Many companies are also posting the PPI on their website for consumers to read. If you would feel more comfortable speaking with the pharmacist in a private area, ask for it. More and more pharmacies have private counseling areas to ensure confidentiality and better learning. Many people stop taking a medicine because they think they are allergic to it. Actually they may have had a minor side effect.
Some allergic reactions can be very serious and require immediate medical treatment.
If you have any questions about whether a symptom is an allergy or a side effect, always ask your doctor and pharmacist. Be sure you know how to administer the medicine correctly. Some medicines, such as inhalers to treat asthma, require complicated steps. Your doctor and pharmacist can show you the steps to follow when using an inhaler so that the medicine will reach your lungs and not get sprayed on the back of the throat where it will not work. You may want to ask the pharmacist to let you practice using the inhaler in the pharmacy.