FINDING A TREATMENT
PLAN THAT WORKS
by Angela Dimos
A pharmacist tells us more about the drugs we put into our body when diagnosed with Crohn’s
or ulcerative colitis.
Helping patients on a daily basis with their medications
has been significantly rewarding in my life, thus far.
I will just be finishing my Doctor of Pharmacy degree
in May 2014, and as I make the transition from a
pharmacy student to a pharmacist I have started to
realize how I will truly impact the care of my patients.
It is important to realize that a pharmacist’s role is
not restricted to counseling about medications. Our
realm of expertise projects furthe r than ‘counting by
fives’ or checking prescriptions before dispensing.
Amongst many other roles, we have an opportunity to
impact a patient’s lifestyle. This spans from having
a conversation about proper diet and exercise, to
smoking cessation, and how to make changes based
on certain conditions (such as diabetes) that will lead
to a healthier lifestyle. This brings me to how influential
a pharmacist can be in a patient’s life that is struggling
with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
From daily suppositories, to Remicade infusions, to
chronic or long term steroid therapy; the life of a patient with IBD is focused around when
the next Pentasa dose should be taken or learning on a day-to-day basis how to manage
side effects from medications. The medication list of a patient with IBD can become
quite extensive and overwhelming. Pharmacists have a pertinent role in counseling on
the lengthy list of medications, confirming there are no drug interactions, monitoring for
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