<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Denise wrote: > I also would like to share a related experience. I have been taking = > Prevacid for GERD. I was told by my doctor that I could take Prilosec > = which I could buy cheaper and without a RX. So I went to the > pharmacy = and asked the Pharmacist if Prilosec contained Gluten. Not > one could = tell me. I also had them look up Prevacid. They looked > at the package = insert and gave it to me to interpret! When I asked > them to please = interpret all these chemical names for me, the were > almost dumfounded. = After a loss of words, I asked them if any of > them were pharmacists? I = asked them if they knew about Celiac > Disease? No one knew anything, = except that "Some lady" in a near by > city, had to look up things for = that sensitivity. I felt like a > complete nuisance asking them for this = information. they were > clearly at a loss, and very defensive. They = finally looked up the > manufactures of these drugs and gave me their = phone numbers. > > I educated them about the seriousness and the prevalence of gluten = > intolerance and celiac's disease. That seemed to care less,and said > we = have to it out ourselves. The tech said the ingredients in all = > medications can change on a daily basis, and their there was no way = > they can provide this information. I figure they should aatleast be > able = to interpret the chemical ingredients? > > I am feeling pretty outraged at the moment. Anyone have any knowledge > = about how to lobby for prescription labeling? > In our state (California) there are three levels of people who can be behind a pharmacy counter - pharmacy techs (10 weeks of classes), pharmacists (education equivalent to a masters degree) and pharmacologists (doctorate level education). The pharm-techs are useless when it comes to finding out information on drug constituents, the pharmacists less so (depending on their workload). You want to make sure that the person you are dealing with is either a pharmacist or a pharmacologist! Some large chain drugstores are notorious for staffing with 5 or 6 techs and 1 very overworked pharmacist. I've found the best time to talk to the pharmacist for information gathering (at my 24-hour local pharmacy) is between 9 pm and 8:30 a.m (late night or early morning). Of course, this means that if I need them to contact a manufacturer, I need to plan for at least 24 hour turnaround. I do plan for that, and I make my thanks profuse when they help me. Part of our responsibility as consumers of health care is to pick the appropriate person to help us. I've discovered that the pharmacists (and pharmacologists) at certain drug stores have the *willingness* to help us stay well - these are the folks I patronize, regularly - the ones who ask, *every time* I pick up a refill, if I have any questions or concerns, and make the time to listen and answer questions. When I ask them to cross-check a new medication for cross- reactions with my maintenance drugs, I usually find out that it has already been done - several times, the drug I picked up was not the drug my doctor told me s/he was ordering - in between my seeing my doctor, when the prescription was called in, the pharmacist found contra-indications, called the doctor back with options, and was given the go-ahead for a substitute drug. These are the pharmacists you want to have your business! Also, note the prevalence of generic drugs as a cost-saving measure - the formulas on generics can be hard to verify - especially when the generic is made half-way around the world. The words "dispense as written" or "do not substitute" should be standard on prescriptions for most of our medications - brand names and individual manufacturers are easier to keep track of! Anyone who is on any medication for any length of time, and anyone who is on multiple medications, should have a regular "brown bag" review with a *pharmacologist*. This is where the pharmacologist goes through every pill you put in your mouth (including vitamins and nutritional supplements) with you, explains each, and makes sure that there are no mix-ups, overlaps, or cross-reactions with the pills. I'Ive helped numerous (mostly older) friends gather their things for one of these reviews, and the results are normally impressive. Most people go from 7 to 12 prescription drugs to 2 or 3, and not only do their pocketbooks feel better, they do, too! FWIW, educating the pharmacy staff needs to come from above, or from the state regulatory agency, not from an outraged, angry consumer - they're going to write you off as a wacko if it comes across that way, and you will not have done anyone (much less your fellow celiacs) any good. karen Karen Davis Davis and Associates Consulting [log in to unmask] The light at the end of the tunnel may be an oncoming train... *Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the Celiac List* Archives are at: Http://Listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?LIST=CELIAC