Celebrity pharmacist Arshie Larga debunks speculations that they say medicine out of stock if 'reseta' had poor handwriting

Doctors have been stereotyped as possessing poor handwriting, particularly in prescription notes or “reseta,” so much so that it may cause setbacks during (crucial) drugstore purchases.

Celebrity pharmacist Arshie Larga shared what he personally does in such cases.

Larga was addressing a follower’s question of whether the speculations are true that pharmacists who cannot understand the “reseta” simply tell customers the medicine is out of stock.

“Pinipilit ko rin naman pong basahin kung anong nakasulat dito,” he said.

Anong pwedeng gawin kung di mabasa ang sulat sa reseta ng isang doctor? pic.twitter.com/LrLJt9DFLz

— Arshie Larga (@Arshiethromycin) January 11, 2024

“Sa mga ganung sitwasyon po, pag di ko na talaga kayang basahin, pinapabalik ko sa doctor ‘yung reseta niya para i-clarify o maipaayos ‘yung sulat ng doctor.”

Larga said he may also call the doctor if the note has a phone number.

Otherwise, he would not immediately sell the medicine to customers. Though he said he understands some sentiments about having to go back to the doctor, he’s responsible for any mistake he might make resulting from the poor handwriting.

“Kanino po ‘yung sisi? Sa amin po. Bakit ka magdi-dispense ng gamot na di ka naman pala sigurado? Paktay ang lisensiya namin.”

The TikTok creator also addressed questions regarding whether pharmacists study doctor's handwriting in school.

"The key is familiarization tungkol sa mga gamot," he said, adding that other additional info like milligrams and how many times a day a medication is taken helps pharmacists piece things together.

Inaaral ba ng mga Pharmacist ang sulat ng doctor? pic.twitter.com/tAn6x7Vh2o

— Arshie Larga (@Arshiethromycin) January 9, 2024