DEAR ABBY: One of the letters you printed suggested that when people visit their doctor, they take a list of all their medications. I work in a medical office and would like to offer a better idea:
Bring all your medicine containers with you. That way, the medical staff can take all the information directly from the bottle labels, and there will be no misunderstandings. (It's easy to forget important information, such as dosage and strength.)
It's also a smart idea to use only one pharmacy to have prescriptions filled, particularly for people seeing more than one doctor. Pharmacists are trained to spot possible drug interactions, but they can't pinpoint potential problems if they don't have all the information.
If people would use their pharmacist in partnership with their physicians and other health-care providers, they'd be better off. That's my advice for the day, Abby. -- SOUTH CAROLINA MEDICAL WORKER
DEAR MEDICAL WORKER: That's excellent advice. Readers, take heed.
P.S. Doctors should also be informed about any vitamin supplements and over-the-counter medicines you are taking.