Saturday 26 September 2015

Right attitude

The other day I have a customer requested for Diamox . Just in case you didn't know the tablets are prescription items in Malaysia , usually prescribe for an eye condition . But as a pharmacist it is my duty to find out more , and not to make presumption in any case because the tablets are use for many other conditions too . So I asked politely : is it from the doctors? And what are you using it for ? 

She then gave me a hiss sounded like 'TSK' (in capital letters as she made quite an obvious one) , then rolled her eyes as if I was stupid and said : I thought you should know ?!! It's for altitude sickness lah, I am climbing the Kinabalu mountain next month .

So I gave that bravo exclamation look on my face and go : wow !! 
Because I think people like her would like that kind of recognition and compliment . Geez now I am being horrible judging people , terrible me *slap myself* 

I then went on and said : Do you have a prescription ? Because I can't sell it if you don't have one ...( declining the sale in a nice way as I know very well she does not ) . She got a little ticked off and said : What kind of pharmacy is this ? So what do you have ? 
I went on and said : We don't have anything of a 'supplement' kind , but there is a tip , do the climbing slowly helps * big smile * . In my head I was thinking , what kind of a lady speaks like this ?! 

She was already on the way to looking at other things in the cosmetic section before I could say more such as drink plenty of water and stay away from alcohol. 

Diamox does help with mountain sickness , but it is a tablet that may also cause bad side effects when not prescribed properly , so I highly don't agree with dispensing it over the counter with no proper check ups , it is not suitable for EVERYONE . If it was really that essential in climbing activities then how come we don't see climbers of Mt Fuji or Mt Everest stocking up hundreds of those pills at their base camp sites ? Besides , the tablets (normal not extended release ) are to be taken 4 times a day . When you are doing a  Everest climb , which can be up to weeks , do you think you can stock up so much Diamox or you may ask yourself climbing mt Everest is more like a life /death problem rather than taking or not taking your Diamox problem? We have not even talk about the side effects yet LOL 

Here you go , there was a saying , it's not about the altitude , but the  a t t i t u d e . 




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