The Cure-All Medication

As some of the regular readers are aware of I am a racing-fiend. Specifically NASCAR, but I enjoy pretty much all disciplines (I'll get up at 4am to watch a Formula One race for instance). The last few years some of the smaller teams have been signing sponsors from 'drug' companies.

It really started in 2000 when Pfizer jumped on the scene. Ironically the driver's last name was Fuller.

Pfizer stayed in the sport for many years and GSK got in on the act for a while too


And really there wasn't much wrong with it. Then we started getting the 'dietary supplements' entering the sport and it is where the purpose of this post came into play. Namely there has been extensive debate over the emergence of the supplement Extenze entering the sport

Often, since I have a background in pharmaceuticals, I am asked how can something like this be promoted on tv and on a car like this. Most of them are aware that it does not contain an active ingredient, so one would think that the FDA would step in.

And that is a very good point. How is it that products like these can be advertised, and advertised extensively, with little repercussions. We have a hard enough time trying to convince patients that generic brands are equal across the board or that simvastatin will work just as well as Lipitor in treating a patient's cholesterol.

Yet things like this are allowed to be advertised in anyway they please. Usually there is some crack down and fines involved for false advertising (Airborne being the prime example) but by then the damage has already been done.

You would think someone would want to step in and say, "Wait a minute, aren't we undermining legitimate healthcare by allowing these products to be on the market?"

And that is a very damn good point. Then again someone would have to overlook the dollar amounts involved and we all know that isn't terribly likely to change any time soon.

A Little 'Slick'

"I'm a little dry, y'all gotz anything that will get me nice and lubed up for tonightz?"

Customer quote. All I'm really gonna say about it, so you guys can draw your own conclusions.

The Trip From Hell

Let me preface this first by saying that I do not travel so I may appear ignorant in some areas of this story.

Before I left I mentioned that I was going on a bit of a trip. Essentially what this has consisted of is a vacation in Las Vegas, directly followed by my fourth interview which is almost directly followed by my fifth interview. All in 13 days. Wicked.

The Vegas part was fine, actually you could call it down right fun. Leaving Vegas though, that's when the shit started to hit the fan.

You see in my haste to exit our return flight I left my PSP and all of my games on the plane. Yes, dumbass move on my part (which will soon be eclipsed, trust me). Still waiting to hear back if they found the damned thing because I know precisely where I left it.

The next morning we went to the airport to fly out to my fourth interview. I had everything prebooked before we had left for Vegas, so I assumed we were set. I went to the kiosk to get our boarding passes and when I punched in our code this popped up on the screen.

This flight has already departed. Please select another flight.

What?!?

I glance down, the time is right, the airline is right, the date..... oh shit. Somehow I had selected a fly out date for Saturday, not Sunday. To top it off, despite checking over everything at least a half dozen times, I never caught the mistake.

Fuck.

Over to the ticket counter we go to see how we can remedy this. The chick at the counter was a complete bitch. I mean rolling her eyes, the whole works. She informs me, obviously, that'll have to buy a new pair of tickets and the flight leaves in about an hour.

$450 poof.

Whatever, it was my mistake and at least we had a flight to the city I needed to be in. I took the high road and realized it could be much worse than it actually was.

We arrive in the city and mosey on over to where our rental car is. They give me the keys, and I notice the vehicle they had given me.... a PT Cruiser. Oh dear God no. Again, I said fuck it and lets go. I put the keys in the car start it.... and it promptly dies.

Now what?

Try starting it again and nothing. It appears, to me at least, that the battery is dead. Oh joy.

Luckily they were fairly accommodating and gave me a different car which was able to drive off of the lot. Hooray!

The next day I arrive at the school for our day of activities (note to those who will be doing this in the future, you spend 6-8 hours at the school and your interview is usually only 30 minutes. Make note of this.) and get myself pumped up for my interview.

I arrive at the appropriate room at the appropriate time... and no one is there.

What...the...fuck...

Apparently there was some sort of miscommunication and my interviewer was unaware he was supposed to be here today. I felt like I had been stood up on prom, but this time without the booze to ease my pains.

Whatever, they find me someone else and the interview goes quite well. The trip is done! Or is it?

The next morning we arrive at the airport and find ourselves at the kiosk trying to print our boarding passes when this notice comes up:

Please pick up the phone next to you and talk to a Representative
IMMEDIATELY

Uh oh, am I on some kind of list? Did I utter the word bomb in an inappropriate place? Instead they tell me that my return tickets are void and I have to go to the ticket counter. Okay...

At the ticket counter they tell me that because we did not make our initial flight, it automatically voided our return flight. I don't fly, so I am completely unaware of this fact, but apparently she is. I suck it up, and buy another set of return tickets on the same flight.

$460 poof.

Now here is my question. Obviously the chick at the return airport was aware of the problem and understood that I simply did not have the time to call Travelocity to remedy the problem before I had to board. So why didn't the first ticketing clerk mention that my return tickets were no good.

I could have bought roundtrip tickets for over $400 less if she had just mentioned this fact. I know its my mistake, but c'mon, I thought these people were here to help in that kind of situation.

Alas, that part of my trip is over. With the extra airfare and extra night in a hotel that we didn't stay in (they were a package deal) the whole thing cost me an extra $1035.

Alright!

I have no one to blame but myself for the entire situation. So here is the lesson kiddies, always, ALWAYS have someone else proofread your trip itinerary with you. Otherwise you'll end up like me.

I Need A Life

Wandering around the strip last night, saw this and immedately snapped a pic of it with my phone.

That is the nicest looking Walgreens I have ever seen... and I am such a damn pharmacy nerd I can't even act normal while on vacation... Oh well

But you're so young!

I can't wait until I'm old. No, seriously. Maybe people will actually stop questioning me when I give suggestions or make a statement.

Let's clear the air here, in nice big bold letters.

I am 24 years old and I have almost 10 years of pharmacy experience.

There we go, much better. Maybe I should have this tattooed on my forehead.

You see everywhere I go, people question my ideas on various pharmacy related items. This can be at work, talking to other students, or inane message boards where everyone is an expert (I'm looking at you SDN).

Yes I'm young, but I probably have twice the experience of half of the students graduating pharmacy school this year.

I mean I have worked in retail, hospital, compounding, nursing service and dabbled in home infusion pharmacy. I have worked as a pharmacy consultant and received over 150 hours of additional specialized training.

I have become involved in numerous business decisions and have been preparing for pharmacy school nearly since I started working in one.

Yet people question me when they ask my advice because of my age.

Look, I know I'm young. I realize I do not know anything. But I know the industry of pharmacy better than half of the pharmacists who work in our company. I have discussed with several deans and countless pharmacist on where the profession is going and how it will change.

Yet people question me when they ask my advice because of my age.

Well ya know what, buzz off. Find me someone else who's my age who knows the shit I do. No longer will I let you talk down to me just because of my age. If you don't want my advice or my views, that's fine. Just don't ask and dismiss them in the same breath.

Whew, I feel better now.

Where's Phathead?

I will be traveling around the country for the next two weeks or so. Prior to having to go back to school for that one motherfuc... I mean that one class, I had made plans to spend a week in Vegas.

Two weeks ago I received notice of my fourth and fifth interviews... at roughly the same time.

So this week I find myself in Vegas where as next week I am traveling to two different parts of the country for two different interviews.

Ole Phatty is gonna rack up some frequent flyer miles!

Posts will probably be short and sweet during that time and, as creepily as it sounds, I could be sitting next to some of you during the interview process... and you would never know!

*Cue evil laugh*

If, for whatever reason, one of my many flights crashes, I leave this blog to our fellow medical blogging brethren. Maybe Dr. Grumpy can divvy the site up for me.

I'm such a positive thinker!

Until then, booze and sight seeing awaits me!