Pharmacist held accountable for number of pills

Dear Heloise: I’ve seen in a couple of your columns suggestions to count the pills in your prescriptions, specifically mentioning those from mail-order pharmacies.

My husband takes prescription narcotic pain relievers, which we get from a local pharmacy. He was coming up short and thought at first that he might have been taking more than he thought. But after the second time, he counted the pills as soon as I brought them home and was four or five short.

I called the pharmacist, who said that they always double-check those types of prescriptions and have a way of marking them to show that they’d been counted twice. I think that he thought the problem was with someone in our home but suggested that I have the pharmacist or technician count them in front of me when I pick them up. He actually made a notation in his files, and the technician knew to count the pills the next few times I picked them up. This ended the problem.

My husband and I discussed the need to keep these kinds of prescriptions out of sight and have changed their location in our home. We also move them occasionally, so if they are found by someone who might be tempted to abuse them, they won’t always be where he or she has found them in the past. We don’t suspect any of our children or their friends of having a drug problem, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Kris, via e-mail

Good advice on all “counts.” Heloise

Dear Heloise: Thanks to you and your mother for making things easier throughout my married life.

When I am planning a dinner party or holiday family gathering, I choose my menu and then select the recipes needed from my cookbooks and recipe cards. I copy each recipe on my copy machine, and that makes it easier to make out my grocery list. Also, when I am cooking, I do not need to have several cookbooks and cards, only the copies. Norma Gayle, Concan, Texas

Dear Heloise: While reading your column, I saw the idea to wear an ID tag while running. You should use your real name, not your nickname. That way, if you get hurt, can’t speak for yourself and medical personnel can’t locate a relative, and you have to be taken to a local hospital, they can access your records. Randie Lamphere, via e-mail

Dear Heloise: I went to purchase a duvet cover for my comforter to keep it clean. They were expensive. So, to save money, I made one by sewing two king-size sheets on three sides. I slipped the comforter inside with room left over to tuck it under the end of the mattress at the foot of the bed to keep it in place. A Reader, via fax

SBlt Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.

King Features Syndicate