Stable Angina
Nott worked fast. Within a month, he laid out all the logistics of ordering medications, proposed to the healers at St. Mungos about tamper-proof prescriptions that could be sent directly to the pharmacy, and even set up a pharmacy software that could be operated in areas where magic are used. The last part Harry had no idea was even possible, but he still appreciated the thought.
With Harry passing his pre-regs on his first try (yes!!!), he visited Hermione and Ron for the first time in a while.
When he arrived at their flat, they surprised him with confetti and a treacle tart.
“Congratulations on passing your pre-regs, Harry!”
“Yeah mate, can’t believe you actually did it!”
They ushered Harry inside and led him to the dining table, which was covered with delicious food.
“Mum caught word that you’re visiting us today, so she cooked up a storm and dropped it off earlier. Hope you don’t mind.”
“Don’t mind? I could stuff my face with her food all day and won’t complain.”
The trio sat down. Crookshanks was meowing for food in the corner of the room, and Hermione promptly waved her wand to float kibble straight into the food bowl.
As Harry was stuffing buttery mashed potatoes (Merlin, he really needs to owl Mrs. Weasley thanks) into his mouth, he asked, “I heard from Nott that you guys told him about me studying in pharmacy?”
In true Ron fashion with bits of chicken flying out, he said, “Well the prophet did have a small tidbit of you studying pharmacy with the muggles, so we just confirmed that you are with Nott. He didn’t really ask other questions. Why?”
Hermione looked at the sad pieces of chicken on the table and vanished them. “Harry, didn’t you mention something about Nott wanting to set up a pharmacy with you in Diagon Alley?”
Harry then explained what happened at the cafe and how Nott managed to figure out everything in the span of a month.
“Oh Harry, that's great! Everyone would have more options to get medication other than the apothecary.”
“Yeah. I think it’s going to be slow in the first few months since not all Wixen trust muggle medicine, but let’s see how it goes.”
_______________
And Harry was awfully wrong. A whole crowd decided to show up on the first day of opening. Half of them just wanted to see the famous boy-who-lived. He even saw some familiar faces in the crowd. But the other half was actually there with prescriptions to be filled.
The entire day Harry greeted patients (yes, you’re welcome on defeating the dark lord. No, I won’t be a dark lord. And yes, I did train to be a licensed pharmacist.) and hurried to dispense the medications.
Towards the afternoon, a particular patient was curious about her medications and requested counseling.
Once all the medications were ready, Harry gathered the vials and sat down in the corner of the pharmacy with the patient.
“Hello, Mrs. Witterby. Your healer sent in the medications to be filled today, but do you know what they are for?”
“Oh yes, dear. Healer Appleton said that it was for my aching chest pain, but I’ve got no clue what she said afterward since it was a gigantic list. I didn’t even learn about this in Hogwarts either!”
“No worries, let’s go through them one by one.
But before we start, these medications are for your angina. It is characterized by chest tightness or chest pain, usually by exertion or exercise. Once you do have these symptoms, take this medication called nitroglycerin. The medication comes as a sublingual tablet, so just place it under your tongue. Don’t swallow or chew on them. If it doesn’t subside your symptoms after 5 minutes, apparate to your closest emergency room and take another tablet. After another 5 minutes with no change, take another tablet. Don’t take more than 3 tablets within 15 minutes. These are for acute uses only.”
Harry separated the nitroglycerin apart from the rest of the vials.
“These medications, on the other hand, are taken every day.
The first one is metoprolol succinate extended-release 100mg. It is a beta-blocker, and it helps with lowering your heart rate and helps your heart lessen the demand it may have. We will start low with the dosing and slowly titrate up, but after discussing with your healer. Don’t abruptly stop this medication as you may experience withdrawal symptoms such as increased heart rate or chest pain.
Next is aspirin 81mg, also known as baby aspirin. These are meds that can be found in any pharmacy, but if your insurance pays for them, no need to buy them over the counter. These are antiplatelets, meaning they help prevent any clots that may be forming in your bloodstream. These are taken every day. Possible side effects are bleeding, bruising, or nausea. Try to avoid drinking or taking any potions that have willow bark as it has the same active ingredient as aspirin, which is salicylic acid.
The last medication is atorvastatin 80mg, also known as Lipitor. This is a statin, which lowers cholesterol in your body. Common side effects are nausea or stomach problems. There are rare side effects, but you need to come to us or your healer if you have any signs of muscle pain, especially if it is symmetrical. Also, don’t eat grapefruit while you are taking this drug.”
Mrs. Witterby’s eyebrows rose.
“I understand everything you said so far, but why grapefruit? I thought I was supposed to eat healthy, with plenty of fruits and vegetables.”
“Yes, Mrs. Witterby. You are correct on that note. Grapefruit is quite notorious for causing problems with certain medications, like atorvastatin in this case. If you take them together, atorvastatin levels in your body may go up, and it may increase the risk of side effects. We definitely don’t want that.”
Mrs. Witterby vigorously nodded her head.
“Alright, Mrs. Witterby. That covers it. I have papers about the medication we just talked about, in case you forget. Our owl delivery service can deliver medication once it is time for your refills. Just owl us if you want them to be filled.”
“Oh, one thing Mr. Potter. Why do healers sometimes resort to muggle medication? I know some people say that they can’t trust muggle tek-no-logy.”
“I can’t answer for the healers themselves, but potions, spells, and other magical means often have solutions to short-term ailments. We take Pepperup if we have a cold or the Wiggenweld Potion for cuts or wounds. The muggles have extensive clinical trials to see if the medication is safe and efficacious for both short-term and long-term ailments. With limited means of magical healthcare available, perhaps that’s why healers have turned to muggle medication.”
Mrs. Witterby seemed relieved to hear Harry’s (professional) explanation and promptly thanked him.
As Mrs. Witterby was walking out of the pharmacy, Harry glanced at the ever-long queue of people and thought to himself that today was going to be a long day.