A pharmacist is not supposed to practice medicine or give medical advice. In reality, for most common ailments, a pharmacist might be able to give excellent advice, and often does. As with most people you have to deal with frequently, it pays to make friends with your pharmacist.

Generic Drugs. When getting a prescription from your doctor, make sure the doctor allows for the use of "generic" drugs if possible, rather than an identical "brand-name" drug that might cost much more. Also, note that doctors are known to have horrible or illegible handwriting. It is rumored that they take special classes in medical school for this and that pharmacists take special classes in pharmacy school to learn to decipher the handwriting. If you tell the pharmacist what the drug is for, he or she will have a better chance of figuring out what the doctor wanted to write.

Over-the-counter" remedies of every description--from headache capsules to hemorrhoid ointments to skin cream to antacids to cough medicines and cold pills--can be purchased without a doctor's prescription in drug stores. Many of these preparations are advertised nationally. Often the drug store will have a "house brand" that is identical to the nationally-advertised brand but at a substantial discount. Take a look and compare ingredients and prices.

Abuse of Legal Drugs. Though perfectly legal, both prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications can be dangerous if misused. The tragic death of Elvis Presley, which was aggravated by prescription drugs, is a telling example. In addition, many over-the-counter drugs can be ineffective--simply not worth the money. Look to magazines such as Consumer Reports, which periodically tests and rates such medicines, for guidance.

Top of this Page