Working with Your Pharmacist
Most pharmacists are eager to give you information, if you just ask. You and your parents will find it helpful to ask the pharmacist the same list of questions that you asked the doctor. Hearing it twice and double-checking doesn't hurt. The pharmacist is also a great resource to ask about over-the-counter drugs. Many pharmacies have additional consumer-friendly information on the drugs that they dispense, so ask for a copy. Thanks to the computer age, almost all pharmacies keep a profile on what drugs you take and all of your allergies. When you're given a new medication, be sure to ask the pharmacist to run a scan on your profile to make sure that you won't have a problem with the new drug. The pharmacist is also the most up-to-date person to ask whether there is a generic available for the drug you've been prescribed. (You usually don't have to check with your doctor to substitute a generic.) Use this Pill Tracking Chart to keep your medications organized.
More on: Aging Parents
Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Caring for Aging Parents �© 2001 by Linda Colvin Rhodes, Ed.D. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
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