Changes to what pharmacists can prescribe may save you a trip to the doctor's office. 

"It's not so much of a new law," explained Brad Cooper, a pharmacist at Estevan's Pharmasave, "as an expansion of our scope of practice."

"We've been doing minor ailment prescribing for some time. We started with some fairly minor ailments such as cold sores, bug bites, acne. We've progressed on to headaches, haemorrhoids, things like that."

"Most recently, what's really grabbing the news is we're now able to prescribe for uncomplicated urinary tract infections in females and also prescriptions for hormonal contraceptives."

"So that's giving us the ability to do an assessment and as long as the patient doesn't meet any exclusionary criteria, we're able to prescribe independently from a practitioner."

Pharmacists can prescribe for:
Acne (mild)
Allergic Rhinitis 
Atopic Dermatitis
Cold Sores
Diaper Dermatitis
Dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramps)
Emergency Contraception
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
Headache
Haemorrhoids
Hormonal Contraceptives
Insect Bites
Musculoskeletal Strains and Sprains
Oral Aphthous Ulcer (canker sore)
Oral Thrush
Superficial Bacterial Skin Infections (impetigo, folliculitis)
Tinea Corporis Infection (ringworm)
Tinea Cruris (jock itch)
Tinea Pedis (athlete's foot)
Urinary Tract Infection (uncomplicated)