When you walk into a pharmacy, prescription in hand, what should you expect? As you watch all those people in white coats, do you feel intimidated? Have you ever left a pharmacy wishing you had asked more questions?

What is my medication used for? What time of day should I take my medication? Am I supposed to take it with food or water? How will I know if the medication is working? Are there any side effects I should watch for? Is it okay to take this medication with other drugs or alcohol? Your pharmacist can answer all of these questions and many more. An essential part of every pharmacist's role is to help you understand your medications.

There are more than 20,000 prescription medications available in Canada. More than 100 new drugs are approved each year. Your pharmacist spends many hours each month keeping up to date on new drugs and other information that may be important to your health. Your pharmacist also knows a great deal about over-the- counter (non-prescription) drugs and natural health products. Pharmacists are there to offer you information about medications, health and wellness and disease state management, so be sure to ask your pharmacist any questions you may have. 

The total cost of your prescription from a community pharmacy is the sum of the pharmacy's drug costs, a small mark-up and the professional fee. The professional fee is sometimes referred to as the dispensing fee. The professional fee covers the operating costs of the pharmacy (salaries, computers and programs, rent, heat, electricity and dispensing supplies), plus many services your pharmacist provides each time you visit including:

• Checking the safety and accuracy of the medication prescribed to you
• Confirming that the strength, dose and instructions prescribed are appropriate and safe
• Consulting with the practitioner if safety issues are flagged or potential errors are discovered
• Checking to make sure the new prescription is safe to be taken with other medications 
• Checking for allergies to the medication
• Screening for drug interactions
• Sending the prescription information to your insurance plan
• Preparing and dispensing the medication
• Counselling the patient about the medication that includes: who the medication is for, what the medication is treating, the directions for proper use, common side effects or interactions with other medications, what to expect, what to do if a side effect arises, how soon to expect the medication to work, what to do if you miss a dose, how to store your medication, review your prescription refill information
• Answering questions and concerns that arise about medication usage
• Counselling patients abut disease management
• Providing free health and wellness clinics

Many community pharmacies specialize in parti cular  services.   Some provide services for specific conditions like menopause or diabetes, while others provide services to promote health and well-being, like smoking cessation.  Other specialized pharmacies are "compounding" pharmacies.  These pharmacies have special equipment to produce medications with special dosing instructions. Pharmacists working in these pharmacies have additional training to ensure the medications are produced in a safe and effective manner.