Warrior General Games

Originally posted by Cowpoker
We might be fortunate, the local drug peddlers are incredibly helpful and seem to have a vast knowledge of their products. They always ask if you have taken it before, and offer suggestions and talk about potential side effects.

This. I have worked with some who are basically useless human beings that just read the leaflet to the patient which doesn't really exude professionalism or instill confidence in the patient but most of them are very knowledgeable and can answer any question you have

Originally posted by rams78110

That said, most of the pharmacists do know absolutely everything about the medications, they just don't get to do a whole lot with it in a retail setting outside listing side effects and interactions to patients as they pick the meds up. In a perfect world, the doctor would handle primary care and diagnostics and the pharmacists would get to handle writing prescriptions

maybe it's just that I've had bad luck and run into shitty ones, then, because the couple actual pharmacists that I did ask mode of action questions to had absolutely no clue at all. the one that springs to mind was for Allopurinol. a gout preventative that is supposed to prevent uric acid crystals from forming. I asked if it actually lowered uric acid levels overall, or if it simply kept uric acid in solution and prevented it from crashing out as a crystal. the pharmacist pretty much gave me a blank stare in return.

The most irritating thing about the pharmacist - pharmacy technician difference is recommendations. The lowly technician is not allowed to recommend anything over the counter or prescription. We know lisinopril-hydrochlorothiazide with a potassium supplement is the best, most cost effective blood pressure lowering combination, but we cannot say a goddamn thing if they ask and we have to tell them to wait for the pharmacist even if it will take the pharmacist 20 minutes to get over there. We can't even tell people that we'd recommend ibuprofen or cetirizine for aches or allergies so we have to resort to the grey area of "well legally I have to ask the pharmacist but I have heard many people say ibuprofen works and I personally use ibuprofen and the pharmacist is going to say ibuprofen but wait here I have to go ask to cover my own ass legally."

Originally posted by Venkman
maybe it's just that I've had bad luck and run into shitty ones, then, because the couple actual pharmacists that I did ask mode of action questions to had absolutely no clue at all. the one that springs to mind was for Allopurinol. a gout preventative that is supposed to prevent uric acid crystals from forming. I asked if it actually lowered uric acid levels overall, or if it simply kept uric acid in solution and prevented it from crashing out as a crystal. the pharmacist pretty much gave me a blank stare in return.

That's possible. Most of the ones I worked with are actually knowledgeable, I'm sorry you had to deal with one that didn't know what the hell they were talking about. FWIW, allopurinol works to keep uric acid from being produced in the first place. I'd have to look it up to be more specific but I know it inhibits an enzyme that's key in the production of uric acid

Originally posted by rams78110
FWIW, allopurinol works to keep uric acid from being produced in the first place. I'd have to look it up to be more specific but I know it inhibits an enzyme that's key in the production of uric acid

thanks. yeah, this was years ago, and I've done my own research on it in the meantime.
I do know this, it's damned effective! only one attack in the last 8 years or so. and that one was my own damned fault. at the time, my wife and i had only been dating for a couple weeks, and she wanted to give me a bday dinner to remember...we had lamb medallions, red wine, pasta, etc. I was still in trying to impress mode, so didn't tell her those might not be the best combo.....then BAM, middle of the night it smacked me. It was the first time we had spent the night together, too....somehow she still kept me around, though...

Originally posted by Venkman
It was the first time we had spent the night together, too....somehow she still kept me around, though...

she was thinking "wow, rich mans disease. this might work out for me"

.....poor girl was duped.

Originally posted by rams78110


interesting stuff, rams

thanks for sharing your insight.

Originally posted by rams78110
The most irritating thing about the pharmacist - pharmacy technician difference is recommendations. The lowly technician is not allowed to recommend anything over the counter or prescription. We know lisinopril-hydrochlorothiazide with a potassium supplement is the best, most cost effective blood pressure lowering combination, but we cannot say a goddamn thing if they ask and we have to tell them to wait for the pharmacist even if it will take the pharmacist 20 minutes to get over there.

Well yeah, I mean, that's how qualifications work.

It's never about what you think you know, it's about the pieces of paper that say you know it.

From elsewhere:

George Clooney wants the west to take in more "refugees".

George Clooney owns 5 mansions.

George Clooney has taken in 0 refugees.

Originally posted by Larry Roadgrader
From elsewhere:

George Clooney wants the west to take in more "refugees".

George Clooney owns 5 mansions.

George Clooney has taken in 0 refugees.

You still think refugees are just crashing on random people's couches?

computer nerds help me out:
it's been so frigging long since I've set up any sort of wireless, etc. When we first moved, it was easier to just lease TimeWarners wireless modem for a few months, as one less thing I had to fuck with. I just picked up a new modem and wireless router, though, so I can send their piece of shit back to them. everything is up and working fine, I just have a question around 2.4GHz vs 5GHz on the wireless router. Am I correct in saying that the basic difference is that the 2.4 has a longer range and will go through walls and floors and shit better, but is more apt to experience interference which could lead to slowdowns....as opposed to the 5 which is apt to be faster due to fewer things on that frequency, but has a shorter range and won't go through walls and floors and shit?

so basically if something is in range and picks up the 5, use that, otherwise just use the 2.4?

step one, get a ham radio license

step two, get a japanese router

step three, encrypt all your traffic

step four, run 2.4ghz on channel 14 at 100 watts

So I'm at a stop light and I see a flat-board truck with loose bricks (lots of them) laying on the flat-board. I found myself wondering "What would happen to the driver if he were to be doing 60 miles an hour and slam on the brakes--wouldn't those loose bricks launch themselves through the back window of the truck and perhaps cost the driver his life?".

I was really excited for a moment because I just got an email from Ted Cruz. Only it was addressed to "Agnes". Feeling a bit left out of the Cruz Club at the moment.

Originally posted by Lurchy
Cruz Club

gross.