Posts by swiftbear86

Dr. Dre is great for fighting off fungus, just make sure you keep it in the fridge if you're planning on using it again later.

If they're using sucrose, lactose, or any other kind of sugar as a filler, you're definitely looking at some extra calories there.

Usually, when the skin starts cracking at the corners of your mouth, it stays damp, which basically creates a perfect little breeding ground for fungal infections.
Using Nystatin ointment can really do the trick here, but you won't be able to pick that up without a prescription from your doctor.

A better bet might be to grab some Bepanthen eye ointment and some Canesten cream. You can mix them right on your fingertip and apply it about three times a day. (That’ll run you roughly $27).

Otherwise, just let me know what you've got sitting in your medicine cabinet and I'll see if we can make any of it work for you.
You could try mixing the Canesten with some ointment, though honestly, Bepanthen is probably your best bet.

That's right.

I honestly think you need a more substantial reason than just saying "I'm curious." Even doctors have to document a specific medical necessity in your chart to justify ordering those kinds of tests.

At the end of the day, your primary care physician is the one who can give you a straight answer.

Halmed has released an official statement to clear things up

Donna Johnson16 said:If you check out the Tourism section in the PDF, there’s a whole thread of comments about traveling through North Africa. Most people suggest packing activated charcoal just to be safe, and maybe even some Seldiar (though you’ll need a prescription for that one). How long has this been bothering you?

You can actually pick up Lopedium over the counter now without needing a script.😉

Brandon Lopez6 said:🤣 I probably shouldn't say where this sentence is headed...🤣🤣

Look, I don't personally know anyone who goes to a pharmacy just to chat with the pharmacist—you know, someone who’s an absolute expert on everything. Anything they actually need to know about their meds, they get from their doctor. Maybe it's different somewhere else, but that's just how it looks from where I'm sitting.

That comment really shows you don't quite grasp what a pharmacist actually does.

Even doctors aren't experts on every single medication out there. It's not even their job to have every drug memorized; their job is to provide an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the right treatment.
Plus, everyone pretty much sticks to their own specialty.😁

I'm sorry the pharmacists at your local drugstore haven't earned enough respect through their expertise and service for you to see them differently.😉

People actually prefer coming to our pharmacy over seeing their doctor sometimes.😉

Brandon Lopez6 said:Band-aids were just the first thing that popped into my head since I've actually got one on my leg right now, so I realized you were talking about actual meds 😉

To me, it just makes sense—if a drug is sold over-the-counter (and honestly, there aren't many of those left these days), then they shouldn't need some massive extra lecture beyond what's already printed on the box. I mean, I've bought tons of Advil, Tylenol, Excedrin, and stuff like that over the years and never once got a single recommendation at the pharmacy counter. Not even when I was buying things at 🤷
for the first time.
And regarding you giving out advice... look, I get that it bugs you, but that’s only going to happen in really rare cases anyway. Like what Chris Cruz8 said above, people rarely walk into a drugstore without picking something up.
But if we’re playing by those rules, then it wouldn't be worth your time to give advice to someone who asks about a supplement but can't take it for some reason (like St. John's Wort clashing with an antidepressant) and ends up leaving empty-handed.

It pays off for me because they’ll come back next time they need advice (once they realize I provide solid, accurate, professional info), and eventually, they’ll buy something or bring in prescriptions. And hey, maybe next time I can suggest something else that actually helps them out.😍

I'm really looking at this from the perspective of the entire pharmacy industry here; I'm not worried about my own specific shop.😉

Brandon Lopez6 said:Honestly, they should just grab 50 units right out of the gate. It’d be a total no-brainer if the pharmacy just picked up two packs of something and walked away making enough profit to act like they sold 382. Pure math. 😬

I don't get why everyone's getting so worked up about someone trying to sell stuff at a discount during a crisis. Honestly, if you aren't the one owning the pharmacy or working on commission—and let's be real, that's pretty much how most people in pharmacies make their living—then what's the big deal? 😁Honestly, why do you even care if I moved 8 units or 68 today? Either way, the paycheck hits the same. 😉

That line really stuck with me—it basically implies you can do less work and get paid the same.

And when I mentioned competition, I wasn't talking about Band-Aids or stuff like that; I was talking specifically about prescription medications.
We won't face any real competition there because they won't have a clue what they're selling. However, by buying massive quantities on credit, they'll have the wiggle room to drop their retail prices, while our Chamber of Commerce keeps us tied down with those strict margin regulations...
At the end of the day, expertise shouldn't be free.
I just don't want us to end up in a spot where we're giving out medical advice and health tips for products bought at a big-box retailer, only to receive $0.00, if you know what I mean.

Nobody needs professional advice to buy a Band-Aid; you've always been able to pick those up anywhere.
I'm strictly talking about medication.

Brandon Lopez6 said:Honestly, they should just grab 50 units right out of the gate. It’d be a total no-brainer if the pharmacy just picked up two packs of something and walked away making enough profit to act like they sold 382. Pure math. 😬

I don't get why everyone's getting so worked up about someone trying to sell stuff at a discount during a crisis. Honestly, if you aren't the one owning the pharmacy or working on commission—and let's be real, that's pretty much how most people in pharmacies make their living—then what's the big deal? 😁Honestly, why do you even care if I moved 8 units or 68 today? Either way, the paycheck hits the same. 😉

Where exactly did I "get worked up"?

At the end of the day, people are going to shop wherever it's cheapest.
I work in a pharmacy, and I don't get any commissions. I earn my salary just fine, and personally, I’m against medication being sold in big-box retailers like Walmart.

Following the logic used above, I should be thrilled if I didn't have to sell laxatives, pain relievers, antihistamines, and stuff like that anymore. I'd get to stop dealing with people complaining about not having a bowel movement for three days, all while making the exact same money. 😁

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Tyler James5 said:Yeah, people were hitting me up asking for the recipe, so I figured I’d just put it all down here; plus, it’s become super obvious that they jacked up the price way higher just by changing the packaging. Honestly, that felt like their whole game from the start. But whatever, no point in tilting at windmills...

It’s not even about having a real motive here. It’s more like they just can't be bothered to actually forgive anyone—they'd rather use "physiological reasons" as a convenient excuse to dodge any kind of accountability.
It’s not like they just woke up one day and decided to hike the price for the fun of it. There isn't some random markup happening behind closed doors. It actually follows a very specific formula. You have to account for the cost of the solution itself, the packaging, the label, the labor involved in weighing everything out, the distribution, and then that 25% tax hit at the end. Once you run all those numbers through the grinder, you land right at that $8 mark.$3.25😁

Look, it doesn't cost you anything to just ask your doctor for a private, recurring prescription. You can specifically request that they mark it for multiple refills—say, five times—so you can just head to the pharmacy and grab what you need without all the extra hassle. If you feel awkward about it, just tell them you need it for your contact lenses. It’s a total lifesaver.
It’s wild how much you end up shelling out just for half a liter. You feel like you're getting robbed. $4.00.

There’s this massive gap between how things actually work physiologically and the legal fine print that labels a specific substance as a prescription drug just because it comes in its original branded packaging. Once it's labeled that way, all those strict pharmaceutical regulations kick in.
It isn't some sudden shift either; it's always been this way, though pharmacies used to be a bit more relaxed about following the rules to the letter.
Back then, there wasn't much oversight, but nowadays, they can slap you with a fine for even the tiniest deviation from the manual or the law.
Did they actually ask you for a prescription when you went to the pharmacy?

The whole thing is ridiculous—you see Andol advertised on TV constantly without needing a script, yet if you want Aspirin 100 protect, suddenly you're being told you need a doctor's note.
Honestly, I don't want to spend my energy worrying about losing my livelihood just because someone decides they aren't in the mood to pick up a prescription, or because I think a rule is nonsensical.

The people sitting in those high-level positions are the ones calling the shots. We have our own Chamber of Commerce, so they should really be looking out for our interests.

Besides, a pharmacy could take that exact same solution from the exact same bottle and whip it up as a compounded preparation. It wouldn't be sterile anymore, but for a nasal spray, it doesn't necessarily need to be.
They actually make more profit doing it that way than they do selling the original bottle, so sales wouldn't drop—if anything, they might actually go up.😉

Brandon Lopez6 said:Look, if a pharmacy and a place like Walmart both pay the exact same wholesale price for a Band-Aid—say, five bucks—and the pharmacy marks it up to twenty while Walmart sells it for fifteen, I don't see how Walmart is the bad guy here😉.
Whoever decides to gouge people on prices is going to get burned, and honestly, that's on them. 🙂

If a major retail chain can afford to slash prices, there's a pretty good chance a local pharmacy could do the same if they wanted to😉.

Look, I’m talking about actual medication, not these general items on a list.
You obviously don't need a medical degree to sell bandages, condoms, diapers, or toothpaste...😁
A pharmacy might order five boxes of Band-Aids, whereas a place like Walmart orders fifty boxes and gets a massive bulk discount.😁

Tyler James5

Table salt is a food item, but that saline solution you mentioned in the glass bottle? That's registered as a drug, so the logic you're using just doesn't apply here! Selling and dispensing medication falls under an entirely different set of federal regulations that we have to follow strictly.

Actually, that isn't a decision made by Medicare, it’s more about how Halmed handled the drug's re-registration.
Since this physiological saline is registered specifically as an infusion solution, you technically need a doctor's recommendation to get it.

Of course, if someone wanted to misuse it at home by using it as an infusion, they could.

But that's a different story—most people are just picking it up to rinse out their noses, throats, or wounds.
De facto, a pharmacist could actually face penalties if they sold it without a prescription while it was still in its original packaging.
That’s why you see pharmacies splitting it up into smaller bottles.

I’m pretty sure the big retail chains are going to drive prices way down, so really, we're looking at an issue of unfair and incompetent competition.

This list covers some real essentials,

but pretty soon, even some over-the-counter meds might be sold this way.

We’re headed toward a situation where you can just grab medicine at a place like Walmart, yet people will still head straight to the pharmacy to ask how they should actually take it.

Sure, the tech-savvy crowd will just look up advice online, but what happens to the folks who get left behind without that digital guidance?

Of course, some people will argue, "Hey, it's their choice," while others will expect pharmacists to remain the experts and not withhold vital information from patients just because of how things are being sold.
Pharmacists have to make a living too, and if this keeps happening, sales are definitely going to take a hit.
Anything under prescription regulations can't be sold without an RP, and besides, Medicare doesn't settle those claims for 300 days!!

Following up on this article

http://www.nytimes.com/news/health-and-medicine/pharmacy-shortages-and-safety/

Are you guys planning to bypass the pharmacy and just pick things up wherever you can find them? Or do you still feel more comfortable relying on a pharmacy to handle the storage, distribution, and professional advice?

Brenda Miller7 said:I completely understand all those points... the condoms, the constant distractions, and everything else. I know things will eventually settle down and improve, but I honestly thought there might be some kind of solution available at a local CVS or Walgreens. :/

As for the circumcision, my doctor gave me a hard NO!

A real treatment for premature ejaculation is actually on the way soon..

It’s still a bit up in the air for now..

For instance, getting something like Neurobion isn't even an issue anymore since the big wholesalers keep it in stock regularly.

The new drug law allows for parallel imports, which might make things a lot smoother down the road...

From the U.S. Drug Law 06/2013
Section 129.

(1) The FDA may grant extraordinary permission to introduce or import a drug that hasn't been approved for sale in the United States in the following instances:

– when there is a medically justified need to protect public health,

– for research purposes,

– for pharmaceutical trials,

– for non-clinical testing,

– in cases of natural disasters or other states of emergency,

– for necessary individual treatment cases where a drug is prescribed at the discretion of a physician or dentist providing the care.

(2) The Secretary will further define the specific conditions for granting permission to introduce or import drugs as outlined in Section 1 of this article through official regulations.

(3) Provisions from specific laws regarding the suppression of drug abuse apply to the import, export, transport, and transit of drugs, substances used to manufacture drugs, and medications containing them.

Section 130.

(1) Parallel importation of a drug can be carried out by wholesalers who hold a license for wholesale drug distribution and have no business relationship with the holder of the marketing authorization for said drug.

So, the ball is in the court of the large wholesalers to request import permits for the most popular drugs that aren't registered here in the States, or they can go directly to the manufacturers themselves.

I might be off base here, though. vividsailor7 what kind of info do you have on this?

Any pharmacy working with Oktal Pharme can just order whatever they have sitting in their warehouse right now.
That’s not always the case if you're looking at something from a magazine like Your Health—they love to run ads for products that might not even be in stock at Oktal at the moment.

https://www.facebook.com/OkatalPharm...odavonica/info

For instance, a place like CVS has a similar setup