At the pharmacy
Updated: Mar 1

At the pharmacy
Conversation:
Patient: I have a terrible cold. Would you recommend something effective for me?
Pharmacist: What are your symptoms?
Patient: I have a sore throat, a very bad cough, a runny and congested nose, and my ears are itchy.
Pharmacist: How long have you had these symptoms?
Patient: Since Monday. It’s been three days now.
Pharmacist: Do you have any allergies?

Patient: None that I know of.
Pharmacist: Okay. Try this medicine. Take one tablet 3 times a day. This will stop the nasal congestion.
Patient: Do you recommend anything for my cough and the sore throat?
Pharmacist: You can try over the counter cough syrup. And don’t forget the cough lozenges.
Patient: For how long should I take them?
Pharmacist: Take them for seven days. You should feel better in a few days. Please remember to drink lots of hot fluids to soothe your throat and clear your nose.
Patient: Are there any side effects?
Pharmacist: Yes. All these medications cause drowsiness. So please try to rest as much as you can and don’t drive while you’re on them.
Patient: Thank you doctor.
Pharmacist: You’re welcome. Get well soon.
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Vocabulary:
1. Terrible: (adj) Serious
2. Recommended: (adj) Suggested as being good or helpful for a certain
purpose
3. Effective: (adj) Achieving the expected results.
4. Symptoms: (n) (pl.) The feelings of physical changes caused by any disease.
5. Congested: (adj) Blocked
6. Allergies: (n) (pl.) a condition that makes a person sick because they have
taken certain medications.
7. Nasal: (adj) Related to the nose
8. Lozenges: (n) a small, flat sweet that you suck to make a cough or sore
throat feel better.
9. Fluids: (n) (pl.) Liquids that you drink.
10. Soothe: (v) To make something less irritable.
11. Drowsiness: (n) A state of being tired and sleepy.

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A. Answer the following questions:
1. What is wrong with the patient?
__________________________________________________________________________
2. What are the symptoms?
__________________________________________________________________________
3. Why did the pharmacist ask if the patient had any allergies?
__________________________________________________________________________
4. What did the pharmacist suggest for the nasal congestion?
__________________________________________________________________________
5. What did he recommend for the sore throat?
__________________________________________________________________________

6. What advice did the pharmacist give the patient?
__________________________________________________________________________
7. What is the medication dosage?
__________________________________________________________________________
8. What are the side effects of the medications?
__________________________________________________________________________
9. What is the patient supposed to do while he’s on the medications?
__________________________________________________________________________
10. Do you know any home remedies for a cold? What are they?
__________________________________________________________________________
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B. Fill in the blanks:
1. Your hand is swollen due to an -------------------- from this medicine.
2. A headache can be a -------------------- of many diseases.
3. This nasal spray will clear the -------------------- from your nose.
4. Don’t drive if you feel --------------------.

5. Drinking lots of ------------------- will improve your cold.
6. You can use a humidifier to -------------------- your dry throat.
7. The pharmacist ------------------- this cough syrup to me a few weeks ago.
8. These cough -------------------- will make you feel better.
9. The rash makes my skin red and ----------.
10. You don’t need a prescription for a regular pain killer. You’ll find it -------------------- in any drug store.
C. Suggest a home remedy for the following ailments:
1. A sore throat _________________________________________________________
2. A rash ______________________________________________________________
3. A runny nose _________________________________________________________
4. An awful cough _________________________________________________________
5. Itchy ears _________________________________________________________
6. Watery eyes _________________________________________________________
7. A skin rash _________________________________________________________
8. An allergy ________________________________________________________
9. A bee sting ________________________________________________________
10. A burn ______________________________________________________________
11. A cut ______________________________________________________________
12. A bruise ______________________________________________________________
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