Published archive
Every story reflects work that often goes unseen.
A patient returned to the community after a prolonged hospital stay for a high-risk cardiac condition. During hospitalization, several medications were changed—some stopped, new ones added, doses adjusted. The hospital provided only a one-month supply, expecting the patient to fo...
Read full story → Augustine E · Alberta · Community pharmacist · May 03, 2026A patient came to the pharmacy for a urinary tract infection assessment. She mentioned she didn’t have a family doctor and hadn’t had bloodwork done in eight years. I offered to do a heart health assessment while she was there, and she agreed. During the check, her blood pressure...
Read full story → Tomi A · Alberta · Community pharmacist · May 03, 2026A woman came to the pharmacy seeking treatment for a urinary tract infection. As part of my assessment, I reviewed her provincial health records to check her kidney function and any recent bloodwork. I noticed she hadn’t had any blood tests in over ten years and didn’t have a fam...
Read full story → Tomi A · Alberta · Community pharmacist · May 03, 2026A long-time patient came in with a prescription to taper off Wellbutrin XL after more than ten years on the medication. Her doctor had prescribed a reduction of 50mg a week from 300mg until stopping completely, but recommended splitting the 300mg XL tablets. Because the manufactu...
Read full story → Anonymous · Alberta · Community pharmacist · Apr 26, 2026A man came in with a prescription for his 16-year-old son who had a sprain. The prescription included Naproxen and Cyclobenzaprine. I filled it and counseled the father on how his son should take the medications. After he left, I noticed him return shortly after and head to the o...
Read full story → Anonymous · Alberta · Community pharmacist · Apr 26, 2026A regular patient of mine was living with chronic pain so severe that he needed a hip replacement. Unfortunately, he couldn’t qualify for the surgery due to his diabetes not being controlled enough. His HbA1c levels were above the required target, which meant the surgery posed to...
Read full story → Anonymous · Alberta · Community pharmacist · Apr 25, 2026