I take several medications.  I was ordering a refill from my local pharmacy when I noticed there was a medication that was ready for pickup.  The only problem was that I had no idea what it was.  I called the pharmacy to have them check.  It turned out the pharmacy tech miskeyed a prescription name.  This is not the first time I have seen this happen.  With meds, just like any other aspect of healthcare, we must be our own advocates. 

Another place I encourage you to take ownership of is drug interactions.  Although the pharmacy is supposed to check for these, sometimes they don’t.  Sites like WebMD (www.webmd.com) and Drugs.com (www.drugs.com) are excellent resources.  I particularly like the one on Drugs.com.  If you look on the left side of the home page, under “Featured Services,” you will find the “Interactions Checker.”  Another great feature on Drugs.com is the “Pill Idenifier.”  If you ever come across a pill that you are unsure of, you can enter things like the pill’s shape, color, and imprint.