By Faizan Baig

At some point or another you’re going to go to the doctor and they’re going to prescribe something for you. Your next trip is going to take you to the pharmacy. You may think that all you need is the same health card that you show at the medical clinic, but in reality, there’s a lot more that your pharmacy might need.

the ideal pharmacy visit:

1. Bring your ID/health card

   Unless you’ve been a regular at the pharmacy you’re going to, it helps to have your ID so that your profile can be set up faster and without any issues. As well, if your prescription is a narcotic or controlled medication, it is required to present ID upon pick up of the medication

2. Bring insurance information

   We want to make sure your medications are covered! Most insurance companies will allow the pharmacy to directly bill the cost of the medication and dispensing fee through the pharmacy software. Worst case you’ll have to pay upfront for the medication and bill it manually to your insurance...but who wants to do all that?

3. Ask your doctor for lab test results, and show the pharmacist

   Unfortunately pharmacists don’t have access to medical records/charts/lab results (in Ontario). To better help assess if the medication is safe for you, and with respect to your other medications

4. Let your pharmacist know about your medical conditions

   We’re part of your circle of care as well! We’d be more than happy to document any medical conditions that your doctor has diagnosed you with so that we can improve our care and have a complete picture of you as our patient. This also helps to modify therapies and assist in managing side effects depending on what medical conditions you have and what medications you take.

5. Keep a list of the medications you take

   In an ideal world you would go to one pharmacy for all your medications but we know that some days when you’re at the walk in clinic, and there’s a pharmacy 2 steps from you, its easier to go there than drive back across town. No shame if you double dip, just make sure you’re telling each pharmacy what list of medications you’re on.

6. Ask for a ‘medsync’ of your profile

   Ever wonder why you have to go to the pharmacy multiple times a month to get different refills of different prescriptions? Well you don’t! If you want to save on trips and get all your medications picked up at once, ask the pharmacist to do a medsync for your profile and they’ll work out the logistics of getting all your refills lined up together.

7. Feel free to ask questions

   Pharmacists are part of your healthcare team. We want to make sure that you’re happy, healthy and most importantly, informed. Taking medications shouldn’t be a mystery, and you shouldn’t have to wake up one day with a huge rash on your face.

If you want to learn more about what happens behind the counter, check out our first episode from our first season of Off The Script down below: