Final answer:
Pharmacists must engage in critical thinking to assess a customer's need for pseudoephedrine/ephedrine products for safety and efficacy reasons. The FDA's regulations protect the public but can also result in delayed drug access for patients. Understanding medication effects is crucial, as exemplified by pre-allergy testing instructions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Prior to selling pseudoephedrine/ephedrine containing products, a pharmacist (or intern) must conduct a critical thinking assessment with a customer to determine the reason the customer needs the medication. This requirement is due to the regulation of these substances because they can be used to manufacture illegal drugs. Additionally, assessing the customer's need ensures the product's safety and efficacy for the intended use.
Patients are often instructed to avoid allergy medications before allergy testing because these medications can interfere with the results, leading to false negatives. This is an example of the importance of understanding a medication's effects before testing for a particular condition.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates medications to protect the public from unsafe drugs. While consumers benefit from these regulations, the 'losers' in this system could be patients who have delayed access to potentially beneficial drugs due to the extensive and time-consuming testing process required by the FDA.