Why should advice be sought from pharmacy if clients wish to use complimentary or alternative treatment?

Answer 1

A pharmacist should be consulted because he or she can give you good advice about whether a medication has any negative effects when mixed with some other treatment (including even certain herbs or vitamins). But you should not only talk to the pharmacy. Before calling the pharmacist, talk to the client's doctor or medical team. Often, the patient may dislike his or her medicine or think it has bad side effects, and the patient may decide to try other methods. Usually, it is not a good idea for a patient to just stop taking what the doctor has prescribed; the doctor should be consulted and a new treatment plan should be decided upon.

As for complimentary or alternative treatment, again, it depends on what the patient (or client) wishes to do-- some Vitamins and Supplements can be beneficial, but others are just a waste of money. Also, some people want to try fake or questionable "cures" rather than following the doctor's advice. As I said, the pharmacy will be very useful in telling you what medicines have side effects and which drugs would interact badly with what the patient is currently taking. But first, approach the doctor and discuss what the patient or client wants to do; perhaps the doctor will suggest other treatment plans.