Without the White Coat
No prescriptions... No sale of medicines
The leading chain of drug stores all over the Philippines will have its revenue be affected if this rule will ever take place, but if we all place the rule on true reality on the correct and proper way of the operation of a legitimate drugstore or pharmacy and making it strict that without any prescription on some medications no dispensing could take place. Have you ever notice how easy it is to purchase anti-hypertensives over the counter(OTC) without any form of prescriptions, yes it falls under some form of maintenance for the patient ,but there is always that big question that these patients never have there check up with there respective doctors or physicians. The patient will always fell that specific anti-hypertensive will always work for him, not knowing that a daily blood pressure monitoring is needed to follow up if his medications works or not. A hard headed patient still maintains on "metoprolol"( selective B1(adrenergic) antagonist, a beta blocker) after knowing that his daily blood pressure monitoring will register in the company clinic at 180/110 mmHg, and thus advise to shift to some combinations of angiotensin II antagonist(losartans) and a diuretic (hydrochlorothiazide), but still purchases over the counter the same medications that never lowers his blood pressure. I feel that this pharmacy and drug store should put an end to this kind of dispensing since and most of the patients never goes back to there physicians to be check. Eventually this kind of patients will reach a point that they will either have a "brain attack" or plainly speaking a " stroke" in which the consequences are either reversible or irreversible ,but what happen if they go to a full cardiac arrest, then all we have to do is pray.
I feel that it is due time that we have to start and followed swhat the rest of the pharmacy and drug stores all over the US are doing, No prescriptions, No medications, may it be for maintenance medications to the much prescribed antibiotics even if it is labeled as "amoxicillin", where can you see a lot of self medications especially antibiotics taking as 500mg once daily, and without any knowledge about the medications they are taking. It tends to be dangerous and fatal for those that "self-medicate" themselves. How effective is 500mg of amoxicillin once daily, the bad part of it if it is made in some foreign country like India and Pakistan where the efficacy will always be a big question. As Filipinos we are always used to that over the counter purchase similar to a "sari-sari" store, without realizing the dark side of the coin. It is always the physician and doctor that can educate and direct the patient into complete recovery prescribing what is best for the patient.
The drugstores and pharmacies should not look on the business side of just making a sale, but rather rendering a service to its purchasing client, since a tablet or capsule that would be sold is already a big profit for this drugstores and pharmacies. The other side of the coin will always address the wellbeing of the patient, with the correct medications and dosage then we can call it a good service to our patients.
The "buying" patient should be advised properly and correctly not to rely so much on some sort of "food supplement" without any "therapeutic" claims is based only on "testimonies" of some patients, and not based on "hard" and "reputable" evidence-based medicine or research. The pharmacist or drugstore clerks and sales lady should refrain from "practicing" medicine and stop giving "sound" medical advise to the "buying" patient or the public in general. The prescribing "power" and "responsibility" should only be bestowed upon a qualified and licensed physician or doctor.( the prescribing responsibility he/she have learned in the long years of medical training).