Calling all victims of chain pharmacy errors: tell me your story
Late last week, a friend of mine called the office to tell me about a co-worker who fell victim to the ever-increasing incidence of pharmacy error. The co-worker, let’s call her “Janet,” hadn’t been feeling well and visited her physician, who diagnosed a common infection and prescribed a course of antibiotics. Janet filled the prescription at her local chain pharmacy located in Western Monmouth County. Within a day or two after starting the medication, Janet was feeling increasingly sicker, and at one point, thought she was having a stroke, as one side of her body lost all sensation. Janet’s husband rushed her to the emergency room; at first, the ER doctors thought she was suffering from a rare allergic reaction to the antibiotic, but soon learned that the pharmacy filled the prescription with the incorrect dosage, double the dosage originally prescribed by the doctor!
After a few days in the hospital, the drug was flushed out of her system and thankfully Janet was discharged from the hospital and did not suffer any permanent damage. My friend suggested she call me to talk about her experience, something she was not comfortable doing. I respect that, as I am sure she wants to leave the experience in the past, but I cannot stress enough the importance of reporting these types of errors.
Pharmacy errors happen all the time, and while many of them do not result in permanent injury, plenty of them can and do. I believe that there is great value to you, the prescription-consuming public, to report every occurrence of pharmacy error and invite anyone who has experienced pharmacy error, whether it be a dosage error, a dispensing error, or an error in how to take a medication, to write me (anonymously is okay) here at the blog and share your story. (You can, of course, call me for a free, confidential consultation, as well). There is power in information and power in numbers. The more anecdotal evidence we can compile about this often swept-under-the-rug threat to public safety, the more ammunition we will have to demand more accountability, and obtain better more effective safeguards and protections.
Dear Mr. Grossman,
After reading this blog, and reading about Janet's experience, I felt compelled to share my story. It happened over six years ago, and while I am okay, I did not suffer any permanent damage, at the time, what I went through was terribly frightening. I was prescribed an extremely low dose hormone pill for estrogen therapy. I had been taking the pills for a few months without incident. The pills came in a plastic pack similar to what many birth control pills come in, and my pills were pink. When I refilled the prescription at my pharmacy, a chain pharmacy in Freehold Township, the pack looked identical to my previous packs, and the pills were pink. I had no reason to think anything was amiss. But after about a week of taking the pills from this new pack, I felt so sick, I was nauseous, dizzy, weak and shaky. I was so scared and called my doctor, for I knew something was wrong.
While I waited for my doctor to call me back, I studied the pack of pills and realized that these pills were not the ones my doctor prescribed. This refill contained a completely different dosage of hormones, though the name of the drug, the pack they came in and the pills themselves were very similar to the pills I was prescribed, the refill contained a much stronger dose of hormone than I was to be taking. Upon realizing this, I went back to the pharmacy, complained to the pharmacist, who basically shrugged off what had happened to me, said something about it being my responsibility to know the drug I am taking and then she refilled the prescription, correctly this time. I was so angry by the lack of concern and the lack of remorse that I demanded to talk to the manager of the pharmacy. When I recounted my experience, all I got was a few coupons.
Everyone out there needs to be so careful, check and double check your prescriptions before you leave the pharmacy and definitely before you put anything in your mouth. I realize now that I should have consulted a lawyer knowledgeable in the area of pharmacy mistakes or pharmacy errors. I hope others report the horrors that they have been through when these chain pharmacies commit mistakes that causes them to be harmed.
CVS gave my infant daughter a prescription for five times the amount of medication she was supposed to get. She was convulsing, vomiting, and we ended up in the emergency room on more than one occasion. This was the most traumatic events in my life. Every time I see one of their cheesy billboards I am filled with rage.
I got a prescription filled at cvs yesterday it was a refill. And I looked at them today cause I was going to take them and there was a size difference. I called the pharmacy and said what is going on why does one say m358 and the other one I usually take say m360 and they told me that it was a lower dose of the same medication. Well I have a hard time with the dose I have working and they give me even a lower dose. This was at CVS in Mission Hills California. This mistake should have never happened. Out of the 60 pills prescribed 27 of them was the lower dose. You can't make that mistake. Someone did this on purpose. The pills are completely different sizes and there marking on them are different. Well the pharmacist apologize and said it was there fault and to bring the prescription in and they would correct it. I told her I would do this on the way to work. Well, I got there and waited 25 minutes was late for work for Tina there to tell me there was nothing she could do for me until Monday when her pharmacy manager was there. I told her what about me already talking to a pharmacist and her telling me she would correct it. She said she is a floating pharmacist and she should have never told me that. So I was in tears telling her I have a hard time making it to the pharmacy and this is not my fault and that this should not have occured that someone did this on purpose. She said with a bad attitude we don't do stuff like that on purpose. I said then how can this happen. She just told me I have to talk to the Manager on monday no one can help me. Can you believe it was there mistake and I have to go through all this harrassment for them to maybe fix the problem. She acted like it was my fault maybe I did something. Someone is doing something at this pharmacy. This prescription is vicodan. I take it for my migrains. I guess it is a narcotic so they are giving me a hard time. I can't believe their attitude. I will never go to CVS again and I am having all my prescriptions transfered out. If they do this kind of stuff who knows what they can do next. I have 3 babies in diapers and I can't afford for them to do something if they ever needed medication and get theirs mixed up. I am horribly upset about this matter and have reported them to the california pharmacy of consumer affairs. I think something should happen to them and they be investigated cause this was no accident.
I can't believe how common this is and I guess: CONSUMER BEWARE! Today I caught a mistake made by a Walgreens in Chandler, Arizona. Thankfully it was in time before it did me any harm. I was given an antibiotic to take twice daily until finished. On the second day of taking the meds. I noticed on the bottle it said "QTY 10", I took it to mean I should have 10 pills. It sure seemed like more than that to me. I counted 30 pills. So, I asked myself, do I take it for 5 days or for 15 days? The directions did not say how many days to take it. I called the Dr. and it turned out to be 5 days. I was already feeling crappy with 2 days, can you imagine taking them for 15 days, 10 extra than needed? I wonder what would have happened? HOpefully nothing serious. I can't find a website to tell me what would have happened. All antibiotic websites just say "take until done" blindly!! Never again. I reported it, they apologized and gave me back my co-pay. I do not even think going to a new pharmacy will help, I think the problem is endemic to the industry and you just better read the dosage and label and report every mistake!!