The Valuable Role of a Pharmacist

For neurodivergent people, it's common to have co-morbid conditions like chronic fatigue, allergies, gut health issues and other physical anomalies that slow us down. To be able to give a meaningful life, sometimes medications are needed to manage symptoms that stop us from being present with family or at work to earn a living. And sometimes we find ourselves in a position where we are overloaded with so many medications we are unsure of what's really helping.

Ivana Jovicic is a clinical pharmacist who helps people understand their bodies and medications from a clinical perspective.

Often the clinical skill set of a pharmacist is not seen by the public, and is more often found in a hospital setting where they are advising doctors in various areas of expertise. Ivana has branched out from this role and now contracts and consults with various multi-disciplinary teams, GPs and patients, to resolve complexities around medication.

Though she is booked up well in advance, Ivana highlights the value of a clinical pharmacist. Your local pharmacist comes with a depth of knowledge that they would love to share with you, but are often limited by processing prescriptions. A clinical pharmacist would take the time to understand your history and symptoms, and use their knowledge to make recommendations to your specialist or GP.

If your medication plan is simple and working well for you, this service may not be for you. However, if you find you don't typically respond to medications in the expected way, or you have so many medications that haven't been reviewed for a while, perhaps looking for a clinical pharmacist may be useful.

In the event that you are not responding to medications in the way you are expecting, please remember to call your local pharmacist - it's free. Even though they may not have a lot of time to assess the finer details, they are qualified to answer quick questions like:

- Can I take my meds at night instead of the morning?

- I've missed taking my medication - what should I do?

- Is this addictive?

Pharmacists are of high value and we are privileged to have this profession build up the credibility of Fly on the Wall.