There is more than meets the eye to get a prescription from illegible doctor’s writing to finished product. If you’ve ever wondered why it takes so long just to count some pills and slap a label on them, read on to have your mind blown!

The Prescription Dispensing Process

Step 1: Clinical Check

Before we even begin to prepare your prescription, pharmacists do some pretty serious thinking. For each prescription we confirm that the medication meets all of the following:

The medication is necessary- Medication burden on patients, caregivers and the healthcare system cannot be overlooked. The first thing we ask ourselves when we get a new prescription is whether or not this medication is even necessary for the patient. Hint: Usually the answer is no, which is where functional medicine comes in, but I digress…

The medication is going to be effective- If indeed this medication is necessary for the patient, we then look at whether it is the most effective option. For example: In the case of an infection, it is important to get an appropriate antiviral or antibiotic. The bugs responsible for different infections can’t all be treated by the same drugs.

The medication is going to be safe for the patient to take- This is kind of like playing minesweeper on windows 95. For a host of different reasons, certain medications just aren’t good choices for certain patients. Take Tylenol and Advil for example: Tylenol is no good for folks with liver problems or those who drink alcohol on a regular basis. Advil is no good for those with kidney issues, people who take blood thinners, or people with stomach ulcers. What if the patient is pregnant? breastfeeding? On a medication that interacts with this one? Has an allergy to this medication? Has a pre-existing medical condition that would be worsened by this medication? All of these possible scenarios are taken into consideration.

The patient will be able to adhere to the selected therapy- Just because a medication is necessary, effective and safe, doesn’t mean we’ve cleared all the obstacles. Many times the medication is too expensive for a patient. Other times, to be as effective as shown in clinical trials, it must be taken many times a day, on an empty stomach, while standing upside down and spitting quarters. Formulation also comes into play here: Some patients have trouble swallowing pills, and not all medications can be provided as liquids or topicals. A pharmacist will work with the patient, the doctor and insurance companies to come up with an option that doesn’t require a human sacrifice to take properly.

Step 2: Prescription Filling

Ahhh, the label slapping part! The medication is counted, placed in a vial or appropriate container, and labelled appropriately. Often this step is performed by a pharmacy assistant or a robot in larger volume stores.

Step 3: Technical Check

Once the medication is filled and ready to be given out, we check to ensure that what the doctor ordered is in fact what is in the container you will receive.

Step 4: Counselling

For every prescription dispensed in BC, a pharmacist must counsel the patient or patient’s representative. In the case of a refill medication the counselling is pretty simple: How has the medication been working for you? Do you have any questions or concerns that I can address at this time? For new prescriptions the counselling is quite a bit more involved. We discuss what the medication is for, how to take it, how often to take it and for what length of time you should take it. We discuss the side effects of the medication with the patient and provide options for mitigating those side effects. We discuss common interactions with the medication such as food, alcohol, vitamins and supplements. We discuss how to tell if the medication is working, and at what point you should notice an effect. Finally, we discuss the storage of the medication and whether there are further fills available when the patient runs out.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why it takes so damn long to get a label slapped on a bottle of pills!

I hope that this has been an informative look into the world of community pharmacy and prescription filling. Thanks for reading!

xo Kimberley