So don't miss out. Use this Guide to help you find the right pharmacist and use that pharmacist's expertise to help you maintain and improve your health. The Guide explains the kinds of care and services you can expect from a pharmacist and tells you how to make the most of what the pharmacist has to offer. Pharmacists have always been know as the best source of basic information about medications. Pharmacists are trained as medication experts, working in partnership with your doctors to ensure that you receive the greatest benefits from your medications.
Pharmacists dispense nearly three billion prescriptions a year.
Today, the advice a pharmacist gives about those prescriptions is more important than ever. Prescription drugs are much more sophisticated, and many people take one or more such drugs for weeks, months, or even years. The growing number of older Americans and people with chronic illnesses are at special risk, because they often see more than one doctor, take multiple drugs, and have problems taking standard drug dosages. The costs include taking the wrong drug, or taking a drug in the wrong amount or at the wrong time, or taking a drug that causes dangerous interactions with other drugs or with foods. To help avoid such problems, the pharmacist checks each prescription carefully against the standard dosing and against the patient's medical history and record of other medications.