Talk To Your Pharmacist Before Self-Medicating

A few years ago, when I was working for a retail pharmacy chain, I noticed a nice couple checking out products in the vitamin section of the store. They seemed a little confused about the various choices, so I stepped out from behind the counter and asked if I could help them out.

The woman had a bottle of ferrous sulfate (iron) 65 mg tablets in her hand. She said that her doctor told her that she needed to supplement her diet with iron, and to take 325 mg three times daily until her next appointment. But, she also said that she found what she needed and didn't need my help, and began to walk away.

Sensing a serious error about to occur, I asked her how many tablets she was going to take each day? She turned around and told me 15 tablets - 5 tablets (325 mg) three times daily.

I can't tell you how relieved I was that I went out to talk with them.

Pharmacists know where I'm going with this, but many others may not. Sometimes the labeling on OTC (over-the-counter) and prescription products can be confusing. That's why, even when you don't think that you need to, YOU MUST TALK WITH YOUR PHARMACIST before self-medicating, and before taking any medications or supplements.

For the public, let me describe the potentially serious problem that was averted -

The doctor told the patient to take 325 mg of iron. But, what he actually meant was to take 325 mg of "ferrous sulfate", an iron supplement that contains 65 mg of "elemental" iron. The OTC bottle of iron that she had was labeled to show the amount of "elemental" iron per tablet. This nice lady thought she needed to take 5 X 65 mg in order to get 325 mg of "iron". If she hadn't talked to me beforehand, she would have taken FIVE TIMES the dose of iron that she was prescribed by the doctor.

Now, you may say to yourself, "that's no big deal, it's just a vitamin". But, that assumption would be a BIG MISTAKE. Iron is a very toxic supplement when overdosed, especially in children. Taking such a high dose of iron, and especially for a prolonged period of time, could have potentially been fatal. This couple thanked me profusely for my intervention.

So you see my friends, pharmacists ARE superheroes. We ARE able to use our powers for good, to save lives, and to make a difference in peoples' health care. But, maybe you've already heard of me.

Brown Bag Reviews | What's In Your Bag?

I stopped by Jerry Fahrni's place today and read one his posts encouraging pharmacists to embrace their changing roles from medication dispensers to medication baby-sitters.

I think Jerry knows that, whether pharmacists like it or not, they have no control over where the future of pharmacy is headed. He knows that if they want to continue to be pharmacists, they'd better learn how to roll with the changes or perish.

I like Jerry. He's a good human being, the kind of pharmacist who thinks about others instead of just caring about himself. He knows that while changes in the practice of pharmacy probably won't affect him personally because he's (like me) on the downward side of the bell-shaped career curve, he still cares enough to provide advice to newer pharmacists so they can make better career choices.

But Jerry's supportive advice doesn't always fall on deaf ears.

There are some younger super hero pharmacists, like Andre J., one of the Green Lantern's pharmacy apprentices, who've taken it upon themselves to justify their professional worth to the non-pharmacist decision-makers and embrace MTM services with such a passion that they walk the streets providing free brown bag reviews, and educating the public on safe sex practices.


WhatsInYourBag?! - Superhero Dre from The Frei Group on Vimeo.

When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going

I was watching one of my favorite old television shows at home recently, and saw this chain pharmacy commercial. It seemed to me to be attempting to sell both product and subliminally trying to motivate pharmacists to fight for a role in providing MTM services. But, I could be wrong. What do you think?


Source: South Park Studios