Tag Archives: pharmacist to writer

Ignoring Doctor’s Orders – A Common Practice!

Posted on April 16, 2014 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Have you ever gone to a doctor for a medical problem, had that physician prescribe a medication, but then ignored the doctor’s instructions and didn’t get that prescription filled? If your answer is “yes” to that question, then your action … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Blogging, Cost of Ignoring Doctor Orders, Deaths Related to Therapy Non-Compliance, Drug Error Prevention, Drug Errors in The Elderly, Drug Misadventures, Economic Impact of Therapy Non-Compliance, Generic Drug Safety, Generic Drug Use, Generic Drugs, Generic Drugs in the US, Medication Therapy Non-Compliance by Physician Types, Misuse of Drugs, Non-Compliance in Medication Therapies, Non-Compliance to Physician Orders, Non-Compliance to Prescription Therapies, Non-Compliance with Medication Therapies, Patient Therapy Compliance Issues, Patient Therapy Outcomes, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Prescription Drug Safety, Prescription Fill Practices in the US and Canada, Prescription Fill Rates, Prescription Fill Rates in the US and Canada, Prescription Prescribing Practices, Prescription Trends, Reasons for Medication Therapy Non-Compliance, The Pharmacy Profession, The Practice of Pharmacy, Types of Medication Non-Compliance | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Post-Antibiotic Era

Posted on January 29, 2014 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

In late 2013 the Centers for Disease Control released a report on the escalating lethal threat of antibiotic resistance—specifically, the increasing number of bacterial infections that are resistant to conventional antibiotic therapy. The antibiotic resistance problem is complex and the … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Antibiotic Discovery Void, Antibiotic Overuse, Antibiotic Resistance, Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria, Antibiotics in Agriculture, Attack of Bacteria, Blogging, CDC Plan to Prevent Superbugs, CRE, Drug Resistant Bacteria, Flesh Eating Bacteria, Ineffective Antibiotic Therapy, MDR Bacterial Strains, Misuse of Drugs, MRSA, Multi-Drug Resistant Bacteria, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Prescription Trends, Superbug Epidemic, Superbugs, The Post Antibiotic Era, The Top Global Risk of 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Flowering Plants – Beautiful But Deadly

Posted on December 11, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

As many of you know, I write about MURDER, MAYHEM and MEDICINE.  It’s the focus of my website, and the novels I’m writing always contain a healthy dose of each. With years of experience as a clinical pharmacist prior to … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, About Writing, All About Murder, Blogging, Botanical Murder Weapons, Drugs For Murder Plots, Drugs From Oleander Plant, Drugs Used For Murder, New Drug Discoveries, New Drug Research, Oleander Plant, Oleander Poisoning, Oleandrin, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Plant Poisons, Tools of Murder, Yuletide Short Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

DEADLY FUNGAL INFECTIONS—A Potential Epidemic!

Posted on June 19, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

I’ve written blogs about deadly bacteria and viruses in the past, and those are the organisms most often responsible for deadly outbreaks. BUT, currently there’s an equally deadly disease spreading across North America. In fact, US and Canadian healthcare agencies … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Cryptococcosis, Cryptococcus Infection Outbreak, Deadly Cryptococcus Infections, Deadly Fungal Attacks, Fungal Attacks, Fungal Infection Epidemic, Fungal Infection Outbreak, Fungal Infection Pandemic, Superbug Epidemic, Superbugs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Generic Drugs – All Smoke and Mirrors?

Posted on May 29, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

When people discover that I’m a pharmacist and that I practiced for over 40 years before becoming a full-time writer, some of the inevitable questions I get asked are, “What about generics?” “Are they really the same as brand name … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Are Generic Drugs Safe, Cheap Generic Drugs, Differences in Generic Drugs, Generic Drug Manufacturing, Generic Drug Safety, Generic Drug Use, Generic Drugs, Generic Drugs in the US, Generic vs Brand Name Drugs, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Prescription Drug Safety, Prescription Trends, The Pharmacy Profession | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Pharmacy Recall Epidemic

Posted on April 10, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

In November 2012, I wrote a blog about an outbreak of fungal meningitis that resulted from poor quality control procedures at a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy. It was first reported in September of that year, but evolved into national news because … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Compounding Pharmacy, Compounding Pharmacy Deaths, Compounding Pharmacy Disasters, Meningitis Outbreak, Our nation's drug supply, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, The Practice of Pharmacy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I’m a Writer – No Other Label Needed!

Posted on February 27, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

I started my professional career as a pharmacist: a graduate pharmacist first, then a registered one, and then a clinical one. Those labels defined not only who I was, but it described in a single word what I had achieved. … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, All About Writing, The Art of Writing, What writers are called!, Writing Labels | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Flowering Plants – Beautiful But Deadly

Posted on November 14, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

As many of you know, I write about MURDER, MAYHEM and MEDICINE.  They’re the focus of my website, and my thrillers and suspense novels always contain a healthy dose of each.  With years of experience as a clinical pharmacist prior … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Drugs From Oleander Plant, Oleander Plant, Oleander Poisoning, Oleandrin, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Plant Poisons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Why Is It Called “The Practice of Pharmacy”?

Posted on June 20, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Lately I’ve been blogging about dark and sinister subjects: the perfect drug as a murder weapon, ten ways to create a bloodless murder and zombie invasions.  I appreciate all the enthusiastic responses to those, but today I’m going to write about something a … Continue reading →

Posted in The Pharmacy Profession, The Practice of Pharmacy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Pharmacists as Protagonists: Is That Weird or What?

Posted on May 21, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

In pitching my debut novel to agents at writing conferences, I’ve gotten a few comments like, “A pharmacist as the main character?  Why?” or “Pharmacist turned vigilante?  Really?” I never thought of my main character as being weird.  I’ll admit, though, he … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, Pharmacists as Protagonists | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments