Say what you like since you are not at work.

Are not most Pharmacists self centered when it comes to public health?  Are
there any Pharmacists organizations that lobby for universal health care at
affordable prices for all?  Any Pharmacist organization equivalent to
"Doctors Without Borders:?  If we are in a movie it is probably as a comic
We can't expect too much respect being sheep..

Why not just tell the guy that the reason drugs are so expensive is because
our government is one of the few in the world that allows drug companies to
charge anything they want for drugs. If you can't afford it, you don't need
it!  Take only generic drugs!

If the guy given the Versed had bothered to read the consent form he would
have seen where they could give it to him.  But anyway they should have
explained and asked his permission before he was given drugs. Tell him to
complain to the place where he was treated and he will probably get better
service next time.

*I went to a high school reunion last week. My occupation came up a lot.
*Sooner or later I got the usual health care directed anger: Why are
*drugs so expensive?

People ask me that a lot too (usually when I am at work and I have to
dispense something expensive - or even something not-that-expensive, but
expensive for a particular patient, like 3 weeks' worth of cephalexin for
a 150 lb dog at 22 mg/kg TID). I don't let it bother me. I just explain
that I don't set prices for drugs, talk a little bit about R&D and
liability and litigation, and suggest taking it up with elected officials
and/or pharmaceutical companies directly, not me!

* *In addition, one person was complaining that during his recent same-day
*surgery he received a dose of Versed. "Why didn't they tell me they were
*going to give me that? Shouldn't I have had a choice?"

That's weird. I mean, as a person with a medical education, I have been
known to ask anesthesiologists what drugs they planned to use on me - and
sometimes why one rather than another - but I wouldn't really expect much
of a choice! I would expect not to be given something I have a history of
adverse reaction to but otherwise why would I as the patient want to tell
the doctor in charge what drug to use? I am paying the doctor for his
expertise in that regard!!! If I don't think the doctor has the ability to
make the best decision, I will find a doctor who can, not tell the crappy
doctor what to do. But maybe that is just me.

*When I'm on the job, I'm paid to listen to this crap; Off duty, it's
*annoying, and I'm not sure the _best_ way to respond.
*
*How do you deal with this?

Well, when I am at a cocktail party and someone starts telling me about
the evil moneygrubbing scumlord veterinarian who misdiagnosed their dog's
imaginoma for a year until it turned into an imaginosarcoma and killed the
dog and then had the temerity to expect them to pay his bill, I generally
just put a concerned expression on my face, say "goodness, that sounds
terrible," and change the subject, or excuse myself, or offer to refresh
the person's drink, or whatever, just to not be in that conversation.
Of course sometimes I can't help but make a snide or sarcastic remark
putting the person in his or her place but most of the time I rein myself
in.

I say, Ask them. I'm only here for the cocktail weenies.

Or, say you will tell them if they answer your questions first. Things like,
for a road construction worker, "How come they pay so many of you guys to
stand around and watch one guy work?" or for the one who works check-out at
Wal-Mart, "How do you people always manage to run out of change or need a
price check just before It's my turn?" (or get into a finger licking rant).

Nobody will discuss work with you anymore.

Aimee

Now that I think about it, when I'm out on a social occasion I am the
recipient of really good drug information questions more often than I am the
recipient of public antipathy. People are either asking me a "what's good
for a....." question or asking about the side effects of a medication they
are on. They know I have knowledge of these things. We must be doing
something right in communicating!