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Welcome To The Wonderful World Of William Bowen RPh
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News Flash: I'm getting married ... Ann, my beautiful fiance, and myself have just about finished making all the arrangements for our May wedding. 2/17
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Warning: Getting your medications from another country via mail order is not safe! A movement by some of our nation's governors to provide state sponsered information and promotional services for foreign mail order pharmacies, Doyle – Wisconsin (A fine governor otherwise), is pushing our neighbors to take action to attempt to lower their medical expenses at the risk of their health.
Did you know that ordering your medications from a foreign mail order pharmacy is illegal?
Did you know that when you buy your prescriptions via mail order from a Canadian or Mexican pharmacy you have no legal recourse against the pharmacy, drug manufacturer, or quite possibly your physician should something bad happen to you because of that medication?
Note, I am not making the argument that the USA is the only country with safe pharmacies - that would be ridiculous speculation. As a pharmacist, I understand the delicate role medications play in the balance of sustaining a healthy life. Without proper regulation, the safeguards that are enjoyed by patients of US pharmacies are nonexistent for patients of foreign mail order pharmacies. A few of these safeguards include: properly trained/licensed pharmacists, proper distribution, medication review, consultation, reasonable pharmacist to pharmacy technician ratio, clean/safe handling + shipping, and safe/unadulterated medications - meds that come from the licensed manufacturer, are not out dated, and have not been subject to mishandling.
Did you know that Florida just passed a law to help secure the pipeline to get prescription medications from the manufacturer to the pharmacy? Why was this bill necessary? The hard truth is that even in our highly secure pharmaceutical distribution system there are leaks. If you order your medications from pharmacies across the boarder, that don't have to follow our rules and regulations regarding the safe handling and production of medications and have no legal liability with regard to your wellbeing, common sense dictates that simple economics will allow the penetration of counterfeit drugs into this unsecured pipeline.
Do your life a favor and do not buy your medications from unsafe locations - Canada/Mexico/Unknown Mail-order. There are no foreign prescription mail-order companies that exist that can provide a legal guarantee that the medications you are receiving were produced in the USA or an otherwise FDA approved location. The pills you are taking may look exactly like the medication you received from your US pharmacy, but that does not mean they contain the same drug, purity, or amount of drug indicated – additionally, differences in dissolution and absorption of a counterfeit drug can lead to an under or overdose of a medication ... what could appear to be a subtle difference can have catastrophic consequences or at a minimum undermine your physician’s intended therapy.
One last bit of advice: If you spend thousands of dollars on foreign mail order pharmacies I would strongly recommend that you discuss this illegal practice with your tax attorney or accountant prior to attempting to take this deduction as a medical expense on your taxes.
When your life is on the line there is really no room for error. Can you really be sure that the pill you are holding in your hand from your foreign mail order pharmacy is really safe?
Updated 2/24/04
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A bit of advice ... Put your pharmacist to work! A common misconception about pharmacists is that they only exist to shovel pills out to the masses. Though preparing medications is part of a pharmacist's daily duties this is considered the no-brainer part of the profession - often delegated to a technician. Picking the right medication off the shelf is vital, but this is by no means the goal of 6 years of intense study of chemistry (organic, inorganic, bio, physical, Medicinal), physiology, pathology, pharmacology ... consider this - pharmacy schools across the country are only offering Doctor of Pharmacy degree programs - this is by no means a typical undergraduate degree - this is an advanced professional degree.
Refusing to enlist the knowledge of your pharmacist when you pick up a prescription is no different then not stopping at a stop sign. Patients often are under the misconception that their doctor has considered all the issues regarding their therapy; though most doctors have covered all their bases, your pharmacist may at a minimum be able to verify the validity of the treatment given and ensure nothing has been overlooked. On a daily basis, in a busy pharmacy, the pharmacist will make multiple calls to prescribing physicians to verify and correct prescriptions. I do not know a pharmacist that has not made a potential life saving correction to a prescription.
Often the discovery of a critical oversight by a doctor occurs when the pharmacist is providing consultation with the patient. Do not fail yourself by quickly saying, 'no', when the pharmacist asks if you have any questions - give it some thought and challenge your pharmacist with a question - most often your pharmacist will be delighted to encounter someone who actually gives a bit of thought to their healthcare. 2/17/04
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Sit back and spend a couple hours enjoying my picture ...
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