I got questions on support for physical injuries ie advice on using shoulder brace , clavicle supports etc. Another question was on diabetes and anti-inflammatory drugs like, Ibuprofen. Is it ok to take Ibuprofen if someone is diabetic, then if not, why. Then how does it affect the blood sugar levels of diabetics. Just got bombarded with questions.

However, It is always good to be honest, I have learnt to only answer what I know, and be honest with what I don’t know. Customers do appreciate it when you tell them the truth. As long as you go home and learn it, and thats most important. No single person will know everything, not especially when they have just started working eh?

Well I think if you are generally healthy, fit and have a good diet then you probably would not need additional multivitamins because the food you consume contains sufficient vitamins for you body, provided you eat almost everything, and not picky with food. So who needs them??

There are a few groups of people that I think will greatly benefit from them i.e vegetarians or vegans, where their body maybe lack of certain type of vitamins due to their diet especially vitamin B12 and Vitamin D. Iron deficiency is also common in vegetarians, so multivitamins with iron would be good supplement for them.

Then you have got those workaholics like myself, who is lack of sleep, don’t have a balance diet, lack exercise, would greatly benefit from these supplements. If you know you are not consuming enough fruits, then vitamin c will be good replacement to boost your immune system.

Multivitamins are also good for the elderly. Vitamin deficiency is found in a third of the elderly population. So if they are unable to take in enough amount of vitamins and minerals, then having them in the form of tablet would be a good way to replace what the body needs to maintain good health.

All in all, it really depends on individual lifestyle and needs, certain people may benefit from it more than others. Do you think multivitamins are essential??

My fellow collegues and I have been constantly receiving emails and phone calls from harrogate recruitment agencies offering us jobs. I feel fortunate that the pharmacy field is in high demand within the UK recruitment even during the economic plunge. 

Eventhough times are bad, I am still getting plenty of extra duties within my own company which is really good. Few weeks ago, I received a phone call from Asda offering me a store based position nearby, asking me to go for an interview if I am interested, not mentioning various other locuming agencies too. How can one not be grateful for this, when you know that there are so many people who lost their jobs out there, and are still looking for one.

If one day I am not happy with my current job, I know for sure I can rely on the UK recruitment team to help me with finding an alternative position elsewhere. Come to think of it, I really have to thank my parents for guiding me into the right career, as I have no financial worries compared to others who are less fortunate.

However I have been feeling really exhausted recently from my constant long hours of work and lack of sleep, making me lose focus at work. I think it is rather dangerous for me, as if I make an error, it could lead to serious consequences.

So maybe I should really consider buying some multivitamins?

Thank god I didn’t have to cook today; I just reheated yesterday’s food, and then watched my TVB whilst having dinner. Did some online work, and then had a chat with a friend from North Carolina about the BCBSNC membership plans. I realised I get asked all sorts of questions from friends all over the world because they think pharmacist knows everything! It feels good though being useful to the people around me

• Carbamazepine
• Griseofulvin
• Phenytoin
• Rifampicin
• St John’s Wort
• Barbiturates
• Modafinil
• Topiramate
• Primidone
• Tacrolimus
• Oxcarbazepine
• Ritonavir
• Rifabutin
• Bosentan
• Certain PPI
• Certain HIV drugs

For me, I try to remember the 5 that are highlighted in red, to make it easier, I came up with an acronym – C-GPRS, hope that was helpful!! Leave a comment to add any others to the list!

Scenario

A middle aged lady in her 50’s asked for some cream for athlete’s foot. So upon going through all the WHAMM (questioning of when, how, age, medication history etc), I found out she is on warfarin. As we all know warfarin interacts with an awful lot of medications. Many pharmacists prefers to refer them to the doctor instead of offering any products over the counter. So knowing that she wants some cream for athlete’s foot, and she is on warfarin, what would be the most appropriate cream for her??

Comments

We all know that athlete’s foot is a fungal infection, so antifungal cream would treat it, but we have got several to choose from. One of my top recommendation would be Daktarin Gold (Ketoconazole 2% cream), other available creams are Daktarin cream (Miconazole) and Canestan cream (Clotrimazole 1%) or even Lamisil (Terbinafine). Forget about Lamisil because its too pricey. Upon checking Stockleys drug interactions and BNF (british national formulary), I found out that ketoconazole and miconazole (creams are absorbed into the bloodstream) both increases the plasma concentration of warfarin(thins the blood), which increases the risk of bleeding. So I offered Clotrimazole 1% cream (canestan).

Directions of use

Clean and dry feet, apply cream 2-3 times a day for at least 2 weeks, and up to 4 weeks. Many customers experience recurrent problems, an antifungal powder would be useful to prevent further infections. Powder can be sprinkled on shoes and socks, and if using it as a treatment, it should be sprinkled between toes, and all over the feet. It is advisable to also change stockings/socks daily for people who have recurrent fungal infections.

Hope this article was helpful for some of you.