Pharmacy injuries shouldn’t be taken lightly due to the adverse effects they can bring to a person, such as death. Drug store malpractice can cause more harm than you could imagine. For instance, a patient may receive the wrong medication or dosage, which may bring minor to severe effects. In such a case, you should immediately call your doctor or pharmacy with every detail of your medication. Do not record any statement with anyone unless it’s your lawyer.
In this article, we will brief you on some actions to take if you receive the wrong dosage, medication, or prescription.
- Why pharmacy errors occur
Most negligence happening in pharmacies are due to the following unprofessionalism, too many customers, similar drug names, misinterpreted prescription, and more. Although pharmacy injury can’t be stated as a medical negligence claim, you can still have two years to file a lawsuit. This is to guard your human rights if you fall victim to actions based on professional negligence.
- Pharmacy blunders you should know
Some pharmacies operate without a proper plan that ensures they serve customers professionally. They tend to handle many prescriptions in a day that could be overwhelming and confusing. This can cause patients to receive the wrong drug or a generic form without their knowledge. If a doctor prescribes a certain drug, then that is the prescription the patient should be given. Pharmacies must create order to avoid overwhelming working conditions prone to mistakes when administering the right medicines. Demanding a high volume of sales by pharmacies can cause lots of irreparable injuries.
- Injuries and errors resulting from drugs that sound alike
Numerous medications can sound alike, thereby confusing pharmacists. Such drugs have different uses and can cause severe injuries if given wrongly. For instance, Aciphex and Aricept almost sound similar and can confuse pharmacists who aren’t keen enough or overwhelmed by the number of patients they are handling. Such a mistake can be fatal to a patient who might consume the drug without noticing the difference. Other medicines that may confuse pharmacists according to FDA include;
- Lamictal and Lamisil
- Taxotere and Taxol
- Celebrex and Celebra
- Antacid and Antacand
- Bayrab and Bayep-B
- Zantac, Zyrtec, and Zyprexas
Patients should check and ensure the drugs they get from a pharmacy matches their prescription. Some pharmacists can give you fake medicine they make or a sound-alike type that could harm your health. Medicine made by some pharmacists may not have been mixed well, and the dosage could be wrong. Such negligence can be fatal to a patient.
- Mislabelling instruction blunders
The right drug and accurate instruction must be given to the patients to avoid drug injuries. The patient should know the drug’s correct dosage from a pharmacist and how it should be taken. The patients must understand if the drugs are taken during or after meals and other relevant information they may need. Accurate information prevents mistakes that could be life-threatening to the patient. Also, a pharmacist should inform the patients of the drugs that can’t be taken together. For example, you can’t consume a high blood pressure drug with angiotensin medications. Also, a person taking Warfarin to thin the blood must not take aspirin.
Conclusion
Pharmacy injuries can result in death or permanent health damage to the patient. Victims of pharmacy negligence have legal rights for their health. For instance, I need to know pharmacy policies and procedures designed to safeguard my rights from a pharmacy injury attorney near me if I suspect a mistake. Some pharmacists can obtain possession of a misfiled prescription to hold the evidence you can use to prove they made a mistake. Ensure you always keep all evidence to fight for your rights.
