Controlled Medications

The pharmacy received a package of medications on Wednesday, and these medications were the pharmacy’s stock bottles. I placed the San Jose Clinic labels on these medications and then placed them in their proper locations on the shelves. The package also contained controlled medications, which are medications that have a high potential for abuse and can be habit forming and thus, are kept in a locked safe separate from the rest of the medications. When I began filling prescriptions for the day, one of the prescriptions I had to fill was a controlled medication. The protocol for filling controlled medications is that they must be counted twice and then be checked by the pharmacist. I therefore, counted the pills and made sure it was the correct amount that I was placing in the bottle. This made me realize that such stringent protocols are in place because people actually do abuse medications and that is why these controlled substances are placed in a locked safe and must be counted several times before they are dispensed to the patients. Medications are thus, only beneficial when they are taken properly; they must be the correct amount and the correct dosage. Therefore, as the pharmacy staff, we must follow all the protocols laid out to ensure that patients do not face any health risks.