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Saying that she likes to ensure they are effective, pharmacist Joanne Washburn told reporters Thursday that she always tastes prescriptions before serving them to customers. “I like to take one or two pills from each bottle and swallow them just to be certain that they’re of high quality,” Washburn said as she took several yellow caplets from an orange container, gulped them down with water, and patiently awaited their effects. “Part of being a pharmacist is knowing what you’re giving people—their chemical makeup, whether or not they have side effects. I learned quickly that in order to succeed in this business you need to try everything before handing anything to a customer. That means tasting all of the prescriptions as soon as they’re called in. It’s easy, delicious, and very fun.” At press time, Washburn could be seen working at her lab remaking a batch of SSRIs after deciding that they were no good.
