Pharmacy recommendations?

Casey Palmer5 said:a) I almost always hit up the two closest ones—one's a local independent shop and the other is a big chain. Honestly, I don't care which; the independent one usually carries stuff the big chains don't. Plus, at the private one, they actually remember if you're a doctor or just a regular customer. They even hand out cosmetic testers...
b) The service is fine. As for their expertise, I wouldn't say I've really tested it since I know exactly what I'm coming in for.
c) Not really, but I barely talk to them, so it’s not something I notice.
d) Just sell me what I need. I don't need a lecture; all the info I need is already on the Department of Health and Human Services website or just Google. When it comes to over-the-counter stuff, I'd prefer if they pulled out all the similar options so I can quietly check the ingredients myself...
e) Dealing with a hypochondriac ahead of me in line, or anyone else who needs more than five minutes of attention.
f) 6...

The only places getting a 10 from me are pharmacies in Thailand, Brazil, or Romania... they have that "big box retail" sales approach. It's not necessarily a good thing, but it just works for me...

Where would you even go if they started pulling all the same or similar medications off the shelves? 😁

Honestly, you can do just about everything from the comfort of your own couch. You can hop online, dig through all the ingredients and details yourself, and really get a handle on what you need. If you don't feel like you need to sit down for a formal consultation, you can just walk in, tell them exactly what you're looking for, and say, "Hey, give me this and that." It’s like ordering at a diner—once you know what you want, the whole thing is settled in a heartbeat.

Unless you really feel like you need some extra guidance, but honestly, that's what pharmacists are there for—to give you advice.

When I sit down with a patient, my main goal isn't just to listen—it's to really dig in and figure out if the medication they have in mind actually fits their specific health profile. Sometimes, what a person thinks they need might not be the most effective route, so I look for better alternatives that could work more efficiently for their unique situation.😉

Has anyone else run into something similar at a pharmacy here in the States? What kind of medication were you looking for?
I’m not just talking about birth control, either...

Hey there. Does anyone know if you can actually pick up surgical suture at local pharmacies, and if so, what's the damage like on the price tag?
If it’s not crazy expensive, I’m thinking about practicing some suturing at home. I’m a med student—just starting out, so we're mostly working with rats and mice right now 😁—but we have to stitch them up eventually, and I want to get fast and precise at it. Plus, it’ll definitely come in handy later in my career. Also, curious about 🙂.
There are way too many of us in our study groups, from what I hear—over in Miami, every single student gets their own rat, but here it's like ten students per one, and everyone just gets one shot at a single stitch.

Sorry if there's already a thread about this; I wasn't quite sure which sub to post in.

If you’re actually looking to "learn" how to stitch—strictly for your own peace of mind, I guess—your best bet is to head down to a local outpatient surgical clinic. Just walk in, be polite, and maybe use that sweet, charming tone of yours when you pitch your little hobby to the surgeons. Out of every six doctors there, there’s a decent shot one of them might actually let you try a few stitches. It’s a total grind, though; you’ll be hanging around there for hours, sometimes days, because not every patient needs stitches, and even when they do, some surgeons aren't exactly thrilled about letting an amateur mess with their work. 😁
The odds of pulling this off definitely go up if you're in a smaller town, though I was actually doing this alongside my residency, so after a while, I basically became the resident seamstress—not sure exactly where you're at in your journey.

velvetmoose9 said:If you’re actually looking to "learn" how to stitch—strictly for your own peace of mind, I guess—your best bet is to head down to a local outpatient surgical clinic. Just walk in, be polite, and maybe use that sweet, charming tone of yours when you pitch your little hobby to the surgeons. Out of every six doctors there, there’s a decent shot one of them might actually let you try a few stitches. It’s a total grind, though; you’ll be hanging around there for hours, sometimes days, because not every patient needs stitches, and even when they do, some surgeons aren't exactly thrilled about letting an amateur mess with their work. 😁
The odds of pulling this off definitely go up if you're in a smaller town, though I was actually doing this alongside my residency, so after a while, I basically became the resident seamstress—not sure exactly where you're at in your journey.

I'm only in my second year, so my first priority is getting enough practice under my belt before I ever touch a real person. Honestly, I know nobody would let me near a wound right now if I walked into a clinic asking, and truthfully, I wouldn't want to try without practice anyway—I'd be too shaky and who knows what kind of mess I'd make 🙂. I know I've got time, and this will probably overlap with more hands-on hospital training later on, but I'm just curious—since I've had the chance to stitch before, why not dive back in? 🙂 Plus, I'm asking because I'd love to volunteer at the ER where I spend my summers, provided they'll have me 😁, so the more I know, the better.
Thanks for the input!

Chloe Gray5 said:Hey there. Does anyone know if you can actually pick up surgical suture at local pharmacies, and if so, what's the damage like on the price tag?
If it’s not crazy expensive, I’m thinking about practicing some suturing at home. I’m a med student—just starting out, so we're mostly working with rats and mice right now 😁—but we have to stitch them up eventually, and I want to get fast and precise at it. Plus, it’ll definitely come in handy later in my career. Also, curious about 🙂.
There are way too many of us in our study groups, from what I hear—over in Miami, every single student gets their own rat, but here it's like ten students per one, and everyone just gets one shot at a single stitch.

Sorry if there's already a thread about this; I wasn't quite sure which sub to post in.

You probably won't find suture kits just sitting on the shelf at a local drugstore.
Your best bet is to call up your neighborhood pharmacy and ask them to check their ordering system for availability and cost. I might have a better idea of the pricing by tomorrow.

Kyle Lee7 said:a) Almost always, because they are in the building where I've lived since I was five years old. Everyone there knows me, and they're often willing to let me grab something without a prescription upfront because they KNOW I'll bring the script by the next day (this obviously applies to my regular medications; they wouldn't just hand me something totally new if I walked in asking for it for the first time).
b) Yes
c) Huh? I mean, shouldn't everyone working there have completed pharmacy school?
d) Quick and clear advice/recommendations, but above all, I just want them to have what I came in for.
e) Waiting in line, especially during flu season, or when they don't have my specific medication in stock.
f) A 9, refer to point e.

As for other pharmacies, I've had both great and somewhat less-than-great experiences.

There was this one pharmacy on an island we visit; the woman was incredibly friendly and eager to help, but her final advice was actually *not* to go to the clinic, even though my condition was clearly worsening. She had this negative view that they’d just jab me with injections that she claimed were "very harmful." Look, lady, I know they carry risks, but I also know my medical history makes me a chronic patient, and I wasn't about to gamble with an allergic reaction to an insect sting that might pass in three days for someone else but could land me in the hospital.

On the flip side, I had a wonderful experience with a pharmacy in Ozalj. After two or three different places told me the product I needed was out of stock due to a shortage, I called them. A very kind woman (her name is Jane, and I'd like to thank her again here) took it upon herself to call around for me. She quickly found out where they had it in stock and even offered to order it for me so it would be ready tomorrow morning if I couldn't make it in.

Third example: a late-night emergency pharmacy. I was losing my mind from a bladder infection, having just arrived back from a trip, and I already had to head back out at six in the morning. It wasn't my first time dealing with this, so I knew exactly what I needed. I told the woman just to give me the meds—that I'd leave any ID (driver's license, credit card, insurance card, whatever) and bring the prescription in later. But it was a hard "no." No, no, and no. I had to go to the ER. Okay, I get that they have strict rules, but I was dead tired in the middle of the night and had to go to the ER, wake up the doctor on call who gave me a pale look for waking him up over a bladder infection, wait for him to scribble a script and go back to sleep, and then I had to head right back to the pharmacy to get... that.

Personally, I have zero patience for stuff like this. As much as I try to be polite and helpful during the day, I turn incredibly blunt and standoffish during the night shift. People seem to think working nights is like working a gas station pump, so they think they can stroll in at 2 AM asking for multivitamins or hand cream. It drives me crazy.😠
Regarding Novocain, I wouldn't dispense it either, nor would I touch any other antibiotic without a doctor's order. A patient claiming they've used it before means absolutely nothing to us pharmacists.
I'm sure Novocain ended up being necessary in the end, but people have become way too entitled when it comes to prescription-only meds. They get incredibly unpleasant when you refuse to give in.
And honestly... I don't get how you even dared to wake up an ER doctor for a "simple" UTI. 😲 You could probably blame the pharmacist on duty for pushing you to take that leap.☕

Chloe Gray5 said:I'm only in my second year, so my first priority is getting enough practice under my belt before I ever touch a real person. Honestly, I know nobody would let me near a wound right now if I walked into a clinic asking, and truthfully, I wouldn't want to try without practice anyway—I'd be too shaky and who knows what kind of mess I'd make 🙂. I know I've got time, and this will probably overlap with more hands-on hospital training later on, but I'm just curious—since I've had the chance to stitch before, why not dive back in? 🙂 Plus, I'm asking because I'd love to volunteer at the ER where I spend my summers, provided they'll have me 😁, so the more I know, the better.
Thanks for the input!

There is a massive variety of surgical sutures out there. You really have to know exactly which one you need.
In wholesale, they’re just standard hospital inventory, but if you're ordering through a pharmacy, you need to be specific about what you're looking for.
Prices vary depending on things like $67, length, thickness, and so on...😕

Sophia Nguyen said:Personally, I have zero patience for stuff like this. As much as I try to be polite and helpful during the day, I turn incredibly blunt and standoffish during the night shift. People seem to think working nights is like working a gas station pump, so they think they can stroll in at 2 AM asking for multivitamins or hand cream. It drives me crazy.😠
Regarding Novocain, I wouldn't dispense it either, nor would I touch any other antibiotic without a doctor's order. A patient claiming they've used it before means absolutely nothing to us pharmacists.
I'm sure Novocain ended up being necessary in the end, but people have become way too entitled when it comes to prescription-only meds. They get incredibly unpleasant when you refuse to give in.
And honestly... I don't get how you even dared to wake up an ER doctor for a "simple" UTI. 😲 You could probably blame the pharmacist on duty for pushing you to take that leap.☕

Personally, I get suuuuper allergic when someone is rude to someone who was being perfectly kind to them—even if that person is five times in the right. If you don't want to do the job, just quit. Don't take it out on others just because they came in asking for something you happen to think is trivial.

Case in point: I recently had to pick up some Lupocet during a night shift. If you had been rude to me or my people for coming in for something like that, I think you’d be having a very long chat with your manager. 😲 I had a fever, and my last pill of Lupocet was gone. I couldn't just wait it out. I have certain health conditions that aren't something to mess around with, and I needed to bring that temperature down immediately. Yeah, yeah, I know—you can use Voltaren, Nurofen, Aspirin, whatever. But I can't take those. So, I sent my people out at 1 AM to grab Lupocet.

Sophia Nguyen said:Personally, I have zero patience for stuff like this. As much as I try to be polite and helpful during the day, I turn incredibly blunt and standoffish during the night shift. People seem to think working nights is like working a gas station pump, so they think they can stroll in at 2 AM asking for multivitamins or hand cream. It drives me crazy.😠
Regarding Novocain, I wouldn't dispense it either, nor would I touch any other antibiotic without a doctor's order. A patient claiming they've used it before means absolutely nothing to us pharmacists.
I'm sure Novocain ended up being necessary in the end, but people have become way too entitled when it comes to prescription-only meds. They get incredibly unpleasant when you refuse to give in.
And honestly... I don't get how you even dared to wake up an ER doctor for a "simple" UTI. 😲 You could probably blame the pharmacist on duty for pushing you to take that leap.☕

I am totally with you regarding people asking for prescription drugs.
But if the pharmacy is open 24/7, sorry, but people actually have the right to come in and buy their multivitamins.🤷

gentlesailor25 said:I am totally with you regarding people asking for prescription drugs.
But if the pharmacy is open 24/7, sorry, but people actually have the right to come in and buy their multivitamins.🤷

During night shifts, the pharmacist is actually only required to fill prescriptions marked as urgent.

Article 17.

swiftbear86 said:During night shifts, the pharmacist is actually only required to fill prescriptions marked as urgent.

Article 17.

Man, I didn't even realize how lucky I was to have such friendly pharmacists at my local neighborhood drugstore.😁
If they were any more rude about it, I probably wouldn't even bother showing up there during the day anymore.🤷

When it comes to the essentials, I always pack them for my shifts. You never know when a fever is going to hit you out of nowhere or when you'll just feel like crap. I throw in nasal drops too, because anyone who’s dealt with a stuffed-up nose knows how impossible it is to get any sleep. Look, I’m not trying to be arrogant here, but honestly, some people earn it. You can try to explain things to them nicely, but it's a lost cause.

So, basically, we aren't allowed to give out anything without a prescription during the shift? That’s how I read these regulations.

Great. So I'd have to drag myself to the ER just because of some damn fever, all so a doctor can write me a script for Lupocet. 🤦 Our system is organized so beautifully...

Sophia Nguyen said:When it comes to the essentials, I always pack them for my shifts. You never know when a fever is going to hit you out of nowhere or when you'll just feel like crap. I throw in nasal drops too, because anyone who’s dealt with a stuffed-up nose knows how impossible it is to get any sleep. Look, I’m not trying to be arrogant here, but honestly, some people earn it. You can try to explain things to them nicely, but it's a lost cause.

You mentioned being rude, but I took it as you being rude even to the polite ones who show up asking for nonsense. I agree—I’d probably lose my cool if someone walked in just to buy vitamins or dry skin cream, but I wouldn't be rude if they were actually being nice. You can explain to people politely that you can't do something, and most normal people will actually apologize once they realize they didn't know.

Personally, I'm always polite to everyone, and when someone starts acting like a jerk with me, I feel like ripping their head off. I'm not stupid; if I mess up, I'll apologize. But if someone starts yelling at me after I asked a polite question? Sorry, that’s not how we’re talking.

The pharmacist isn't obligated to hand it over, but we shouldn't be penny-pinching over stuff like this.

Yeah, looks like I finally put two and two together. 🙂

melloworca6 said:So, basically, we aren't allowed to give out anything without a prescription during the shift? That’s how I read these regulations.

Great. So I'd have to drag myself to the ER just because of some damn fever, all so a doctor can write me a script for Lupocet. 🤦 Our system is organized so beautifully...

You mentioned being rude, but I took it as you being rude even to the polite ones who show up asking for nonsense. I agree—I’d probably lose my cool if someone walked in just to buy vitamins or dry skin cream, but I wouldn't be rude if they were actually being nice. You can explain to people politely that you can't do something, and most normal people will actually apologize once they realize they didn't know.

Personally, I'm always polite to everyone, and when someone starts acting like a jerk with me, I feel like ripping their head off. I'm not stupid; if I mess up, I'll apologize. But if someone starts yelling at me after I asked a polite question? Sorry, that’s not how we’re talking.

The night shift isn't meant to be an extension of regular business hours; it’s specifically for handling emergencies. In that sense, you'll have to agree with me—there's just no room for people looking to pick up creams, vitamins, baby food, pads, diapers, tissues, flip-flops, and so on...

Painkillers, fever reducers, or anything prescribed by a doctor under an emergency order—those are absolute musts.

But for some people, it’s totally normal to not plan ahead for "everyday items," so they end up feeling insulted when they’re told "no" during a night shift. Honestly, there’s no valid reason for them to be upset.
You really should take care of those basic needs ahead of time.😁

Luckily, I don't work the night shifts, but I've heard stories about colleagues dealing with "emergencies" involving insulin supplies (which, let's face it, many diabetics haven't even used for ages).
I'm sure it's not fun—having a heated debate in the middle of the night with someone who's acting like an addict.

It’s become pretty common lately for people to treat weekend shifts (Saturday afternoons and Sundays) like a regular pharmacy run, trying to buy things that clearly don't fall under "urgent" care.😉

I'm hoping someone might be able to help me out here because I have a few questions that might seem a bit silly, though maybe they aren't.
Every single time I visit my local pharmacy after seeing my doctor for a prescription, there's about a 50% chance they won't even have the specific medication I need in stock! They constantly try to push these alternative brands on me, which I always refuse, so then I have to wait until the next day just to pick up what was actually prescribed because they have to order it.
It’s starting to feel pretty ridiculous—they have the substitutes ready to go, but the original brand is "out of stock." This isn't just a one-off; it happens at least once a month and has been going on for quite a while now.
Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if someone is actually profiting from this setup, though I have no idea who.
Whenever I go to any other pharmacy in town, they have exactly what I need without any issues; it's only this specific one in my neighborhood that keeps doing this.
Does anyone know anything about why this happens?

My apologies if this isn't the right place for this discussion or if I've rambled a bit too much, but dealing with this pharmacy is becoming such a headache, especially since the next closest one is 12 miles away from me. 🤷

So, at the local pharmacy—well, let's call it what it really is, a convenience store... they don't want to (read: they can't afford to) keep a massive stock on hand because the foot traffic just isn't there. Instead, they grab maybe one or two items from each category, and they’re almost certainly grabbing the cheap generic versions. It's the exact same chemical makeup and does the exact same thing, it just doesn't have that fancy original brand name on the box.

...

Tyler James5 said:So, at the local pharmacy—well, let's call it what it really is, a convenience store... they don't want to (read: they can't afford to) keep a massive stock on hand because the foot traffic just isn't there. Instead, they grab maybe one or two items from each category, and they’re almost certainly grabbing the cheap generic versions. It's the exact same chemical makeup and does the exact same thing, it just doesn't have that fancy original brand name on the box.

...

We are talking about a town with over 7,000 people! We have two doctors, two dentists, even an emergency clinic, plus a pharmacy running two shifts every single day, yet they don't carry anything except generics??
Who actually benefits from these substitutes?
I find it hard to believe there isn't some ulterior motive here. If they can stock the substitutes, they could just as easily stock the brand names. It's common knowledge which drugs move and which ones don't; I simply cannot believe they can't get the originals in stock while they somehow always have plenty of the generic alternatives ready to go.

Oh, and I should mention, my aunt—who works at the pharmacy—and I had a bit of a spat regarding some Sumamed tablets. She told me that if I want Sumamed, I should go yell at my doctor, because that’s the only way I'd ever actually get it. Honestly, it's just appalling.