -
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