The Menace Of Quack Nurses, My Experience

 So today in the Pharmacy, a lady came in with a written note to buy the following antibiotics.

Perfloxacin 2
"Cipro infusion" 6
"Ciproxin tablets" 2
Rocephin 6.

On seeing the note I wasn't comfortable, I asked her who the drugs were meant for, she said it's for herself, I then asked her who prescribed it and she said a nurse, I asked her to call the nurse that I want to speak with her to know why she wants to give all these antibiotics to one person, maybe all the bacteria in the world are having a conference in the lady's body.

Not that the the one she wrote "Ciproxin" is ciprofloxacin and Cipro infusion is also ciprofloxacin but meant for intravenous use (these nurses usually call it Ciproxin or Cipro), Ciprofloxacin and Perfloxacin are the same class of drugs with similar mechanism of action, (same Pharmacology) just some differences in their chemical structures,

so basically this "nurse" wants to give one drug in two different forms (Ciproxin tablets and Cipro infusion) with another similar drug (Perfloxacin) to one person and don't forget Rocephin (Ceftriaxone) which is another powerful antibiotic.

So the nurse was called, I introduced myself as the pharmacist that wants to sell the drugs she wrote down for a patient and that I'm not comfortable with the patient taking all these at the same time, that it could cause more harm than good, she told me that the patient ran some infection tests and that those drugs she wrote are the ones that was recommended by the lab results.

Now let me explain what happened here, the lady ran some infection tests and the laboratory scientist also ran what is called antibiotic sensitivity tests to determine the most appropriate antibiotic to use for treatment, this helps doctors to go straight and prescribe the suitable antibiotic, just like hitting the bull's eye without beating about the bush.

So this nurse told me that according to the lab results, that the lady is supposed to use all the antibiotics that showed sensitivity, at this point my jaw dropped, I tried to let her know that she's making a mistake,she now told me to give the lady only "Ciproxin" I sold only a pack of Ciprofloxacin to the lady and told her this pack will suffice for whatever treatment she wants and that has needs further evaluation, she should go to a clinic and see a proper doctor.

She said she was directed to the woman because she has a good reputation of treating people of infections and they get pregnant afterwards, so it was a case of child bearing.
She left with the drugs and came back about thirty minutes later, that the "nurse" said that what I gave her was not Ciproxin, I collected my drugs back and refunded her appropriately. God knows I tried.

Her case was not the first and it definitely would not be the last, I see it everyday, nothing stops me from selling all those drugs and pocketing the money, but I have a duty which i also swore to, to protect and educate people on the dangers of drug misuse, that "Aunty Nurse" that learnt "nursing" on the roadside instead of going to school, that did freedom instead of graduation is who people prefer to patronise instead of going to hospital to get a proper care.

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