Mrs Smith Is a 51 Year Old Woman, Married with Two

Mrs. Smith is a 51 year old woman, married with two children in university. She has no drug coverage and pays cash for her prescriptions. She has asthma, osteoarthritis, GERD, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. Her current medications are ramipril 5 mg once daily, hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg once daily, verapamil 240 mg once daily, Bricanyl turbuhaler one to two puffs when necessary, naproxen 500 mg twice daily, Zocor 20 mg once daily and Nexium 40 mg once daily. Mrs. Smith would like to reduce her drug costs as she is finding it difficult to purchase her medications each month. She admits to you, in order to save some money, that she sometimes skips doses of some of her medications or only takes them when she feels she needs them. It is hard for her to follow Canadian's food guide as the price of fresh vegetables and fruit have risen significantly in the last year. Processed foods and take out are so much easier and less expensive than cooking a healthy meal. Mrs. Jones cannot afford a gym membership but likes to exercise in order to reduce her stress levels and keep her weight under control. She is complaining of dizziness mid-morning, especially when she gets out of her desk chair to get her second cup of coffee, and gets frequent nocturnal leg cramps, especially in hot weather. How can you, as a pharmacy technician, help Mrs. Smith today?