Your RA Team: The Pharmacist

While there is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), there are different approaches to treating and coping with the disease, including diet, exercise, physical therapy and medication. Your pharmacist is your go-to professional for answering questions about your medications for your disease.

What is a pharmacist?

A pharmacist is a medical professional that you have very likely encountered before. This healthcare professional is trained in the science of pharmacy, or the practice of preparing and dispensing medical drugs. They can also offer guidance on managing your disease.

You’re probably used to seeing pharmacists at your local drug store or supermarket. They also work in clinics, hospitals, medical labs and medical education, research and development organizations.

In the United States, pharmacists typically complete either two or four years of undergraduate education, followed by three to four years of graduate training at an accredited pharmacy school. After completing their education, pharmacists receive a Doctor of Pharmacy, or PharmD. They must then pass the North American Pharmacists Licensure Exam (NAPLEX) and Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE) to attain licensure and become a certified pharmacist.

The roles of the pharmacist

Pharmacists cannot diagnose medical conditions, but they can provide much needed information about your RA treatment, whether you are taking medications alone or in combination. If you have any questions or concerns about your RA and medications, your pharmacist is typically easy to reach (either by visiting the pharmacy or by phone) and can tell you if you should contact your doctor or other healthcare professionals.

Other roles of the pharmacist include:

• Filling and distributing prescription drugs
• Recommending over-the-counter medicines and other health products (eg, home monitoring devices and tests)
• Informing patients about the safe use of their prescription and over-the-counter medicines
• Keeping up with new treatments and advances in medical research
• Monitoring a patient’s condition and general health
• Providing information about health insurance
• Advising other healthcare professionals on medication selection, dosing, interactions and side effects
• Promoting public health
• Acting as a liaison between the healthcare community and patients

Your role: Making the most of the patient-pharmacist relationship

Your pharmacist can be even more helpful if you do your part to understand your own condition and treatment and communicate effectively. Here are some other ways to make the most of your partnership with the pharmacist:

• Let your pharmacist know about your condition(s), all the medicines you take and any allergies you have.
• Once you’ve received your prescription, be sure you check it carefully before you leave the pharmacy. Review the information on the package, and ask the pharmacist about anything you don’t understand or if you need further instructions.
• If you have questions for the pharmacist, it might help to write them down before your trip to the pharmacy.

Helpful resources for talking to your pharmacist

Be sure to check out information about RA and the different ways it’s treated right here on RheumatoidArthritis.com:

• Understanding RA
• Treating RA
• RA Profile, or R.A.P. Sheet

References:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/medlineplus/pharmacy
http://www.aacp.org/resources/student/pharmacyforyou/Pages/roleofapharmacist.aspx

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