why are there pharmacists?

[draggoon01]

could someone explain this. why don't doctors just dispense the drugs themselves. that would save on lots of calls and double checking.

only thing that comes to mind is getting a drug while out of town. but just like you visit other pharmacies, you could stop by a different doctor's office to fill prescription, or hospital to get during off hours.

 

[Codewiz]

Originally posted by: draggoon01
could someone explain this. why don't doctors just dispense the drugs themselves. that would save on lots of calls and double checking.

only thing that comes to mind is getting a drug while out of town. but just like you visit other pharmacies, you could stop by a different doctor's office to fill prescription, or hospital to get during off hours.

Yeah like doctors don't already have enough to do.

 

[stormbv]

Pharmacists make sure you aren't taking drugs at the same time that can kill you when combined.

 

[falconx80]

cause thats considered dirty work... pharacists just give out the drugs that docs prescribe...they dont really care if its the "RIGHT" medcine for you....

besides...pharmacists make alot of money

 

[draggoon01]

Originally posted by: stormbv
Pharmacists make sure you aren't taking drugs at the same time that can kill you when combined.

yeah, so wouldn't it be easier for the doctor to double check this while prescribing in first place

 

[bozo1]

Pharmacists know a LOT more about drug interactions and such. The last thing physicans want is more insurance crap.

 

[illusion88]

Originally posted by: draggoon01

Originally posted by: stormbv
Pharmacists make sure you aren't taking drugs at the same time that can kill you when combined.

yeah, so wouldn't it be easier for the doctor to double check this while prescribing in first place

Some people have multiple doctors. My Grandma did.

 

[draggoon01]

Originally posted by: falconx80
cause thats considered dirty work... pharacists just give out the drugs that docs prescribe...they dont really care if its the "RIGHT" medcine for you....

besides...pharmacists make alot of money

so it would be more money for doctors then instead of separating out this fuction into another job completely.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: falconx80
cause thats considered dirty work... pharacists just give out the drugs that docs prescribe...they dont really care if its the "RIGHT" medcine for you....

besides...pharmacists make alot of money

Don't you have a bridge you are supposed to be hiding under?

Doctor's don't have the time(or desire sometimes) to keep up on all of the drug to drug interactions and various new developments out there. There is also a very large difference between the pharmacist working the counter at a walgreens and a pharmacist staffing a pharmacy in a hospital.

Most people only think that pharmacists are only there to count pills. They are way, way off.

 

[amnesiac]

Originally posted by: draggoon01

Originally posted by: falconx80
cause thats considered dirty work... pharacists just give out the drugs that docs prescribe...they dont really care if its the "RIGHT" medcine for you....

besides...pharmacists make alot of money

so it would be more money for doctors then instead of separating out this fuction into another job completely.

Take my example:
My dad is 77, diabetic, and had a double heart bypass. He has several doctors - heart, ENT, internist, physician, and at least a couple others.

All in all, they are prescribing him a total of 15 different medications.

Whose job is it to make sure none of them interact badly?
Do you honestly think doctors have enough time on their hands to call up every other doctor, verify prescriptions, research interactions, and dispense medication? You know very little about the medical field, my friend. You should do some thinking.

 

[bozo1]

And what a pain in the butt it would be to have to call all around town to find out what doctor has the meds you need.

 

[Platypus]

Originally posted by: falconx80
cause thats considered dirty work... pharacists just give out the drugs that docs prescribe...they dont really care if its the "RIGHT" medcine for you....

besides...pharmacists make alot of money

stop posting.

 

[draggoon01]

Originally posted by: amnesiac 2.0

Originally posted by: draggoon01

Originally posted by: falconx80
cause thats considered dirty work... pharacists just give out the drugs that docs prescribe...they dont really care if its the "RIGHT" medcine for you....

besides...pharmacists make alot of money

so it would be more money for doctors then instead of separating out this fuction into another job completely.

Take my example:
My dad is 77, diabetic, and had a double heart bypass. He has several doctors - heart, ENT, internist, physician, and at least a couple others.

All in all, they are prescribing him a total of 15 different medications.

Whose job is it to make sure none of them interact badly?
Do you honestly think doctors have enough time on their hands to call up every other doctor, verify prescriptions, research interactions, and dispense medication? You know very little about the medical field, my friend. You should do some thinking.

do most patients always go to the same pharmacist?

and yeah, i don't really know so i'm asking

 

[waggy]

the local pharmacy i go to has pretty much saved us at least twice.

My wife's doctor gave her anti-body that she cant take. The pharmacy guy knew she shouldnt take it and called the doctor.

latter I needed more pills (pain pills for surgery). the one they gave me was bad for the liver (i have a bad one =( ) but he noticed and knew about my liver so he called and got me something else.


my wife is thinking of going to school for it.

 

[KokomoGST]

Originally posted by: draggoon01

Originally posted by: stormbv
Pharmacists make sure you aren't taking drugs at the same time that can kill you when combined.

yeah, so wouldn't it be easier for the doctor to double check this while prescribing in first place

not when you might be taking 10 kinds of medication for 3 different doctors... and docs have better things to do than remember exactly all the drug interactions and also keep up with emerging drugs and dosages etcetcetc.

Also, without pharmacists to properly dispense drugs... some nurses would possibly just give you the wrong drugs. Somebody has to do research on drugs too... not just chemists.

I don't think we have nearly enough doctors (or actually enough pharmacists) to dole out prescriptions when you swing by the hospital/office whenever.

Would you rather be less stringent controls on drugs like in other nations where antibiotic immune bugs are becoming dangerously common?? Problems like tolerance and other issues are a factor outside of the US too. The medicial community is very worried about these very serious issues.

Most of which joe schmoe prolly never has heard about. Most of my family is in medicine and my mom & dad are both pharmacists... I worked for a medical website. We are running low on pharmacists... alarmingly so. Pay is skyrocketing for pharmacists without Doctorates now.

 

[vi edit]

I don't think we have nearly enough doctors (or actually enough pharmacists)

10,000(and growing) pharmacist shortage.

 

[giguana]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: falconx80
cause thats considered dirty work... pharacists just give out the drugs that docs prescribe...they dont really care if its the "RIGHT" medcine for you....

besides...pharmacists make alot of money

Don't you have a bridge you are supposed to be hiding under?

Doctor's don't have the time(or desire sometimes) to keep up on all of the drug to drug interactions and various new developments out there. There is also a very large difference between the pharmacist working the counter at a walgreens and a pharmacist staffing a pharmacy in a hospital.

Most people only think that pharmacists are only there to count pills. They are way, way off.

no that's what the pharmaceutical technicians are for.

 

[da loser]

why can't someone just write software so that the wrong drugs don't get prescribed? the software could be updated as new interactions are learned, seems so simple what am i missing? i'm talking about the pharmacists at stores which hand out medicine, seems like you could just train a technician to hand them out.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: da loser
why can't someone just write software so that the wrong drugs don't get prescribed? the software could be updated as new interactions are learned, seems so simple what am i missing? i'm talking about the pharmacists at stores which hand out medicine, seems like you could just train a technician to hand them out.

Lots of reasons. One of which being because people want that interpersonal interaction.

 

[911paramedic]

Think of it as another practice. You see a cardiologist for your heart, and a podiatrist for your feet. After your MD figures out you are sick and need medicine, you are sent to the pharmacist. The pharmacist is a practice all its own, they are very good at what they do.

 

[draggoon01]

Originally posted by: 911paramedic
Think of it as another practice. You see a cardiologist for your heart, and a podiatrist for your feet. After your MD figures out you are sick and need medicine, you are sent to the pharmacist. The pharmacist is a practice all its own, they are very good at what they do.

the thing i don't get is why it is seen as separate. maybe with cardiologist or podiatrist, MD sends you there because those guys know more/better suited/etc. but with pharmacist, it's not like MD diagnoses the problem and then send you to pharmacist and leaves it up to pharmacist to pick the drug. MD already picked the drug, so i'm not getting why don't they just dispense it at same time.

especially for primary care doctors.

 

[falconx80]

so by your logic i can say...

"why not get rid of nurses too?

doctors can do everything by themselves!"

 

[vi edit]

MY problem with your statement is this - "

they dont really care if its the "RIGHT" medcine for you...."

Pharmacists actually care MORE about what is given to you than the doctor does IMHO. If they don't like what they see, they can call the doctor to question it. If they can get a patient an equal drug for less money, they may call the doctor to see if they can swap out for a generic.

Pharmacists, on the whole, most certainly DO care about what a doctor is perscribing to a person.

 

[Mustangrrl]

Pharmacists have their doctorate degrees--they're DOCTORS and they dispense drugs, duh.

Pharmacists are experts, that's why physicians don't dispense drugs themselves.

 

[draggoon01]

Originally posted by: Mustangrrl
Pharmacists have their doctorate degrees--they're DOCTORS and they dispense drugs, duh.

Pharmacists are experts, that's why physicians don't dispense drugs themselves.

but then why aren't pharmacists the ones picking the drugs?