Conclusion

       I did a research on pharmacy because that's what I want to be in the future. While I did the research I discovered things that i didn't know and that's so helpful for me. I enjoyed doing this blog, I've never do one before and I like the concept. I hope you like it.

Pharmacy technicians

       

       Pharmacy technicians help licensed pharmacists dispense prescription medication to customers or health professionals. They work in retail pharmacies and hospitals. Pharmacy technicians typically do the following:

• Take the information needed to fill a prescription from customers or health professionals
• Measure amounts of medication for prescriptions
• Package and label prescriptions
• Organize inventory and alert pharmacists to any shortages of medications or supplies
• Accept payment for prescriptions and process insurance claims
• Enter customer or patient information, including any prescriptions taken, into a computer system
• Answer phone calls from customers
• Arrange for customers to speak with pharmacists if customers have questions about medications or health matters

       Pharmacy technicians work under the supervision of pharmacists, who must review prescriptions before they are given to patients. In most states, technicians can compound or mix some medications and call physicians for prescription refill authorizations. Technicians also may need to operate automated dispensing equipment when filling prescription orders.

Pharmacotherapy

       Pharmacotherapy is that area of pharmacy practice that is responsible for ensuring the safe, appropriate, and economical use of drugs in patient care. Pharmacotherapy, when used with regard to substance dependence refers to the replacement of a person’s drug of choice with a legally prescribed and dispensed substitute. There are pharmacotherapies for those experiencing difficulties with a range of medical conditions, but the information provided here is intended for people with a problematic opioid dependency.

       While that is easily said, it is actually more difficult to implement in a safe and effective manner to a wide variety of patients and settings. Why? Every patient is unique. In addition, the growing list of new and existing medications makes it more complicated to use the right medication for a particular patient's problem. Drugs are selected based on characteristics of the drug (efficacy, safety profile, route of administration, route of elimination, dosing frequency, cost) and of the patient (age, sex, other medical problems, likelihood of pregnancy, ethnicity, other genetic determinants). Risks and benefits of the drug are also assessed; every drug poses some risk.

       Response to a drug depends partly on the patient’s characteristics and behaviors (consumption of foods or supplements; adherence to a dosing regimen; differences in metabolism due to age, sex, race, genetic polymorphisms, or hepatic or renal insufficiency), coexistence of other disorders, and use of other drugs.

Medication and pharmacy

       Medicines fall into three different categories: general sale or over-the-counter, pharmacy only and prescription only. Sometimes these categories change over time, or a medicine may change status.

Over-the-counter

      Common treatments for minor complaints which are not serious enough to seek the advice of a pharmacist are known as over-the-counter or being on the 'general sales list. These can be bought without a problem in shops or drug store etc. These include painkillers, such as paracetamol or aspirin, cold remedies and constipation relief products. Just because these medicines are widely available doesn’t generally mean they are less strong than prescribed treatments, and there's still a possible danger of overdose or side effects.

Pharmacy medicine

      These are medicines which don't need a prescription and can be bought from a pharmacy under the supervision of a pharmacist. They are not out on the main shop shelves, but kept behind the counter to ensure they are only sold by a pharmacist or another member who will have checked they are appropriate for the condition and age of the person.

Prescription-only medicines

       These medicines can only be prescribed by a doctor, dentist or other qualified medical professional. Appropriately trained physiotherapists and podiatrists can prescribe medicines such as pain relief to their patients. The prescription is taken to the pharmacy. Examples of prescription-only medicines include antibiotics and blood pressure medications.

Pharmacy technology

       Over the past 40 years, technology has had a major impact on the working lives of millions of people. Many industries have embraced computer technology because of the benefits of automated information processing. Electronic health records (EHRs) offer excellent opportunities for the advancement of patient care by pharmacists and patients themselves. This program integrates clinical information with pharmacy, laboratory, radiology, appointments, and billing information. the EHR is interfaced with the pharmacy dispensing system, allowing for electronic transmission and processing of prescriptions, drug allergies, and refill requests and approvals. This process speeds up dispensing considerably and results in a marked decrease in errors associated with handwriting interpretation.

       Technicians use machines and instruments to help them manage their workload. Familiarizing yourself with these instruments can help you become more knowledgeable, more efficient and more accurate. Read to find out more about these four important machines. Some of the most common instruments are:

• Autoclave: This is an important machine for keeping a pharmacy clean and running efficiently. Pharmacy technicians use the autoclave to sterilize their equipment and tools. The autoclave ensures that there is no cross-contamination between drugs. It also stops the spread of germs. The machine cleans the tools with high-pressure steam that creates a temperature of more than 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Liquid-Filling Machines: Pharmacy technicians can use these machines to automatically fill liquid prescriptions, such as cough syrup. The machine measures out the right amount to accurately fill vials and bottles for customers.

• Tablet-Counting Machine: The primary job of a pharmacy technician is to help the pharmacist fill medical prescriptions. These prescriptions are most often for pills – making the tablet-counting machine one of the most crucial tools for day-to-day work at a pharmacy. The machine counts pills quickly and accurately by using a vibrating plate to drop pills onto a scale until the desired amount is reached. This saves you time because you don’t have to count the pills by hand.

• Tablet Hardness Tester: Another important machine for pill prescriptions is a tablet hardness tester machine, which is a handheld device that measures the hardness and friability, or fragility, of tablets. Hardness is among the five essential tablet qualities to test (along with thickness, width, diameter and weight) and it is important to test because it allows pharmacists to gauge the ability of a tablet to avoid breaking apart during transportation.

Drug addiction

       Prescription drug abuse is the use of a medication without a prescription, in a way other than as prescribed, or for the experience or feelings elicited. According to several national surveys, prescription medications, such as those used to treat pain, attention deficit disorders, and anxiety, are being abused at a rate second only to marijuana among illicit drug users. The consequences of this abuse have been steadily worsening, reflected in increased treatment admissions, emergency room visits, and overdose deaths.

       Many people do not understand why people become addicted to drugs or how drugs change the brain to foster compulsive drug abuse. They mistakenly view drug abuse and addiction as a social problem and may characterize those who take drugs as morally weak. One very common belief is that drug abusers should be able to just stop taking drugs if they are only willing to change their behavior.

How to become a pharmacist?

       Becoming a pharmacist requires years of education and training to obtain the necessary knowledge, skills and certifications. Traditionally, a Bachelor of Pharmacy was considered the first-professional degree for pharmacy practice, however now all aspiring pharmacists are required to earn a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) through a doctoral program accredited by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). Aspiring pharmacists can spend anywhere between six years (fast-track) to thirteen years completing pre-requisites, Pharm.D coursework, clinical rotations and national exams.

       It is required to have a license to practice pharmacy in the United States. You will need to pass the NAPLEX (North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination) to gain licensure, and take the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam (MPJE) for most states. Check with your state to determine how often pharmacy licenses must be renewed, and be sure to keep your license current.

       Pharmacists can work as licensed practitioners in pharmacies, companies that manufacture medicines and drugs and also in research centers where new and more effective medicines are worked on. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a pharmacist can expect to earn an annual salary in the range of $82,000 to $138,000, along with a number of incentives.

Recreational drugs vs. medicinal drugs

       The most common question about "drugs" is: what is the difference between recreational drugs and medicinal drugs? Medical drugs are prescribed for a particular medical need such as infection control, pain relief, etc. Recreational drugs are taken for fun. Medical drugs are sometimes used as recreational drugs. The most common is the marijuana, according to the World Health Organization, marijuana is the most popular recreational drug worldwide. However, unlike many other recreational drugs, marijuana is widely used as a medicine as well.

       While there are many illegal drugs much worse than marijuana or alcohol, what many don’t realize is just how many drugs are perfectly legal and obtainable over the counter, that are far stronger and more dangerous than the illegal ones. For example the "Robitussin" is use for supposing cough; however this is a powerfully addictive substance. Recreationally robitussin can have powerful effects, ranging from euphoria, elevated mood, dissociation, dream-like states, and increased awareness. Many people consider the state to being drunk and stoned at the same time, and higher doses can greatly impair memory, language and judgment.

Pharmacist responsibilities

       The principal goal of pharmaceutical care is to achieve positive outcomes from the use of medication which improves patients' quality of life with minimum risk. Every pharmacist have a different responsibility such as:

• Dispense the medication: This is the "filling, licking and sticking" most people imagine when they conjure a mental image of a pharmacist counting out tablets, preparing a bottle label and handling medications to patients. Ensure patients' safety.
• Check each patients’ medication record every time he or she gets a new or refill prescription filled. This is the best way for a pharmacist to prevent potentially dangerous interactions between drugs.
• Collaborating with physicians, nurses, and other members of the health care team to provide expertise on drug decisions and improve patient outcomes.
• Counsel patients. Counseling includes training patients how and when to take doses, following up with patients to see if medications are working, sharing tips on how to minimize side effects while maximizing benefits and listening to all of a patient's concerns.
• Providing knowledge about the composition of drugs based upon their chemical, biological, and physical properties, as well as their manufacture and use.
• Manage staff. Pharmacists have the ultimate responsibility for ensuring the the “three Rs” of right drug, right patient and right dose. Meeting this responsibility requires overseeing the work of and mentoring pharmacy technicians, student interns and residents.

What does a pharmacist do?

       Pharmacists are medication experts who use their knowledge of medicines to help patients to get well. The methods they use vary from one practice setting to the next. Pharmacists play a key role in helping patients feel better and get well as quickly as possible. They can be instrumental in improving the health of patients by choosing the best medicines and helping to avoid side effects.

       Pharmacists dispense medications prescribed by physicians and other health practitioners and monitor patient health. They advise physicians and toher health practitioners on the selection, dosages, interactions and side effects of medications. Most pharmacists work in a community setting, such as a retail drug store, or in a hospital or clinic. They also work in hospitals and clinics. 

       Pharmacists must have a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.), a 4-year professional degree. They also must be licensed, which requires passing two exams. "Pharmacists are becoming more integral part of the health care team" said Heather free, a pharmacist working in the District of Columbia. I personally agree with that because thanks to the medicine we can cure millions of diseases.