Check your medications with the family pharmacist

(know your medication) Series

Talk with the pharmacist about all the medications you use during your visit to the pharmacy because a pharmacist has good experience in the field of medications and medical products, and he has received a good training for the perfect use of medications.

The importance of checking your medications by a pharmacist:

1- Reduction of medical expenses.

2- Reduction of emergency visits to hospital.

3- Reduction of side effects and medications' problems.

4- The perfect use of medications and achieving the maximum benefit from its use.

5- The perfect Control of the development of chronic diseases such as diabetes, blood pressure, and heart diseases.

What is the meaning of checking medications?

This process is also called the MTM (Medication Therapy Management) which is paying a visit to a pharmacist to do the following:

1- Checking medications used with a medical prescription.

2- Checking medications used without a medical prescription.

3- Checking alternative medications such as herbs.

4- Checking food supplements.

During the visit, the pharmacist educates you medically and provides you with pharmaceutical information about:

1- The role of medications in the treatment of your disease.

2- To answer your questions relating to your medication.

3- To tell you about the questions you should ask your doctor and the health care providers about.

4- To know the problems of medication and try to solve them in collaboration with your doctor.

5- To know your pharmacological and medical history, and making a list of these medications to give to your doctor.

Who should see a pharmacist:

1- Anyone who uses medications, whether with or without a prescription.

2- Anyone who uses alternative medications and food supplements.

3- Patients who use multiple medications.

4- Patients who suffer varied health problems.

5- Patients who suffer side effects due to certain medications.

6- Patients who have been detained in emergency or internal departments in hospitals.

7- Patients who have changed their pharmaceuticals course.

8- Patients who suffer high drug costs and expenses; perhaps these are cheap alternatives because one medication may contain the compositions of two medications, so costs and medications' problems would be reduced.

9- Patients who visit more than one doctor for multiple health problems.

10- Patients who buy their medications from more than one pharmacy.

Then, when will you pay a visit to pharmacy to check your used medications.