Our organization often hears from consumers who report the quantity of medicine they receive from the pharmacy is less than the amount prescribed by their physician. For example, we recently received a report from a young patient who had dental surgery and received a prescription for the narcotic painkiller Lortab (hydrocodone and acetaminophen). On the prescription the dentist wrote for 24 pills to be dispensed. The patient’s mother had the prescription filled at a local pharmacy. When she returned home she counted only 21 pills. The mother called the pharmacy because she wanted to make sure the pharmacist was aware that a mistake had been made in the count. But the pharmacist became defensive, even suggesting that the woman’s daughter must have taken the pills without her knowledge.
Read Safety ArticleWhen you take a prescription to the pharmacy, you may have to wait for a period of time until it is ready. You are probably anxious to get home and may not realize just what your pharmacist is doing for you during that time. Here's a look at what your pharmacist typically does to make sure the medicine is safe and right for you.
Read Safety ArticleA doctor prescribed doxepin (Sinequan) 50 mg daily for a young man with depression. This medicine is available in a 50 mg capsule. But the pharmacy where the man had the prescription filled carried only 10 mg and 100 mg capsules. The lower dose (10 mg) is normally used to treat patients with chronic itching. A higher dose (50 mg or more) is the usual dose to treat depression.
Read Safety ArticleThe following recommendations are provided to you when chosing a pharrmacy for your services:
Read Safety ArticleIf you are like most Americans, you are on a first name basis with your hairdresser, barber, maybe even your car mechanic or dry cleaner. But do you know the first name of your pharmacist? A study done by the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) found that only 35% of consumers know their pharmacist's name.
Read Safety ArticleYou may have heard from your doctor or pharmacist that it's important to fill all your prescriptions at the same pharmacy. This way, your pharmacist can keep a complete list of all the medicines you take. Some medicines can cause problems if you take them while taking other medicines at the same time. So, your pharmacist needs to know all the medicines you take to be sure it's safe to take them together.
Read Safety ArticleRecently a woman notified our organization after realizing her doctor prescribed the incorrect dose for an antimalarial medicine. The woman, who was soon going to travel to a part of the world where malaria is present, discussed with her doctor about taking medicine to prevent malaria. Having taken antimalarial medicine in the past, the woman asked her doctor to prescribe chloroquine (the same medication she has taken many years ago).
Read Safety ArticleYour prescription medicine may not be available at the pharmacy due to a drug shortage. This problem can happen for many reasons. Sometimes the company that makes the medicine does not have enough of one of the ingredients. Other times, the company has stopped making your medicine altogether.
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