Asking your pharmacist questions is important for various reasons. These professionals are trained in the medications that they dispense. For this reason, they have the knowledge needed to answer any questions you may have regarding not only the pharmacy but the medication that you’re receiving from them.
Pharmacies are there to make things easier when filling a prescription. By offering this position to another medical professional, instead of receiving medications through the doctor’s office, someone can focus solely on the medications. This professional then provides the necessary counseling regarding the medication that you perhaps didn’t ask the doctor, or were unable to ask them.
The Importance of Asking Questions
Asking your pharmacist questions is important because you need to know valuable information about the medication you will be taking.
Side effects happen. You want to know if they are more likely going to happen to you, or if they are less likely to happen at all. With this information, not only do you know what to expect should something happen but you know the chances of having something happen. It is also ideal to ask when or who you should call if you notice any serious side effects.
If you are taking other medications, you want to know how the new medication will react when taking it with the old medication. This is especially important, as many medications can have a negative reaction when taken together.
When you ask questions, you learn much more that you didn’t know. This is always a good thing when considering how medication can cause negative reactions in the body. You don’t want something negative to occur because you didn’t get counseled on the use and side effects of the medications.
If the pharmacist does not immediately come over to counsel you, you can request to speak with them and ask them questions. This way, you can have them come to you if you have something specific to ask, as they don’t always counsel everyone getting a new medication at their pharmacy.
Questions You Can Ask Your Pharmacist
There are a series of questions that you could potentially ask your pharmacist. You can come up with your own if you think of them, or just want to know more about the medication, but this is a great list of resources you can look over and use if you find that one of them suits your medication and the information you’d like to know about it.
- Can you provide more clarity on the use of this particular medication?
- Are there special instructions that I should make sure to do while taking this medication?
- Should I stay away from anything while taking this medication such as grapefruit or alcohol?
- What are the major, and minor, side effects of taking this medication?
- What is the generic and brand name of this medication? Does it matter which I take?
- What do I do if I miss a dose?
- Can you provide me with a medication review?
- How should I store this medication when I take it home? Does it need to be in the fridge?
- Should I see a doctor to find out if this is the best medication to take? This is great for over the counter medications that you do not need a prescription for. The pharmacist will have information on these, as well.
- Will this medication change my bathroom habits?
- Am I too old or young to take this medication or will it have side effects because of this?
- Does it matter what time of day I take this medication?
- How long am I able to use this medication? How about how long past its expired date?
- What vaccinations are important for seniors to get? Does this pharmacy offer flu shots?
- How long will I need to use this medication for?
- What is the medication used for and what can I expect it to do?
- What is the safest way to dispose of medication that I no longer need or use?
While, your doctor won’t prescribe you something without knowing it is safe based on your medical history and current medications, it is still good to have an idea of what to expect regarding side effects from taking the two medications. If you feel more comfortable asking your physician these questions, that can also be done, but they may not be able to provide further details like a pharmacist would.
Find the pharmacy that you’d like to work with, and make sure to get all of your prescriptions filled with a place you can trust and feel comfortable with. Even drug rehab centers can call in prescriptions for those that are or have battled an addiction. Through the use of the pharmacy, you can find out how to safely and effectively take the medication without having to fall back into the addiction again. Even pharmacists are knowledgeable on the ins and outs of medications, addiction, prescriptions, health and more.
Guest author: Patrick Bailey
is a professional writer mainly in the fields of mental health, addiction, and living in recovery. He attempts to stay on top of the latest news in the addiction and the mental health
world and enjoy writing about these topics to break the stigma associated with them.
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