Pharmacist Counseling ‘Paramount’ in Use of OTC Pain Medications

For many patients across the country, purchasing over-the-counter (OTC) medications is typically an individual experience that involves perusing grocery store or retail pharmacy aisles. While some patients may need fast and easy pain relief, others may need a structured regimen of OTC pain products that interact safely and effectively with other prescriptions they may be taking.

Occurrences like these highlight the immense role pharmacists play in counseling patients on their medication use, whether it be OTC or prescription medications.

“You go to a butcher for steak, you go to a pharmacist for, well, anything else—but primarily medication advice,” said Mark Garofoli, PharmD, BCGP, CPE, CTTS. “We're a wealth of knowledge [and] a very trusted profession.”

Garofoli, a certified expert on pain medicine and host of the Pharmacy Podcast Network’s Pain Pod, believes that pharmacists can make the patient’s individual pharmacy experience a collaborative one. With their trusted expertise and heightened patient relationship skills, pharmacists are the authority on medications and can guide patients through their OTC pain relief journeys.

Stay tuned for more from our conversation with Mark Garofoli, as he discusses important historical events that have impacted the public’s perception of OTC products for pain relief.

READ MORE: Q&A: What are the Current, Emerging Trends in OTC Pain Management?

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