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Archive for June, 2021

HIV: The Basics. By Our Student Pharmacist, RJ Rosia.

What is HIV?

HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is a virus that can affect the immune system. This virus specifically attacks immune cells that help fight other infections. If left untreated, people can get very sick from such things like pneumonia or the common cold.

People who have HIV can take medications to stop the virus from replicating in the body and help the immune system to remain strong and live a healthy, normal life.

How can you get HIV?

HIV is mainly spread through someone who is infected having unprotected sex with someone else. The virus can be spread by any bodily fluid, such as blood or semen.

There are also other ways someone can be infected such as:

  • Blood transfusion from someone who has HIV.

  • Sharing of needles from someone who has HIV.

What are some of the symptoms of HIV?

The symptoms are very mild at first and might look like a common infection.

Some symptoms include:

  • Fever

  • Sore throat

  • Muscle, joint pain

These symptoms last for about two weeks and most people might not even realize they are sick.

Some more serious symptoms can happen to people who are left untreated for a long time.

These symptoms include:

  • Stomach pain

  • Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhea

  • Weight loss

Infected people can also get other serious infections, such as infections in the lungs, brain, eyes, and yeast infections in the mouth.

How do you test for HIV?

Testing for HIV nowadays is very easy and requires just a simple blood test that your local provider can do. These tests can be rapid often providing results within the same day.

There are also over-the-counter antibody tests available, however, these tests will only show a positive result if the person has been infected for over a month.

Should you get an HIV test?

Everyone should be tested at least once in their lifetime for HIV. HIV testing is a standard of care and a non-invasive procedure your doctor can provide.

People who have a higher chance of getting infected, such as males who have intercourse with other males, injection drug using individuals, and those who live in a high risk area, should be tested more than once a lifetime.

How can you prevent getting HIV?

There are medications currently available that you can take on a regular basis to help from getting infected with HIV. These medications, called PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), can be prescribed by a doctor, and can be filled at any pharmacy. These medications greatly reduce the risk from contracting HIV from someone who might be infected and not adequately treated.

Currently, there are two medications available and they are taken just once daily. The medications should be covered under any insurance plan and if they are not, there are other ways to get them covered.

Should you be worried when someone tells you they are HIV positive?

No! Nowadays, if a person is taking their medication for HIV as prescribed, the level of virus in their body is so low that the virus is unlikely to spread to someone else. There have been extensive studies done on the risk of spreading the virus and found that if someone who previously has been diagnosed with HIV and is taking their medications appropriately, there is no chance they will spread it to their partner or someone who may be in contact with them.

The bottom line:

Undetectable=Untransmittable

Here is a great link to a handout summarizing all about HIV:

https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/library/consumer-info-sheets/cdc-hiv-consumer-info-sheet-hiv-101.pdf

References:

https://hivrisk.cdc.gov/?id=featured-resources

https://hivrisk.cdc.gov/risk-estimator-tool/#

Picture References:

https://www.thewellproject.org/hiv-information/undetectable-equals-untransmittable-building-hope-and-ending-hiv-stigma

https://www.radianthealthcenters.org/lgbtq-medical-clinic/prep

https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/whatishiv.html

 

Please Welcome Robert, RJ, Rosia As Our Student Pharmacist from Ohio State for June.

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This month, we are joined at Plain City Druggist by Robert, RJ, Rosia, a fourth-year pharmacy student from The Ohio State University’s College of Pharmacy.

RJ will graduate in May 2022 with his PharmD degree and will then take the test to become a registered pharmacist. RJ will be with Meghan and the staff here in Plain City throughout June, so please stop by and meet him while he is here.

Here is what RJ tells us about himself:

Hello everyone! My name is RJ Rosia, and I am a fourth-year pharmacy student at The Ohio State University. I will the be student pharmacist for the month of June and look forward to my time spent here at Plain City Druggist!

I am from a small town called Alliance, Ohio, which is in northwest Ohio. I went to a small farm school and I even had “bring your tractor to school” days at my high school.

I went to OSU for undergrad in 2010 with a major in Molecular Genetics, where I wanted to be a Genetic Counselor. Unfortunately, that plan did not work out and in 2014 when I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree, I started working at a pharmacy.

My first job in pharmacy was at Giant Eagle Pharmacy in Columbus. I came to love learning about the medications and being able to help people save money through finding discounts and helping them manage their overall quality of life.

I worked at Giant Eagle for four years and decided it was finally time to start thinking more about my future and to apply to pharmacy school. I was accepted to OSU before I even applied to any other school and decided it was the right fit for me.

While in pharmacy school, I added a lot more knowledge on how medications work in the body and when to choose one over another for certain reasons. I continue to work at Giant Eagle, and I have gotten to know my staff well. I also help other stores in the Columbus region and work closely with our Clinical Pharmacist who helps organize vaccination clinics in the area. Being there for eight years, I have learned a lot about how a pharmacy operates day to day and have seen many people come and go, both patients and staff!

Near the end of my second year, I also started working at Equitas Health Pharmacy. This pharmacy is a specialty pharmacy that focuses on HIV care, people who are experiencing body dysmorphia, and those who are underserved in the community. This pharmacy also serves anyone in the public as a regular community pharmacy and they offer many programs that others do not, such as counseling on all new medications, free delivery to anywhere in the state of Ohio, and options on ways to get medications covered when they cost too much.

During my time at school, I was involved with a lot of student organizations and different events that took place. I helped run the Columbus Free Clinic every other week during my second year. This clinic provided free medical services to those who needed healthcare and we had a pharmacy that dispensed medication.

During my third year, I was President of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP). This organization is dedicated to helping students find alternative roles that pharmacists can do, such as working for an insurance company, in law, or the pharmaceutical industry, or even doing specialty compounding!

I also helped by being a teaching assistant to the first year students’ lab, where I assisted students with how a community pharmacy runs, such as dispensing medications and how to compound prescriptions.

I plan to go into the pharmaceutical industry field when I graduate. I will apply for a fellowship that involves working with a pharmacy manufacturer. An example of a job that might be available from this career path would be a Medical Science Liaison (MSL). This job would entail a pharmacist going to different doctors, pharmacies, or events in the community and providing the clinical knowledge on patients’ medications and answering questions when needed. It is a very niche role for a pharmacist, but that is what makes it so exciting!

I also really like helping those in the community like the pharmacists here at Plain City do every day! I look forward to this month and hope to meet some great people and learn new things while I am here. If you have any questions for me, please feel free to ask! I won’t bite!

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Please Welcome Aaron Reed Our Student Pharmacist at Karl Road in Columbus for the Month of June.

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This month, we are joined at Happy Druggist on Karl Road by Aaron Reed, a fourth-year pharmacy student from The Ohio State University’s College of Pharmacy.

Aaron will graduate in May 2022 and will then take the test to become a registered pharmacist. Aaron will be with Kristie and the staff on Karl Road throughout June, so please stop by and meet him while he is in the store in Columbus.

Here is what Aaron tells us about himself:

My name is Aaron Reed and I am a fourth-year Doctorate of Pharmacy student at Ohio State University’s College of Pharmacy. I have been at Ohio State now for eight years as I completed my undergraduate Bachelor’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences in conjunction with my minor in Substance use and Addiction Studies. Obtaining this minor played right into where my interests in pharmacy began with drug abuse and addiction recovery.

Growing up in northwest Ohio during the peak of the opioid epidemic had a tremendous impact on my initial inclinations for pharmacy. Witnessing how the opioid epidemic impacted enveloped communities and ravaged the life of active users pushed me to pursue a career in pharmacy in hopes to join the recovery process and limit substance abuse.

My pharmacy journey began at CVS in Bexley where I started as a pharmacy technician during my undergraduate studies at Ohio State. I then proceeded to join Walgreens pharmacy in Shawnee Hills once I began pharmacy school. I have been working there as a pharmacy intern for the last three years.

Being able to serve the community through pharmacy has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. As I continued my journey through pharmacy school, my interests have shifted slightly towards the side of ambulatory pharmacy with a special focus on serving Veterans of service.

Following the passing of my grandfather in 2019, my focus on Veterans intensified after seeing the level of care that was provided to him and witnessing the trauma that these individuals can face from returning to civilian life after war. These traumas can last a lifetime and I hope to have the ability after I graduate to serve these individuals who have made the ultimate sacrifices for our freedoms. Seeing the impact that war and active service can have on the mental health of veterans, I have increasingly been intrigued by psychiatry and the treatment of mental health disorders. In the upcoming year, I hope to pursue a residency program through the Veterans Administration (VA) or in psychiatry following my rotations in both settings.

In my time away from pharmacy, there are many things that I enjoy, many of which include spending time with my newly engaged fiancé and our three-year-old boxer, Harvey. I recently proposed two weeks ago and have been enjoying the engaged life so far! Once the wedding planning begins, I am sure that this might change.

In addition to my engagement and my fiancé,  my personal hobbies include golf, both traditional and disc, bowling, playing guitar, and all aspects of video games.

I am grateful to have the opportunity to be a Student Pharmacist this month with Happy Druggist and can’t wait for all of the wonderful opportunities I will experience.