A south Okanagan pharmacist has been recognized by the BC Pharmacy Association for tackling the issue of misuse and abuse of prescription pain killers.
Chris Pasin has seen the devastating effects first hand in the south Okanagan.
“We see people who have a job but have a bad back, and they start on a narcotic, and it goes from I can’t handle going to work anymore to I need more pain pills, he said. “And it turns into a real unfortunate situation.”
Pasin is the first pharmacist in the province to offer medication reviews in a retail setting by meeting with patients and talking to their doctors about better ways to treat chronic pain.
Canada is the world’s second-largest per capita consumer of opioids, behind only the United States.
Some people lose their lives by accidently overdosing on the powerful drugs prescribed by their doctor.
Pasin said a middle-aged Oliver man recently died from what’s believed to be an accidental overdose on Oxycodone used to treat chronic back pain.
“They are now saying that every patient who is on an opioid, prescribed or street level, should carry a Naloxone kit and their families should be aware of what to watch for in an opioid overdose, “he said, “because it’s not just happening intentionally or accidently with a drug that is laced with something else, it is happening with people who forgot they’ve taken it, and taken another one.”
Pasin was recently awarded the Ben Gant Innovative Practice Award by the organization representing his profession.
It is for thinking outside of the box and pushing to expand the role of the pharmacist in the medical field.
“It is not uncommon at all for people to come to the counter now and say to me, I trust you more than my doctor, is this the right drug for me?”
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