DesignRx

Pharmacist || UI/UX designer.

[DesignRx @mayoof_brooklyn]

Life update : While I was away, I took the Pharmacist OATH and I got Inducted into the the Pharmacy profession.

It's now official
Pharmacist Akojede Mayowa Emmanuel
B.pharm (IFE)
Member, Pharmaceutical society of Nigeria (MPSN)
Great Ife Pharmacy Alumni.

[Pharaoh👳🏾‍♂️👑 @MrMekzy_]

People who have access to you have no idea how unreachable you are to everyone else, until they become everyone else.

[Paul Tobi, RPh @paultobi_]

Read like your life depends on it. Because it does.

Community pharmacies, even though informal in many ways, are primary healthcare facilities. What separates pharmacies is not just the drugs on the shelves, but what the pharmacist knows and, more importantly, how they apply that knowledge.

If you misassess a patient and the treatment doesn’t work, they won’t say, “The pharmacist made the wrong call.” They will tell others that “their drugs don’t work.” Your reputation goes down the drain.

Know your limits as a pharmacist. There are cases where your first point of call should be referral to a hospital. For example, a quinsy abscess. We might joke about it, but if you see a case like that, refer quickly. Another example is hypertensive urgency or emergency. Tell them to go to the hospital. Knowing the difference can be tricky and often requires more clinical assessment than pharmaceutical care alone, even if you have the theoretical knowledge.

Be very good with the common diseases in your area: hypertension, diabetes, and infectious diseases.

Be ready to educate. It can be tiring, but it is part of the job.

There will be temptations. Train your mind.

Be friendly with other healthcare professionals. When they come to the pharmacy, slow down and interact with them. Use their specialty to gain their trust. I tease almost every healthcare professional I meet and allow them to revel in their drug or specialty knowledge. They might tell you the right drugs to stock and provide useful insights you wouldn’t get elsewhere.

Go and learn inventory control and stocking protocols. Clinical knowledge alone is not enough to run a successful community pharmacy.

[Pharaoh👳🏾‍♂️👑 @MrMekzy_]

I entered chicken republic to buy chickwizz, one little boy handed me a baloon and asked me to blow it for him so he can attach it to his stick. Immediately I collected it, the other children surrounded me and asked me to blow theirs. See me blowing balloon like it was a paid job. As i dey blow am, i dey give the security to attach to the stick. I blew ballons till my cheeks started hurting, over 20 balloons mehn. I had to run for my life.😭

[👑S.A.L.A.K.O🕊 @UnkleAyo]

FORTY SIX CHILDREN ARE STILL IN CAPTIVITY.

FORTY SIX.

FORTY SIX.

FORTY SIX.

[vintage 🇳🇬🇬🇭 @vintageoflagos]

Did half a million as salary till I saw an entry role for over 2m
truly there are roles in the pharmacy world paying block..

[Paul Tobi, RPh @paultobi_]

I am not going to be explaining how a symptom like sore throat can present. To a market woman, I will gladly break it down. But to you, it is unnecessary.

What I am against is the subtle jab you think you can throw at pharmacists, which is outright wrong. Very unbefitting of you.

If you want to express your usual contempt for a sister profession like pharmacy, at least use a stronger example. Use emergency conditions. Use surgical conditions. Use complex medical conditions with unclear referral pathways.

Not sore throat.

It is very funny that you think a patient must walk into a hospital to see a physician as the first stop for a sore throat. If they do, fine. If they come to the pharmacy first, also fine.

And I can say this with my full chest as a community pharmacist: in many sore throat cases, the same physicians you are invoking are essentially doing symptom assessment, ruling out red flags, treating, and moving on.

So what exactly is so outrageous about a pharmacist being the first point of care for that same complaint?

How many sore throat cases actually progress to anything beyond uncomplicated self-limiting illness that a pharmacist cannot safely screen and manage or appropriately refer?

Give the data, at least let us deal in data.

This your tweet is unbefitting.

[DesignRx @mayoof_brooklyn]

@AdetoyiRachael God abeg!

[Sir J (J9) @SirJarus]

Because there is only one Great Ife in the universe 😊

That's why we are proud 😀

[Paul Tobi, RPh @paultobi_]

There is always that medical doctor that thinks because he/she answers the name doctor, it grants them omniscience.

So because you are a medical doctor writing a prescription, I should just dispense it abi?

You initiate therapy because your knowledge of the body and disease makes you best positioned to do so. I sit on medication management and validate pharmacotherapy because my knowledge of drugs makes me best positioned to do that.

I am legally empowered to refuse your prescription if it failed clinical screening. I can’t because of your ego make a patient pay the price and then lose my license.

Your prescription is not an order, and the validation process exists because no single profession sees the full picture. None.

Instead of channeling that energy into building a system where every profession contributes what they’re best positioned to contribute, you are here criminalizing the very checks that protect the patient.

Medicine is not a unilateral authority system.

[DesignRx @mayoof_brooklyn]

@Hon_aremo Dr Akinwumi, right 😂 ?

[DesignRx @mayoof_brooklyn]

@_Dr_Bush_ Congratulations, Dr. Bush

[DesignRx @mayoof_brooklyn]

@_Ololademi Congratulations pharm

[Aide- /ah-e-day/😌🔥 @Aideresponse]

April started on the best note! 🥹

I am officially a Nigerian Licensed Pharmacist! 🇳🇬💊 Results are out and I passed.

Reading and working 2 jobs was a lot, but Ebenezer! 🥹🎉

Just maybe UK or Canada next😂🎉🌚….but for now, tell me congratulations! 🥂✨

[Bremen @Rxbremen]

Just to clear the air about this rubbish it’s grossly untrue.

Medplus might be the biggest in terms of number of outlets but that doesn’t translate to being market leader in terms of remuneration.

Medplus does not pay their full time pharmacist 180k, they pay more than that, and they have their own reward system for effort and impact that translates to increased take home.

In Nigeria, a pharmacist salary is subject to the field of work he is into, and there is no fixed rate for pharmacists, generally it is semi regulated and we work more with band.

Community pharmacist monthly salary is dependent on his state, and his negotiation with his employer, there are pharmacy that only have one outlet and pay as high as 350k for their pharmacist with accommodation.

People who work in industries generally earn way more than an average community pharmacist and are well compensated.

People who work in sales, marketing and distribution are hugely compensated based on KPI and their income is always synonymous with performance with various bonus and allowance set aside from salaries.

If you don’t know something you should learn to ask.

[Bremen @Rxbremen]

Anyways I love consultant doctors so much man, they would hardly stress you. Once they enter your pharmacy they are always jovial and always curious to know what’s the latest and best medication for certain treatments.

The best are those that specialize in radiology, or dermatology, they would always ask you for your input and what you think about certain drugs.

The mothers are always super sweet when they want to inquire about medication and dosing for their children.

But you see the ones on this app, afi bi afishe always feeling threatened, always looking for fight.

You can correct a consultant on their medication and prescriptions and interact with them, they would listen to you and rub minds, sometimes they would explain if it’s off book use or if it’s an error on their part.

[Bremen @Rxbremen]

One day a young girl brought a prescription of sumatriptan 50mg she came with her grandfather so we had a conversation and the father complained the girl was always having headaches.

I went further to ask what caused the headaches, and she explained. So I asked whenever she was having the headaches if she was sensitive to light, or loud music, she said No.

But said the headaches were always intense. I asked if when she had the headaches, she could still carry out normal activities, she said Yes.

So I asked if she previously used glasses or ever used, she said before, but she had stopped. So I filled the prescription for her, but told the grandfather to take her to see an eye specialist and just tell them she wanted to check the IOP, and also check her eyes generally for her.

He came back like a month later and was dancing that the headaches were gone, and it was actually glasses that caused the headaches for her.

But anyways it’s only cough and catarrh we know as pharmacists 🙏🙏🙏

[Pharm. Maidoki 💊 @PharmMaidoki]

🚨 REAL TIME COLLABORATION AMONG HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS

Yesterday during that hectic call shift, the pharmacy door burst open and one of our resident doctors rushed in, breathing heavy:

Doctor: "Pharmacies please! I need 2 ampoules of Phenobarbital 100mg/ml injection RIGHT NOW; status epilepticus in Ward 3, benzos aren't cutting it anymore. Patient's seizing non-stop!"

I looked up from the narcotic register, heart racing a bit because Phenobarb is a Schedule 1 controlled narcotic; high-risk, tightly regulated. But this was clearly an emergency, life-or-death.

Me (@pharmmaidoki): "Got it, Doc. Let me confirm, adult patient? How much time since last benzo dose? Any respiratory depression yet?"

Doctor: "Adult male, 28. Lorazepam given twice already, still convulsing. No obvious resp issues yet, but we can't wait. Please, fast!"

I nodded, grabbed the keys to the double-locked narcotic cabinet (that's the rule; Phenobarbital injections live in secure, separate storage under PCN guidelines for dangerous drugs: temperature-controlled, logged every single movement, only pharmacists handle dispensing). Pulled out the 2 ampoules, double-checked expiry, batch, and integrity.

Me: "Here they are; 2 x 100mg/ml. Remember, slow IV push, max 100mg/min to avoid hypotension or resp arrest. I'll log it now and need your signature, name, and number for the dangerous drugs register. We'll follow up on payment/documentation later, but patient safety first."

He scribbled his details quickly on the emergency requisition slip while I entered everything meticulously in the book: date, time, patient ID (from his verbal handover), quantity issued, his name/mobile, my signature as the dispensing pharmacist.

Doctor: "Thanks so much — you're a lifesaver. Seriously, without this locked down properly, we couldn't have it ready in seconds."

Me: "That's why we do it this way, Doctor. As pharmacists, our oath and PCN regs put us as the gatekeepers for narcotics: proper storage to prevent diversion/abuse, accurate records for traceability, and controlled dispensing only on valid emergency request from you guys. It saves lives twice; once by getting the drug to the seizing patient fast, and again by making sure it doesn't end up in the wrong hands."

He gave a quick grateful nod, pocketed the ampoules, and dashed back out.

Later that night, I called his number to sort the formal documentation and payment (hospital protocol for emergency issues). We chatted briefly:

Me: "Hey Doc, just following up on the Phenobarb, patient stable now?"

Doctor: "Yeah, seizures broke after the second ampoule. Transferred to ICU, but he's breathing on his own. Appreciate you not hesitating and keeping everything tight."

Me: "Anytime. Collaboration like this is what keeps patients alive in these mad calls. You diagnose and direct the fight; we guard the arsenal, dispense safely, and counsel on risks. Teamwork dey pay off."

Doctor: "True. More of this, less drama."

Moments like these remind me why the strict rules on narcotics aren't bureaucracy, they're protection.

📍 Pharmacists quietly holding the line on storage, distribution, and dispensing of controlled drugs like Phenobarbital means fewer errors, less misuse, and more lives saved in emergencies.

Grateful for good colleagues who get it. We dey hold am together for the patients.🤝

#PharmacistLife #HealthTipsNG #ControlledDrugs #TeamHealthcare #WeekendCallStories

[Paul Tobi, RPh @paultobi_]

I just attended to my professor (a former dean) as a pharmacist.

God saved me 😂

[Pharm. Maidoki 💊 @PharmMaidoki]

🚨 Diary of a Clinical Pharmacist, in a Federal Teaching Hospital.

6:00 AM – Awake, Prayed, drank a glass of water, quick pap + akara breakfast.
Left house early, traffic no dey play. Prayed for patience today.

7:35 AM – Signed in, white coat on. • Morning brief: stock-out on essential antihypertensives (amlodipine, losartan) and some ARVs.
📍 Raised it again, HOD says revolving fund delay.

8:00 AM – Joined ward round (Endocrinology/Medicine).
• Reviewed 10+ charts: counselled a new type 2 diabetic on metformin timing and foot care (she called me “teacher pharmacist” 😂).

• Adjusted levothyroxine dose, flagged metformin + contrast dye risk for radiology.

• Educated team on pharmacist role in deprescribing.

10:20 AM – Outpatient dispensing grind.
• Screened 50+ scripts; caught wrong insulin pen strength and a risky NSAID + ACEI combo in hypertensive patient.

• Counseled extensively: “This drug go help, but adherence na key o!”

🚨 Long queue, NEPA took light twice. Generator delay as usual.

12:00 PM – Lunch: tuwo shinkafa from cafeteria + cold zobo.
• Quick tip session with pharmacy interns on patient counseling scripts; real talk, no sugarcoating.

1:00 PM – Inpatient duties: briefed Nurses on reconstitution of IV ceftazidime, prepared TPN additives. Urgent call from ICU for sedation adjustment (midazolam infusion). Responded fast, prevented escalation.

3:00 PM – Drug info query from resident: safe antibiotic in pregnancy (patient with UTI). Updated profiles, noted for audit. Shared quick #HealthTipsNG thread in mind for later post.

3:30 PM – Store round with tech: low on salbutamol nebules and insulin vials.

• Wrote strong memo; enough is enough. We can't keep apologizing to patients.

4:00 PM – Final rush: counselled a “wicked pharmacist” caller from yesterday who now thanked me after explanation. Smiled inside. Locked narcotics, documented everything.

4:30 PM – Signed out.
🚨 Tired but proud; educated, intervened, advocated.

Traffic go long, but plan: family dinner, rest, then draft post on “Why your pharmacist is your first line of defense.”

Thank God for the strength. We dey try for this system.

Patients first, always. 💊
#HealthTipsNG #Pharmacistlife

[highFashion @rahman_jago_]

If you pay attention to the patterns of your life you'll realize everything always works out. Everything always takes you to a greater destination. You always grow and the things you think you can't survive you somehow divinely make it through. That's life.