Korean Job Discussion Forums

[idonojacs]

Trying to get information about the drugs your doctor is prescribing is easy in the United States. By law, the pharmacist must hand you a sheet describing the drug, what it is for, how to take it, what the side-effects are, and when to contact your doctor if something is wrong. You even have to initial a sheet saying you received the information.*

They also have copies of the Physicians Desk Reference (PDR) available in virtually all public libraries, providing the public with the same information available to doctors.

Well, you're not in Kansas anymore, folks. But you can access the online drug information provided by some American pharmacies. Here's one:

http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/cvs/gateway/rxlisting?drugsymbol=A&Complete=Y

There are plenty of other websites with drug and medical information. Is there one from your home country you would recommend? Is there one from Korea with drug information?

Keep in mind there are the brand names for drugs and the generic names. Both are generally cross-listed on the CVS site, but not always.

In Korea you may be getting brand name drugs, or generic named drugs, or generics sold under a Korean brand name. Sometimes the pills are labeled, usually not.

Advice: Get a copy of the doctor's prescription printout. Get the pharmacist to write the names of the drugs in English as best he or she can. If they say they can't tell you what the drugs are, I would be a bit dubious, since they have this stuff cross-referenced on their pharmacy computer. And get the drug strength, i.e., 50 mg, etc.

My philosophy is simple: If they can't tell me what the drugs are and what they are used for, I don't take them. Sorry, but I think the risk of being given inappropriate drugs in Korea far outweighs the other risks.

If they try to give you five pills for a simple cold, find out what they are, and refuse to pay for the ones you don't need.

Anyone have any other advice?

Anyone have any other useful medical or pharmaceutical websites?

Good luck!

______

And in the U.S. the pharmacy computer is usually programmed to detect when two drugs are prescribed to a patient that are dangerous when used together.

[Lynns]

I do this back home too. Pharmacy errors are not uncommon, and of course the doctor can make mistakes. I always check to see that the dosage prescribed is appropriate for my weight. Decimal point in the wrong place could kill you.

Another good thing, with pills, is to use Google images to actually see what it's supposed to look like, so you know if the correct pill has been dispensed.

[pangaea]

I think it's a good idea to check which medications you're taking. I don't have any drug allergies that I know of but the doctors here don't seem that concerned with having a medical history on patients. Maybe they don't ask me because of the language barrier. I don't know. Anyway, doctors and pharmacists seem to give out prescription meds like candy here. I sprained my ankle and I was given a shot and several packets of 4 or 5 pills each (for a sprained ankle???). I took them once and decided it was a bad idea. I realized that if I started having a reaction to anything, I wouldn't be able to tell anyone what I took or the dosage. I didn't take the rest.

[idonojacs]

Well, here's a giant step in the right direction to help avoid patients being prescribed dangerous or inappropriate medicine.

And guess what?