Funny story for any CP sufferers in need of a laugh...

Yesterday I went to pick up prescriptions for my grandmother at a mom and pop type pharmacy that I'm considering transferring my own medicine to. I walked in and immediately noticed that this place is literally half pharmacy, half liquor store. I'm not exaggerating in the least. So anway, an elderly lady in front of me was getting her percodan refilled. After they filled it for her, she then asked a pharmacist if they carried a certain brand of whiskey. "It's the only kind I drink", she said. So this pharmacist actually came out from behind the counter and located the bottle of booze this lady was asking for.

Get that?

She got her percodan refilled and then basically told her pharmacist that she would also be drinking hard liquor.

Since he got the bottle of whiskey for her without so much as giving the lady a funny look, I'm assuming he didn't call her doctor afterwards to let him or her know that one of their patients was drinking alcohol while taking a narcotic medication.

And here the people at our local Walgreens will give you a hard time for simply getting a prescription refilled a couple of days before you'll be out...

 

1. What I found funny was the fact that this place was as much a liquor store as pharmacy and that this lady had the nerve to pull a stunt like that.
2. Personally, I'd rather have a pharmacist who doesn't think he or she is God than one who feels the need to be a pain in the butt when it isn't even neccessary. In this case, maybe he should have at very least advised this lady that drinking alcohol while taking narcotics isn't a good idea, but maybe he figured that she'd just get the liquor somewhere else, anyway.
3. I don't care if my pharmacist cares about me. I'm not lookng for a friendship when I get my prescriptions filled. My doctor is the one I want that kind of relationship with. As long as I'm only taking the medications he prescribes for me according to his instructions, all the pharmacist needs to do is fill my prescription when it's time.

Post Edited (newname) : 8/9/2011 1:28:40 PM (GMT-6)

My grandmother sees only one doctor. Her physician is well aware of what medications she's on and how they interact. All she needs the pharmacy to do is fill her prescriptions when they are supposed to be. I don't know why that pharmacist didn't say anything to this lady about the potentially harmful effects of taking narcotic pain medication and drinking alcohol. Perhaps he felt it was none of his business, or, as I suggested before, just figured that she'd get the liquor from some place else. As for myself, I trust my doctor to know what is best for me. I also care enough about my own health to not drink alcohol except for a glass of champagne on New Years Eve or rare occasions. And I don't over do it even then.
We'll just have to agree to disagree about this one.

Newname..I promise I'm not trying to be argumentative...but I just don't want others to think that their Dr. knows all the medicine interactions....That's actually not their job at all. That's why there are Pharmacists..

My PM has been named one of the top 70 PM's in the US...But he is the first one to say that even though he knows pain meds...he could not tell you if a blood pressure medication would interact with those meds or not...

That's why it's also very important for people to go to one Pharmacy..or at least one chain...so that the computer there can let them know of any deadly combinations...as well as be able to talk to patients about side effects of certain meds.

I know that you think a Pharmacist doesn't have any training..or they don't know anything in particular and they should just keep quiet and hand you your meds and not say a word...Again..that is fine for you...but it's important that people know that is not what Dr.s recommend doing. Ask any one of them..

And yes...I also am happy for the one's that help catch those abusing drugs since they are the one's that help keep track of when we fill our prescriptions...as well as help monitor the Prescription Monitoring System that is in most states now and moving nationwide.

Again...I do not condone those that say mean things or try to override what the Dr. is saying..But they do have a medical responsibility to be watchful and contact Dr.s when they have a question or concern with someone who is showing suspicious activity.

I just know that my Pharmacist takes his job extremely seriously and carefully as he cares about each one of the customers who come to see him. To become a lead Pharmacist you need a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from an accredited school. Their training includes filling prescriptions, ethics, and counseling patients.

It's also an extremely dangerous job these days unfortunately with all the killings and shooting of Pharmacists just so people can get high.

So that's why I think these boards are so great...it's important to have all sides of situations for people to speak with their Dr.s about and choose for themself..

@Snowbunny, I'm not taking your posts as being argumentative. We just have a different point of view. I trust my doctor because he actually takes the time to get on his computer and check out possible interactions between medications. For instance, he had me on wellbutrin before the tramadol. When considering whether to put me on tramadol, he checked to see if there were any interactions between it and the other medications I'm taking. It turned out there IS an interaction between wellbutrin and tramadol (a slight risk of seizures). We discussed this and he initially had me taking only two tramadol a day but gradually increased it. In other words, he was being cautious. That's why I don't need a pharmacist worrying about my health. I've already got a good doctor who does that.
@vestabula, that's what I was getting at. It was the irony of the situation that I found funny. I mean, a pharmacy/liquor store? I'm glad you understood what I intended when I said it was funny. But no, the lady clearly stated that she intended to drink the whiskey.
But hey, if she wants to pickle her liver, that's her choice. It clearly states on any narcotic prescription bottle that you shouldn't consume alcohol while taking it. And when I said she was elderly, that was a bit of a stretch. I'm 42 and she looked to be about ten years older than me. That's not exactly elderly, so that was an error on my part.

Thought I'd just add some 'technical' information here and not my opinion. I feel everyone who has posted has good and valid concerns about the roll of a pharmacist in their lives. Below is a link that describes the duties and responsibilities of a pharmacist in the United States. They are likely different in other countries. Also, I've added a few lines from the site that are pertinent to the conversation.

Hope this helps...
Chutz

www.ehow.com/about_6598765_role-pharmacist-tech.html

"Additionally, pharmacists must study each patient's medical history to ensure that no allergies or adverse reactions could result from the patient's prescriptions. Pharmacists also counsel their patients on the correct use of their prescription medications as well as over-the-counter drugs."