Can You Read These Rxs?

Rick Harter, RPh, works the night shift at a Walgreen’s Pharmacy in Los Lunas, New Mexico, and fills countless prescriptions during his work hours. One prescription presented to him contained 3 different unintelligible instructions and had him completely stumped, requiring the doctor who scribbled it to explain what it said. Can you figure out what the doctor ordered?

George Fried, PharmD, and pharmacy technician Becky Hoover, of Basha’s United Drug in Gilbert, Arizona, had no problem reading the instructions on this prescription–it was just the drug name that left them scratching their heads. They faxed the script back to the doctor who wrote it, and received their answer the next day. Both were stunned. What drug do you think was being prescribed?

ANSWERS

Rx 1: Refill alprazolam Refill all OTC nasal meds Liquid Zithromax change to Z-pack

Rx 2: Casodex 50 mg, #30, 1 tablet by mouth, once per day

Read the answers

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Have eye-straining, baffling prescriptions? Send them to Pharmacy Times. Along with a clean photocopy of the prescription itself, your submission must include: (1) the name of your institution and its location; (2) your name and title (PharmD, RPh, Pharm Tech); (3) the correct name of the drug(s), strength, and dosing requirements; and (4) your telephone number. Please mail your submissions to: Can You Read These Rxs?, Attention: Laura Enderle, Pharmacy Times, 666 Plainsboro Road, Suite 300, Plainsboro, NJ 08536.