starting over: back to the GOOD Rx

Yesterday, the Chemistry Ladies Luncheon was in Twelve Oaks shopping plaza.

That made it perfect for a needed mission afterward. 

Right place, right time.

I had resolved to not take the Sotalol from TEVA USA any more.

In the photo, that's the pill on the left, the chunkier one with the blueish tinge. 

Taking that particular formulation of my anti-arrhythmia drug twice daily was costing me an extra dollar per day in Lactaid pills.

How so?

TEVA USA puts lactose as the filler in their medicine.

Do they not understand chemistry at all???

Do the manufacturers not comprehend that they are subjecting patients with atrial fibrillation to the onslaught of millions upon millions of lactose molecules per dose???

Why would they do that???

Those are the questions I asked the pharmacist at the Publix located in that plaza.

She was absolutely flummoxed.

Perhaps I am the only person in the world with both A-Fib and lactose intolerance???

I seriously doubt that.

It is far more likely that I am simply the only such person with both conditions who would discover the correlation between abdominal puffiness with weight gain to the change in supplier of my prescription.

I told the pharmacist that I needed the APOTEX formulation, as it was lactose-free.

In the photo, it's the one on the right, the slimmer, pure white pill.

I explained that Publix had made the change in their supplier in the fall and that I needed to have my prescription changed to that supplied by APOTEX.

Again, she was flummoxed, but you know what she did?

She checked the stock of the medicine at the pharmacy of the southside Publix.

Wonder of wonders, they still had the APOTEX Sotalol in stock!!!

So, justthatfast, she had the computer transfer my prescription to that store.

Hooray!!!

I was so thrilled with the success of my venture!

This afternoon, the pharmacy at the southside store called to tell me the new Rx refill was ready for me.

Hooray!!!

I was going to go to a movie, but I chose to bounce down there instead.

Yep, I had my priorities straight!

I went straight in to the pharmacy.

When I spoke to the pharmacist, she listened in amazement to my story, then she double-checked the label to make sure the source was APOTEX... and it was!!!

Hooray!!!

Tonight, I'll have to take the TEVA Sotalol with dinner, as that is the formulation that I had to take at breakfast.

But not tomorrow!

I am so looking forward to starting over with the correct version of APOTEX Sotalol.

How blessed to have found it still in town!

i thank You, God.