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Actual pharmacists are very knowledgeable about the drugs that they give out, in some cases more so than the doctors prescribing them (as many doctors will read

by travisp 13y ago

Actual pharmacists are very knowledgeable about the drugs that they give out, in some cases more so than the doctors prescribing them (as many doctors will readily tell you). Doctors in hospitals frequently consult the hospital's pharmacists with questions about particular things (like drug interactions).

TillE 13y ago
Yes, it's entirely normal in Germany to just walk in and consult a pharmacist about minor problems. They're generally quite friendly and not too busy, even in the middle of Berlin.
- cmiles74 13y ago
  This used to be common in the US as well, but no longer. This is something that seems to have disappeared as the larger chain stores have take over the field.
  - lukeschlather 13y ago
    I've found pharmacists to be perfectly knowledgeable at large chain stores. Like Berlin, they also seem to be a pretty underutilized resource.
  - pyre 13y ago
    When I was in the US, I had no issues with consulting with pharmacists at the Fred Meyer's Pharmacy nor at Walgreen's. No one encouraged me to not have a consultation, and they were very professional.
  - mkopinsky 13y ago
    Even at chain stores in the US, one of the people behind the counter is a pharmacist who went to grad school for five years studying this stuff. (The person actually giving you your medication may only be a pharmacy tech, but they have to have a pharmacist behind the counter whenever they're open.)
    - Turing_Machine 13y ago
      Yes. The pharmacist almost certainly knows much more about drugs in general than a doctor does. The doctor is familiar with the drugs he prescribes, sure, but may not be at all familiar with the drugs that your other doctor prescribed. That is, your dermatologist knows all about dermatology drugs, but may not know much about your blood pressure or antidepressant medicine (in particular, that one of those drugs has a bad interaction with the dermatology medicine he's prescribing). That's also why it's important to always go to the same pharmacy if you can. If you switch to a new one, make sure to switch all your prescriptions at the same time.

by travisp 13y ago

TillE 13y ago

Yes, it's entirely normal in Germany to just walk in and consult a pharmacist about minor problems. They're generally quite friendly and not too busy, even in the middle of Berlin.

cmiles74 13y ago
This used to be common in the US as well, but no longer. This is something that seems to have disappeared as the larger chain stores have take over the field.
- lukeschlather 13y ago
  I've found pharmacists to be perfectly knowledgeable at large chain stores. Like Berlin, they also seem to be a pretty underutilized resource.
- pyre 13y ago
  When I was in the US, I had no issues with consulting with pharmacists at the Fred Meyer's Pharmacy nor at Walgreen's. No one encouraged me to not have a consultation, and they were very professional.
- mkopinsky 13y ago
  Even at chain stores in the US, one of the people behind the counter is a pharmacist who went to grad school for five years studying this stuff. (The person actually giving you your medication may only be a pharmacy tech, but they have to have a pharmacist behind the counter whenever they're open.)
  - Turing_Machine 13y ago
    Yes. The pharmacist almost certainly knows much more about drugs in general than a doctor does. The doctor is familiar with the drugs he prescribes, sure, but may not be at all familiar with the drugs that your other doctor prescribed. That is, your dermatologist knows all about dermatology drugs, but may not know much about your blood pressure or antidepressant medicine (in particular, that one of those drugs has a bad interaction with the dermatology medicine he's prescribing). That's also why it's important to always go to the same pharmacy if you can. If you switch to a new one, make sure to switch all your prescriptions at the same time.