ULOG Day 1: Diary of a Young Nigerian Community Pharmacist!

This is my first ulog write up and ulogs are inspired by @surpassinggoogle. Thank you so much for inspiring us to share our own moments. I am a Pharmacist and currently practising at a community Pharmacy, thus most of my ulogs especially if they fall on days am working would be about me and my patients. Experiences: good and bad. I would try not to bore you too much and give the juicy details or exciting details about it. I hope you enjoy it though😇.

Pharmacist on Duty!

Today I got to work on afternoon shift, so I had slept tons in the morning and well relaxed. I had many patients and clients in the evening I attended to. There was this particular man that came in and asked for Chloramphenicol, Tetracycline and Ampiclox. In my mind, I was like slow down there. So I began to try to ask him why he wanted all of this. Self-medication is a big issue in Nigeria and our health sector is still developing. The guy was like 'I wan use am' and I was like 'for'.

Guy: wetim dem dey use mericine for (what do they use drugs for)
Me : 🙄 (just giving him a look)
Guy: I wan mix am, drink for thyphoid (I want to use all together to treat thyphoid)
Me: 🙄 (still giving him a look)
Guy: why you dey look me like that (why are you looking at me that way)
Me: because u no like ur liver, come give me make I give person wey need am. (Because you don't love your liver, give it to me let me give someone who needs it)
Guy: laughs
Me: it is not funny at all, I cannot be party to the cause of your death so I cannot give you the drugs you mentioned. How do you know you have typhoid? Did you do a test?
Guy: Headache just dey worry me! If I just take 2 capsules of the mericine mix am with hot, I go just well. (I have been having headache, if I mix the drugs, I will be fine)
Me : 😐 kuku kee ursef (kill yourself then)

I am not exaggerating at all. This is exactly what this guy said to me. It is amazing how some of us are quick to be doctors and pharmacists for ourselves or let our neighbors tell us what to use. Self medication is a 'No' deal! Let me share another experience of mine today.

If you look at my pictures, you had see that I look skinny with a young face😂😂.

Sometimes, this have made people 'help me' reduce my age in their head or look down at me. At my place of work, it happens often. Most times I don't wear my tag nor my lab coat. I can be lazy like that 😉😉. This particular lady walks in and am sure quickly assumes in her head that am a salesgirl. We run a cosmetic store vis-a-vis a pharmacy. She asked for some cosmetics in a very rude manner and which I politely gave her. Spoke to me in a very high handed manner, I responded politely. So when we were done, she moved to an older person and asked to see the Pharmacist. The Lady then pointed to me. You all should have seen the look on her face! It needed to have been captured. In fact, she was slow to walk back to me. When she got there, she had removed all her shoulder pads (Nigerians only might understand this term 😋) and was like "oh Sorry, I didn't know you were the Pharmacist.. ", Well, I am!

Lessons from this Gist

1. Self Medication is wrong. Seek your appropriate health personnel (Doctors and Pharmacists) advice before getting a medication.
2. Never judge a book by its cover. Everyone deserves your respect.