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  • Home
  • About
    • Advocacy & Legislation
    • Awards & Scholarships
    • Board of Directors
    • Committees >
      • NASW Foundation - Hawai'i Chapter Fund
      • History of Social Work in Hawai'i Project
    • Conferences >
      • 2018 Conference Presentations
      • 2020 Conference
      • 2021 Conference
    • Contact Us
    • Ethics
    • Governance >
      • Branch & Committee Resources
    • Island Branches >
      • Kaua'i Branch
      • Molokai Branch
      • Maui Branch
      • Hawai'i Island Branch
    • Newsletters
  • Membership
  • Continuing Ed.
    • CE requirements
    • Upcoming CE opportunities
    • CE Law
    • Continuing Education Approval Program
  • Licensing
    • License Applications
    • Licensing Exams
    • Licensing Preparation Courses
    • License Renewal
    • LCSW supervision
    • Transfering your license in/out of state
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events >
      • Awards Gala Honorees
      • Kickball Tournament
      • Social Work Awards Gala
  • Store
  • Employment & Classifieds
  • Find a Social Worker
  • Hawaii Schools of Social Work
  • Insurance
  • Blog: Tales of a Social Worker

I need my medication!

8/31/2018

16 Comments

 
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I need my medication!   

By: Cynthia Macey


Being a case manager and supporting clients with mental health and substance abuse, I assist clients with managing their frustration and anxiety when navigating the health system. I help by having the client focus on their treatment goals, coping skills, practice positive talk and problem solving. I also teach them how to be independent and advocate for themselves.
 
I am not perfect. Despite being a responsible adult who manages to take my meds on time, I found myself in a panic one morning when I realized I was on my last thyroid pill.  Per my doctor orders, I must take this medication on an empty stomach, at the same time everyday for the rest of my life. “Seriously?" Seems farfetched and like a major commitment, “for the rest of my life?” If not, I will begin to have symptoms of water retention, mood swings, hormone imbalance, and feel lethargic. In other words, I will experience PMS symptoms times three. 

 I called my PCP at 8am to request a prescription refill at my local pharmacy. My PCP was not working that day. The person covering my PCP stated that approval was needed by my doctor in order to put the prescription in. I asked the nurse covering my doctor if she could please expedite the process since I took my last pill and cannot miss out on my dosage or provide a few pills to carry me over till my PCP comes back to work. The day started to go by and around 5pm, when I finished work, I called my pharmacy to check on my medication. The Pharmacy stated they were still waiting for approval from my PCP.
 
I. freaked. out.
 
Thankfully, before acting on my panic, I was able to calm down and talk through this situation with an urgent care nurse. I received my prescription and disaster was averted for all involved.
 
Tips to avoid prescription refill anxiety and possibly the end of the world as we know it:
 
  1. Especially for multiple prescriptions, create a reminder that will effectively alert you a week before you run out of medication.
  2. Call your pharmacy early in the week to avoid any Friday afternoon panic attacks.
  3. Plan ahead. Discuss prescription management with your PCP to avoid running out of medication while on vacation.
 
As case managers, some of our clients may require extra attention when it comes to medicine management.
 
  1. Showing them how to enter alerts in their phone or other calendar type alert in their house will help with their routine and minimize panic for all parties.
  2. Discuss medicine management with them and their PCP to synchronize their refill dates.
 
 
photo credit:  https://www.pinterest.se/pin/373939575299442406
 

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    Author

    2020 Spring Semester blog posts are written by Jennifer Nacapuy. 2018-2019 Academic Year blog posts are written by Sruthi Vijayakumar & Cynthia Macey. 2017-2018 blog posts were written by Holly Arroyo & Jenalyn Camagong

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