After some cursory reading online I was struck by yet another way pharmacists can dramatically reduce the current cost of healthcare: substance abuse programs.
Consider alcoholism. Studies have found that taking Antabuse by itself - without a community program or therapy - has little to no benefit for the patient. For those not familiar with this drug, Antabuse is much like Flagyl (metrodinazole) in that it impairs the livers ability to metabolize alcohol. Normally alcohol is broken down into acetaldehyde, then acetate. However, disulfiram and Flagyl both inhibit a key enzyme that converts acetaldehyde into acetate. The result? Acetaldehyde builds up in the body causing severe nausea, vomiting...and a regretful experience.
But patients who are in treatment for alcohol abuse who pick this up at the pharmacy to take in the comfort of their own home show little benefit from taking this medication, research shows. A better model is visits to a clinic where the medication is administered by a therapist or nurse three times a week. The reason is as much a compliance issue (patients actually taking their Antabuse as directed at home) as it is a psychological one (positive reenforcement, coaching and assistance).
Here's a thought: What if pharmacists filled that role? Couldn't a pharmacist, a doctor of pharmacy, an expert in medication and pharmacokinetics, assist a patient in understanding how they can combat an addiction to THE most commonly abused drug in the United States?
Just some food for thought.
Source: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdf?vid=6&hid=17&sid=d8f0bddb-8a14-486d-9ae1-2486b8ae38cb%40sessionmgr2
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