A pharmacist may use professional judgment and experience with common practice to make reasonable inferences of the patient’s best interest in allowing a person, other that the patient, to pick up a prescription. See 45 CFR 164.510(b). For example, the fact that a relative or friend arrives at a pharmacy and asks to pick up a specific prescription for an individual effectively verifies that he or she is involved in the individual’s care, and the HIPAA Privacy Rule allows the pharmacist to give the filled prescription to the relative or friend over 18 years of age. The individual does not need to provide the pharmacist with the names of such persons in advance. However the pharmacy staff may ask for a government official picture ID.

A pharmacist may use professional judgment and experience with common practice to make reasonable inferences of the patient’s best interest in allowing a person, other that the patient, to pick up a prescription. See 45 CFR 164.510(b). For example, the fact that a relative or friend arrives at a pharmacy and asks to pick up a specific prescription for an individual effectively verifies that he or she is involved in the individual’s care, and the HIPAA Privacy Rule allows the pharmacist to give the filled prescription to the relative or friend. The individual does not need to provide the pharmacist with the names of such persons in advance.

Do not take a double dose to make up for the dose that you missed. If it is almost time for the next dose (within 2 hours), skip the missed dose and take the next dose when it is due. Otherwise, take it as soon as it is remembered, and then go back to taking the medicine as usual.