Health & Wellness

Expert advice: How pharmacists can help manage your medication

Medications are prescribed to treat symptoms and to manage medical conditions or mitigate the risk of future events. It’s important to take the right medication at the right time and in the right dose. When we don’t take medications properly, it can lead to ineffectiveness, side effects and possibly even harm.  

There are many reasons why someone may not take their medications properly. Patients may stop taking their medications because they’re confused by the directions, they feel the medications aren’t working, or because of the side effects. Cost can be another barrier to taking medications properly. Some patients may skip doses or reduce frequency to extend the medication so that it lasts longer.

Pharmacists are a great option for helping people manage their medication.

Medication management services that pharmacists offer

Pharmacists offer many services to help people manage their medications and medical conditions, such as:

  • Medication reviews = Understanding your medications: Pharmacists can review and discuss all medications, including vitamins, herbals products and over-the-counter products. The pharmacist will review what the medication is, how it should be taken and any common side effects or concerns and how to manage them. The pharmacist will also check for drug interactions between prescription medications, over the counter medications, vitamins, supplements and herbal products. The pharmacist will provide a medication list to the patient, so they have it at home for reference. Currently, pharmacists can discuss strategies on managing medications such as use of a pill-container or possibly blister packing.
  • Pre-filled daily medication pack (blister packing): Pharmacists can make a pill pack for the patient, which would be pre-filled with the medications to be taken at certain times each day and for the week. This helps people take their medications at the right time.
  • Medication reminders and auto fills: Some pharmacies offer services to remind people to fill their medication or automatically refill medications when refills are due.
View more medication management services that pharmacists offer
  • Solutions to make it easier to take medication: If the patient is having difficulty pharmacists can sometimes find an alternate solution, such as finding a chewable tablet option, alternation formulations, or create a liquid compound. If taste is a barrier, flavourings can be used.
  • Making medications that aren’t available commercially (compounding): Many pharmacies offer compounding services to make medications that aren’t available commercially such as creams, ointments, liquids, gels, capsules, suppositories, and gummies. This allows for alternate dosing of various medical combinations to be used in a convenient format.
  • Over-the-counter advice and recommendations: Pharmacists can advise on over the counter medications, vitamins or natural health products to help manage minor ailments like allergies, rash, cough and cold, and stomach ailments, while ensuring those products don’t impact with medications or medical conditions.
  • Immunizations: Pharmacists can assess if you’re up to date on your routine vaccines such as tetanus and pneumonia, as well as recommend additional vaccines to help prevent disease such as shingles vaccination or travel vaccines.
  • Device demonstrations: Pharmacists can make sure you’re using your devices such as inhalers, insulin pens, EpiPen, prefilled syringes or auto injectors properly to have optimal effect.
  • Options for patients who are vision impaired (script talk): Some pharmacies may offer specialized medication management options for those who are visually impaired.
  • Condition management: Pharmacists have expanded their scope with additional certifications to help patients manage various medical conditions, such as diabetes, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, smoking cessation (quitting smoking), immunizations and travel health. 
  • Advocacy for coverage: Pharmacists are the liaison between the patient, the prescriber and any insurance plans. Pharmacists can often advocate for the patient in order to meet criteria for coverage or request special authorization paperwork be submitted. Pharmacists can also look for lower-cost alternatives in order to remove barriers to taking medications as prescribed. 
  • Medication disposal services: Pharmacies offer proper medication disposal services where older medications can be returned for safe destruction, including return of authorized sharps and biohazard containers.

Benefits of working with a pharmacist

Pharmacists are the most accessible health-care provider in the community and can accommodate walk-in health advice and can schedule one-on one appointments. Pharmacy teams have the resources and references available to make sure that patients are receiving the most up to date healthcare, while being able to work with other healthcare professions, such as physicians to create a more in-depth health plan. Pharmacists are required to maintain patient confidentiality.

Booking a medication review session with a pharmacist allows the patient to gain a greater understanding of their medications and their impacts. When compliance is increased through pre-filled daily medication packs (blister packing) or pill containers, doses of medications often decrease as patients have a better knowledge around how to properly use their medication. 

How to access pharmacist support and what the cost is

There is a large spectrum of pharmacy services available, it’s best to ask your pharmacy what they offer and can help with. If it’s not a service provided, a member of the pharmacy team can refer you somewhere else. 

Most pharmacy services are free to the patient and may be covered through PharmaCare. These include medication reviews, provincial immunizations, smoking cessation products (quitting smoking), and pre-filled daily medication packs (blister packing). 

Some of the services that may have additional charges (depending on the pharmacy) include private vaccine administration, travel health consults, compounding and delivery services.

Pharmacist medication services are available to all age groups

Most pharmacy services are offered for any age group. The most utilized service is pre-filled daily medication packs (blister packing). 

Blister packing and medication reviews can help aid compliance for any age group, or any number of medications being taken. Understanding what your medications are for and how to take them properly is critical for all age groups. Other services such as routine immunizations are important for all ages and are often overlooked and missed in young adults.

About the author

Tiffany Ryan, B.Sc.(pharm), R. Ph: Pharmacy Manager for Safeway Operations, Sobeys Inc., in Castlegar, B.C.

Tiffany Ryan: Pharmacy Manager for Safeway in Castlegar, B.C.

Tiffany is a community pharmacist who grew up in Castlegar, B.C. and returned to her hometown after completing the pharmacy program and working for five years in Alberta. Tiffany wanted to be closer to the mountains and lakes, while gaining a better work-life balance for her family that includes two young daughters. 

Tiffany is passionate about pharmacy. She enjoys helping patients understand and manage their medications to optimize their health and has a special interest in immunizations and travel health. Tiffany is looking forward to the future of pharmacy and hopes the scope of practice will continue to expand, so pharmacists can provide more services to benefit patients.

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