The comment I would leave on the video would be one regarding the action needed to be taken against the pharmacies which do not pay attention to the prescriptions and clinics which write these prescriptions for the people in the first place. This is importance because the video reveals how the pharmacists caught the people as their actions and prescriptions were suspicious, however, there is no concern revealed regarding taking any action against the mentioned clinics which have a doubtful operation running in the country.
I had observed a critical moment when I happened to be in a pharmacy once. There were about four people who came together and one by one revealed their prescription for the drugs they needed. A young woman went up first from the group, and she had asked for a more than necessary amount. The pharmacist questioned her about her condition, and she said she had frequent migraines. He also questioned about her doctor, and she told him everything about him in a very detailed manner, so there would be no room for error or cross-questioning. However, the pharmacist did not look convinced. She was followed by another man who had two separate prescriptions in his hands. The pharmacist looked at each of them and then he looked at the people standing before him. He asked them how they were related and the man said the girl was his niece and the rest of the group was her friends. Nevertheless, the pharmacist looked reserved and had his doubts. Upon asking about the payment from health insurance, the man decided he would pay for the oxycodone. However the other medication would be paid for through insurance. This also made the pharmacist very suspicious.
The video has revealed many important critical moments that could have been missed very easily. For example, there is the possibility that a drug diverter appears at the pharmacy and their appearance and physical condition may reveal a lot about their drug dependency. The young girl enters the pharmacy, and she appears quick in her movements, and her pupils are constricted, by which the pharmacist assumes she might be high. Next, she asks for medication by using the street slang name for the medicine which also arouses suspicion. Meanwhile, she has a prescription for another medication that she names is for her headache. The suspicions all add up to the fact that she is a drug diverter.
Another case is the one regarding the old man who believes he will not be caught because he is aged and will be least likely suspected for the medication he will take. The red flag that alerted the pharmacist at the drug store was the man’s past track record of taking medication. He had taken a month’s supply just a week earlier which was alarming as he had come for the same quantity again. Upon being questioned, he said he was going away for a long time hence he needed the amount once again. More red flags arise in cases where people bring prescriptions from clinics which are far off from their locality. In the same way, they would pay by insurance for those drugs which have been legitimately prescribed but pay in cash for those which have not been prescribed legally (NABP).
Some of the people even come to take their drugs in order to make a drug cocktail, which is the process with which controlled quantities of certain drugs are used in a calculated manner, which can lead to an inspection by the pharmacist. Addicts will take three or drugs and take it as desired. The excuse made for such behavior is that the drug is needed for treating a serious condition which needs a lot of drugs. Moreover, the fact that the doctor prescribing the drug is not a pain physician rather holds their specialty as a gynecologist or some other, is also an alarming factor. They might also be considering different clinics which might be under scrutiny by the FDA (NABP).
I agree with the corresponding responsibility doctrine which is mentioned in the video because it is true that many people obtain their drugs with the help of family and friends. While they might be thinking that they are helping their family and friends, they are actually adding fuel to the fire and exacerbating the issue by making them more dependent on the addiction. Pharmacists have also a great responsibility to shoulder because they are the ones who will be administering the approval of these drugs to the people. They need to ensure that the drug is being taken for the legitimate cause, need to ascertain that the user is not an addict and their actions and behavior are not linked to drug diversion. Fighting drug abuse is a national problem which is no longer an individual one. Society can help these addicts to overcome their issues if they are keen in solving them for their friends and family.
The video was very useful for me because it contains many pointers for detecting drug diversion and it has created awareness in noticing how a person might behave or act if they are addicted to drugs or are misusing them. For a pharmacist or a health care practitioner, the video is also an eye opener as it opens the portal for understanding the minds of the drug diverters and detecting them. It also allows one to study behavior and assess their behavior (NABP).
Another question that might be relevant would be how to deal with these individuals once they are caught in drug diversion.
Work cited
NABP. “Red Flags.” Vimeo, 7 Jan. 2017. Web. 7 Jan. 2017.
