Chemist Cristina answers readers' questions about health. This week she answers the question:'When I buy medicines at the drugstore, she asks if I want advice and asks a lot of questions. I don't think that is really necessary?'
Advertorial
Cristina, licensed druggist: 'Over-the-counter medicines are sold in drugstores, which are medicines that you can buy without a prescription from your GP. These resources are useful and safe, but you have to use them in the right way, because only then will they work properly. Some medicines can have unpleasant side effects if used incorrectly. It's in the package insert, but most people don't read it. I think it is important that my customers leave the house with the right substance and use it in the right way.
Give advice
That's why I always ask customers if they have any questions about the medicine. If you want to know more about an over-the-counter product, only employees with a druggist or assistant druggist's diploma are allowed to give you advice, because they have a professional diploma for this.
Ask questions I have that diploma myself. I ask a few questions to find out what someone needs. For example, which complaints there are, who is bothered by them, for how long and what has already been done. Customers are sometimes surprised by all these questions, but we need this information to be able to help as well as possible.
Adjusted advice
A painkiller, for example, may be fine for the adult who buys it, but not for her child, because the dose is then too high. Groups such as seniors and pregnant women also sometimes need adapted advice.
Be extra careful
There are also products with which you have to be extra careful, for example because they may not be used for more than a certain time in a row, such as nasal spray with xylometazoline. There are also substances that affect the ability to drive, such as some medicines for motion sickness or cough medicines that contain codeine or noscapine. Something I would like to point out to customers, even if they don't have any questions themselves.
Right remedy The correct dose is also important:too much can cause side effects, too little can prevent a drug from working optimally. Sometimes I ask extra questions to find out what exactly is bothering a customer. For example, in case of coughing complaints. Then I want to know exactly what type of cough it is:you need a different remedy for ticklish cough than for productive cough. The right medicine gives relief, but the wrong medicine can make the complaints worse.
Referral to the GP
Over-the-counter products are intended for short-term use. If a customer has been walking around with a complaint for a long time and over-the-counter medicines do not actually help, or if you have questions about the combination of an over-the-counter medicine with a prescription drug that you use from your GP, I will refer you to the GP.
You are always welcome to ask for advice
It's good to know what you're buying. I wholeheartedly recommend that you speak to an employee if you need an over-the-counter product. This way you can easily check whether you have indeed picked up the right product from the shelf and, if necessary, you can get an explanation about its use, so that you benefit optimally from it. Make use of our knowledge, that is our profession and we are happy to help you!'
Do you have a health question?
In the coming period, Cristina will answer a reader's question every month. Do you have a question that you would like answered, for example about a cough, hay fever, lice, headache or another health issue? Ask your question here>>
Who is Cristina?
Cristina Knollema-Lertora is a licensed druggist and works in a drugstore with the Certified Specialist in Self-Care quality mark, which is the quality mark for good advice on over-the-counter medicines. On www.erkendspecialistinzelfzorg.nl you can find out which drugstores in your area have this quality mark and what you as a customer can expect from these drugstores.
This article is powered by CBD.
