Community pharmacy really makes a difference

The day-to-day work of community pharmacists isn’t just about dispensing medicines. They offer advice, care and often vital interventions. Here is one such example from a Cambridgeshire pharmacist:

“After talking to a patient who came in to collect a prescription for her sciatica, a local pharmacist identified that the side effect symptoms that the patient was describing were typical of a seizure.  The pharmacist identified that the combination of medicines she was taking were causing the seizures which were so bad that they had caused temporary paralysis.”

“After calling the patient’s GP they agreed to immediately stop all medication and arranged an appointment for the patient that day.”

“Within a few days of stopping the medicines, the patient regained feeling in her legs and the seizures stopped.  The situation has continued to improve, she is currently attending physiotherapy sessions and can now walk a few steps with crutches, can stand and take a step unaided.”