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Prescription drugs have the power to significantly improve people’s lives by easing their pain, reducing their symptoms, and curing or managing their illnesses. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there are more than 20,000 prescription drugs on the market in America. When doctors prescribe drugs to their patients, they must determine which ones will be the most effective while causing the fewest side effects.
But sometimes, doctors make mistakes when prescribing drugs. They may fail to take into account other drugs that patients are already taking, which can put them at risk of dangerous interactions. They also may fail to order the right dosage or frequency at which patients should take their medications. And in some cases, doctors may even prescribe the wrong drugs entirely to treat their patients’ medical conditions.
It’s important to trust your doctor, but it’s also important to be your own advocate. If you’ve already been taking the medication for a while, ask yourself whether your symptoms have improved. If the drug doesn’t seem to have any effect on your health, it may be because of a prescription error. This can also be the case if you’re experiencing serious negative side effects—especially if they don’t match up with ones your doctor or pharmacist told you to expect.
You can also use the National Library of Medicine’s Drug Information Portal to look up information about the drug you were prescribed before you even fill the prescription. You’ll find information including the drug’s most common usage, warnings and usage directions, manufacturers’ labels, and more.
The drug’s description and usage not matching up with your health problems can be a red flag, but it’s not always a sign of error or negligence. Some drugs are prescribed “off-label” to treat conditions that they aren’t publicized to treat, which means that you may not see your health condition associated with the drug when you research it.
A drug may be prescribed off-label if no other FDA-approved drugs for a particular condition exist. Drugs may also be prescribed off-label to treat children when potentially helpful drugs have only been tested and approved to treat adults.
If you suspect you were prescribed the wrong medication, whether you’ve been taking it for a while or you haven’t even filled the prescription yet, you should immediately call your doctor or schedule an appointment to see them right away. Tell them about your concerns and any conflicting information you found. This conversation can help you understand if your prescription is being used off-label or if you need a new prescription.
Sometimes, medication errors occur at the pharmacy. Your doctor may have prescribed you the correct medication, but there was a mix-up at the pharmacy, and either the pharmacist read the prescription incorrectly or gave you the wrong medication by mistake. Verifying your prescription information with your pharmacist is an effective way to double-check that you received the correct medication or if you have the wrong drug.
Prescription medication errors are serious and can even be fatal. When patients take dosages that are too high or too low for their body’s needs and the severity of their illnesses, they can either experience severe complications or receive no benefit at all, allowing their conditions to worsen. When patients are prescribed or given the wrong medications, they can go weeks or months without treating their health problems while suffering unnecessary side effects.
Calling a lawyer can help you determine what your next steps should be and whether you have a medical malpractice claim. People who are prescribed the wrong medications can suffer not just physically and emotionally, but also financially. Their illnesses may progress, requiring more treatment and surgeries that could have been avoided with the right prescription when they were originally diagnosed.
Prescription medication errors can have serious and sometimes fatal consequences. Here are some of the most frequent prescription medication errors:
One of the most common prescription errors involves incorrect dosages. This can occur when a doctor prescribes the wrong amount of medication, or when a pharmacist dispenses the incorrect dosage. Dosage errors can lead to overmedication, resulting in toxicity and severe side effects, or undermedication, where the patient receives too little of the drug to be effective.
Errors can happen at the pharmacy where the wrong drug is dispensed. These errors may be due to similar drug names, similar-looking packaging, or human error. Receiving the wrong medication can have serious health implications, especially if the drug interacts poorly with other medications the patient is taking.
Doctors and pharmacists must consider all medications a patient is currently taking to avoid harmful drug interactions. Overlooking potential interactions can lead to adverse effects that may worsen the patient's condition or cause new health problems. It is crucial to keep a current list of all medications you are taking and share it with your healthcare providers.
Sometimes, a prescription medication can cause an allergic reaction if the patient's allergies are not properly recorded or communicated. An allergic reaction can range from mild symptoms, such as a rash, to severe reactions, like anaphylaxis, which can be life-threatening.
Errors can occur due to poor communication between healthcare providers, or between the provider and the patient. Misunderstanding a doctor's handwriting on a prescription, verbal miscommunication, or incorrect transcription can all lead to medication errors. Always double-check your prescription with your healthcare provider and ask for clarification if needed.
Incorrect labeling and packaging of medications can lead to confusion and errors in administration. This can happen when a drug is labeled with the wrong name, dosage instructions, or patient information. Ensuring that labels are clear and accurate is essential for safe medication use.
A thorough review of a patient’s medical history is crucial before prescribing any medication. Neglecting to consider existing medical conditions, previous adverse reactions to drugs, or other relevant health information can lead to inappropriate prescriptions that may harm the patient.
Sometimes medications are administered via the wrong route (oral, intravenous, etc.). Each medication is designed to be delivered in a specific manner to be effective and safe. Administering a drug incorrectly can result in ineffective treatment or cause serious harm.
Being aware of these common prescription medication errors can help you stay alert and take necessary precautions. Always communicate openly with your healthcare providers, double-check your medications, and don't hesitate to ask questions to ensure your safety. If you suspect you’ve received the wrong medication or dosage, contact your doctor or pharmacist immediately.
At Nurenberg, Paris, Heller & McCarthy, our Ohio medical malpractice lawyers know the power that prescription medications can have on people for both good and bad. It’s both dangerous and frustrating when patients don’t get exactly the right dosage for their bodies and their illnesses, let alone when they get the wrong medications altogether.
Contact us for a free consultation if you were prescribed or received the wrong medication. We’ll investigate what happened and determine if your doctor, hospital, or pharmacy was negligent at any step between your diagnosis and receiving your prescription.
Originally published January 31, 2022.
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