Author Archives: Dr. Daphne Bernard

Q. Not long ago, my doctor prescribed a new thyroid medicine, and since then, my hair has started falling out. What’s happening to me? A. It is not uncommon for some medication to affect your hair. It’s common knowledge that some cancer drugs cause the patient’s hair to fall out. The same is true for […]

Often—actually, far too often—patients come in at the last minute to fill a prescription that has no more refills left, which means their pharmacist needs to contact the doctor’s office to authorize additional refills. Sometimes we make it, and sometimes we don’t. And therein lies the lesson for today. If you come in afternoon on […]

Everybody wants to save money, particularly me. I’ve been known to squeeze a dollar so tight the eagle grins. Some folks are particularly good at saving at the grocery store through coupons. Legendary are the stories of people who have bought $100 worth of groceries with $30 and a fist full of coupons collected from […]

It’s time for us to have a little chat about how to take your medicine properly. I know that sounds simple, but too often I have patients who come to me who are taking their medicine incorrectly. The confusion seems to stem from the terms “take twice a day,” or “three times a day”, or […]

Two of the more frustrating and confusing words in pharmacy for patients are “prior authorization.” Patients hate it. It’s time consuming, but it’s a requirement by insurance companies for certain drugs. What it means is your doctor must fax a form to the insurance company explaining why the doctor believes you need a particular drug. […]

Let me say this right off; children are not little adults. That’s particularly true when it comes to medication. So, when considering over-the-counter medicine for your children, you shouldn’t give them any drugs that don’t indicate the correct dosage. Most over-the-counter medicine has dosages that are based on a child’s age and weight. In some […]