KNOW ABOUT YOUR MEDICINE, ASK YOUR PHARMACIST

Pharmacist is a health professional who in addition to dispensing prescribed medication to patient;also provide information about the drug their doctors have ordered for them. He or she explains physician’s instruction to patients, so these individuals can use these medications safely and effectively.

Pharmacist can have a role like

1)      CLINICAL PHARMACIST

2)      COMMUNITY OR RETAIL PHARMACIST 

3)      NUCLEAR PHARMACIST

By looking at a pharmacist role and  his duties WHO says a 7 star pharmacist i.e. caregiver, decision maker, communicator, leader, teacher and a lifelong leader.

Pharmacist generally knows more drugs than a doctor plus you no need to pay.

1. Dispensing pharmacist will be knowing about all the drugs and its dosage form. When comes to the non-dispensing pharmacist they may easily gets confused with the names of the drugs which sounds alike but they are different. For e.g. Valtrex and Valcyte. Valcyte is for cold sore and genital herpes and Valtrex is a immunosuppressant drugs in case of HIV.
2. Pharmacist can suggest when and how to take medication and whether to take with food or in an empty stomach? Usually people take the medication after food, but there are some drugs which should be taken before food i.e. sucarlfate
3. Pharmacist can help the individual to know better about the drugs and also when dosage are missed.Which is the most common problem that elder patients face. In certain medication if the dose is missed, pharmacists can assist the patient to quit the forgotten dose and continue the next dose to avoid the further complication which can endanger the life for example oral hypoglycemic agents
4.  Pharmacist can also guide the patient having prescription containing antibiotic to complete the course or else the bacteria will attain the resistance over it.
5. Pharmacist can spend more time than the doctor in counseling the patient and gather the information of his or her allergy to some medication and he can also request the Physician to change the prescription
6.  Pharmacist can also give information about what the medication suppose to do thereby he can built the confidence in the therapy so he can involve the patient to become an active participant in the disease management For example he can inform information about medicines involved in the perception like Some medication are antibiotics to cure infection where some are painkillers hence its is better to inform the patient what it is
7. As a community pharmacist , he can guide which are the drug to take and not to take for pregnant or breast feeding women . The misguidance during these period may lead to a tragedy.  For e.g. 1962 thalidomide tragedy it was a drug given in pregnancy for morning sickness i.e. thalidomide diesters the side effect  lead to  limb sealing in new born.
8. Pharmacist can guide the women in conditions like gestation induced diabetes mellitus and hypertension. He can educate to overcome the panic situation observed in pregnancy  by giving information about the condition.
9. More over pharmacists can advise not only about the safe administration of drug and also about the storage
10.  Pharmacist can also suggest alternate to the  costly branded drug in case on economically backward people and he can go with generic medicine

Pharmacist can help in implementing the 3 R s for safe medication use like:

1.      RISK: in medicine and care in use.

2.      RESPECT respect  and trust the medicine

3.      RESPONSIBILITY  to educate in handling of medication with safely.

By being involved in health care , Pharmacist can decrease the risk and get the most benefit from medicine

Choose your pharmacist as careful as you choose the physician. Because most people see more than one doctor with one pharmacist, which will help him to keep track of what you are taking the prescription. And also the pharmacist place a role in proper dispensing of medication followed by better use which better patient compliance.