Jane Fern's Pharmacists Guide
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Stressing the Importance of Patient-Pharmacist Relationships
By Adella Klein
One of the reasons why the medical industry is (and always has been) one of the busiest sectors of today's economy is because of high demand. So many individuals are in dire need of prescription medication that it's hard for pharmacists to keep up with the demand of their consumers. As a result, most pharmacists are left with little time to foster relationships with their patients - which can be very detrimental when it comes to prescription meds.
Why is it Important to Talk to Your Pharmacist?
Discussing your prescriptions with your pharmacist before taking your medication is important for a number of reasons. First of all, you need to know the method of taking each pill. Do you need to drink water, eat, take it on an empty stomach etc? You also need to make sure that your new prescription isn't going to affect any other medication you may be taking at the time. Likewise, it's always good to know the side effects associated with the prescriptions you're about to take. This leads us to our next topic...
What Questions Should You Ask Your Pharmacist?
As we mentioned above, questions like "how should this medication be taken?" or "will this medication affect any of the other prescriptions I am currently taking?" are both really great questions to ask your pharmacist. Inquiring about the side effects, dosage requirements and ingredients in the medication (especially if you're prone to allergic reactions) are all very important questions to ask your pharmacist before taking your medication as well.
Why Can't I Just Ask My Doctor?
We encourage you to ask your doctor as many questions as you can during your appointment. Unfortunately, once you leave it can be difficult to get in touch with him/her again once you've obtained your medication. In this case, asking your pharmacist is just as good (if not better) than asking your doctor. Pharmacists are experts in prescription ingredients, reactions, dosages etc. so your pharmacist may be more insightful than your doctor anyways.
Never be afraid to ask your pharmacist questions - it's what they are there for. It's better to ask beforehand than to end up in a detrimental situation that could have been avoided had you taken a few minutes to speak with your pharmacist. And remember, there's no such thing as a stupid question - so ask away!
Adella Klein has been taking Prescription Medication for years and wants to stress the importance of communication between pharmacists and their patients. In her spare time she shares her expertise on Medication by writing articles for OneHealthyLifestyle.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adella_Klein
One of the reasons why the medical industry is (and always has been) one of the busiest sectors of today's economy is because of high demand. So many individuals are in dire need of prescription medication that it's hard for pharmacists to keep up with the demand of their consumers. As a result, most pharmacists are left with little time to foster relationships with their patients - which can be very detrimental when it comes to prescription meds.
Why is it Important to Talk to Your Pharmacist?
Discussing your prescriptions with your pharmacist before taking your medication is important for a number of reasons. First of all, you need to know the method of taking each pill. Do you need to drink water, eat, take it on an empty stomach etc? You also need to make sure that your new prescription isn't going to affect any other medication you may be taking at the time. Likewise, it's always good to know the side effects associated with the prescriptions you're about to take. This leads us to our next topic...
What Questions Should You Ask Your Pharmacist?
As we mentioned above, questions like "how should this medication be taken?" or "will this medication affect any of the other prescriptions I am currently taking?" are both really great questions to ask your pharmacist. Inquiring about the side effects, dosage requirements and ingredients in the medication (especially if you're prone to allergic reactions) are all very important questions to ask your pharmacist before taking your medication as well.
Why Can't I Just Ask My Doctor?
We encourage you to ask your doctor as many questions as you can during your appointment. Unfortunately, once you leave it can be difficult to get in touch with him/her again once you've obtained your medication. In this case, asking your pharmacist is just as good (if not better) than asking your doctor. Pharmacists are experts in prescription ingredients, reactions, dosages etc. so your pharmacist may be more insightful than your doctor anyways.
Never be afraid to ask your pharmacist questions - it's what they are there for. It's better to ask beforehand than to end up in a detrimental situation that could have been avoided had you taken a few minutes to speak with your pharmacist. And remember, there's no such thing as a stupid question - so ask away!
Adella Klein has been taking Prescription Medication for years and wants to stress the importance of communication between pharmacists and their patients. In her spare time she shares her expertise on Medication by writing articles for OneHealthyLifestyle.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adella_Klein
Labels: healthy living, medication, medications, onehealthylifestyle.com, pharmacists, prescription medication
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Legitimate Internet Pharmacies Are Often Not So Legit
Recently, Legitscript.com and KnujOn.com released a report analyzing the Yahoo Search engine’s advertisements for online pharmacies. The results are quite disturbing and it’s a wonder law enforcement agencies have not yet cracked down.
Legitscript.com is the only Internet pharmacy verification organization in the United States identified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy as adhering to its standards for certifying Internet pharmacies. KnujOn.com tracks Internet criminality and has succeeded in removing over 100,000 spam websites from the Internet.
The report, released by these companies on August 18, showed that around 80 percent of the search engine’s advertisements concerning online pharmacies reviewed by the researchers were not operating in compliance with United States federal laws. The report states the researchers were able to order and receive medication normally requiring a prescription without one — a clear violation of Drug Enforcement Administration regulation of potentially habit-forming medications. One site even imported the medications ordered from India, which is also in violation of United States Law.
The report also touches on Pharmacychecker.com, the pharmacy verification service used by Yahoo, Google and Microsoft to determine the legitimacy of pharmacies in ads they display. The researchers were able to obtain drugs without a prescription from an online pharmacy listed on and approved by Pharmacychecker.com. These drugs were also imported from India.
Yahoo’s current policy mandates that an online pharmacy advertised through the search engine be “based in” the United States or Canada; however, three sites in the study which were approved based on having Canadian pharmaceutical licenses actually shipped their medications from places like India, Singapore And Barbados. A fourth site, also approved in Canada, stated it could only fill prescriptions in Canada and to do so in other countries would be illegal.
It is important to note that these issues are far from isolated, as a previous report focused on Microsoft’s search engine Bing.com and the findings were similar. Also, the American Pharmacists Association, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and the National Association on Addiction and Substance Abuse have written Google, Microsoft and Yahoo informing them that they were profiting from online pharmacies acting unlawfully.
“We’re making this a public issue because it’s time for this to stop,” KnujOn President Garth Bruen said. “If the search engines continue to knowingly facilitate illegal prescription drug sales, then we’ll continue to issue these reports. Our reports stop when the problem is fixed.”
“Yahoo needs to require that its Internet pharmacy ads adhere to US laws and National Association of Boards of Pharmacy standards,” LegitScript President John Horton said. “These are the same safeguards that govern brick-and-mortar pharmacies used throughout the US everyday. Shouldn’t American Internet users be assured of the same safeguards online?”
If you are someone who gets his or her medications from an online pharmacy, you may be putting yourself and your family in danger. If this is the case, we suggest you look further into the companies from which you choose to procure your medications.
by: Ryan Cloutier
http://blastmagazine.com
Legitscript.com is the only Internet pharmacy verification organization in the United States identified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy as adhering to its standards for certifying Internet pharmacies. KnujOn.com tracks Internet criminality and has succeeded in removing over 100,000 spam websites from the Internet.
The report, released by these companies on August 18, showed that around 80 percent of the search engine’s advertisements concerning online pharmacies reviewed by the researchers were not operating in compliance with United States federal laws. The report states the researchers were able to order and receive medication normally requiring a prescription without one — a clear violation of Drug Enforcement Administration regulation of potentially habit-forming medications. One site even imported the medications ordered from India, which is also in violation of United States Law.
The report also touches on Pharmacychecker.com, the pharmacy verification service used by Yahoo, Google and Microsoft to determine the legitimacy of pharmacies in ads they display. The researchers were able to obtain drugs without a prescription from an online pharmacy listed on and approved by Pharmacychecker.com. These drugs were also imported from India.
Yahoo’s current policy mandates that an online pharmacy advertised through the search engine be “based in” the United States or Canada; however, three sites in the study which were approved based on having Canadian pharmaceutical licenses actually shipped their medications from places like India, Singapore And Barbados. A fourth site, also approved in Canada, stated it could only fill prescriptions in Canada and to do so in other countries would be illegal.
It is important to note that these issues are far from isolated, as a previous report focused on Microsoft’s search engine Bing.com and the findings were similar. Also, the American Pharmacists Association, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and the National Association on Addiction and Substance Abuse have written Google, Microsoft and Yahoo informing them that they were profiting from online pharmacies acting unlawfully.
“We’re making this a public issue because it’s time for this to stop,” KnujOn President Garth Bruen said. “If the search engines continue to knowingly facilitate illegal prescription drug sales, then we’ll continue to issue these reports. Our reports stop when the problem is fixed.”
“Yahoo needs to require that its Internet pharmacy ads adhere to US laws and National Association of Boards of Pharmacy standards,” LegitScript President John Horton said. “These are the same safeguards that govern brick-and-mortar pharmacies used throughout the US everyday. Shouldn’t American Internet users be assured of the same safeguards online?”
If you are someone who gets his or her medications from an online pharmacy, you may be putting yourself and your family in danger. If this is the case, we suggest you look further into the companies from which you choose to procure your medications.
by: Ryan Cloutier
http://blastmagazine.com
Labels: advertising, health, internet pharmacies, medication, yahoo
