Pharmacy gives wrong prescription

[murchmb]

About two weeks ago, my wife had a prescription filled for an antibiotic to treat a sinus infection. After she got home, she put the pills in her weekly organizer. She experienced dizziness and headaches for the next two weeks. While cleaning out her purse the other day, she noticed the prescription was for someone else. It was a medication for high blood pressure.

The pharmacy was aware of this as the patient that was supposed to get the BP medication noticed his pills were wrong and informed the pharmacy. My wife was not contacted regarding this matter in spite of the fact that they knew what had happened. My wife called the pharmacy this past Friday to report the problem after she discovered it. They called back Saturday and unapologetically told her that she would have to wait until Monday to get the problem resolved. The pharmacist that called yesterday was apologetic and she got her antibiotic filled, 2+ weeks late.

At first, I thought the whole exchange a simple mistake until I really gave some thought to it. I'm pretty steamed now and am wondering if I and should I pursue action against the pharmacy whether it be through our state board or some sort of legal action. I know these things happen, but the pharmacy has not handled it properly.

Before I go further; yes, she should have looked at the bottle carefully, but this was a rare instance when she did not. She was sick and tired and put them in her pill organizer without looking. This does not put her at fault.

In the end, she has suffered side effects of a medication she was given mistakenly. Her sinus infection has gone untreated for an extra 2 weeks. Who knows what other things she was subjected to. We're still thinking about how she has felt over the past two weeks.

I'm wondering how these things are typically handled. It's not a simple case of discovering a screw up immediately and getting it resolved before any damage was done. She took this stuff for two weeks and was affected by it in a negative manner, albeit a non life threatening one (as far as we know.)

 

[Unknownsoldier]

The pharmacist should be registered (in the UK they all belong to a "board"), I would make a complaint, not for compensation but for negligence and the fact, you could have gotten something very very very dangerous, imagine a child getting given digitalis etc. it could kill them.

Tom

 

[Robxcarlson]

I would believe a report to whichever regulatory board oversees pharmacies would definitely be in order. In all seriousness your wife could've been killed by either receiving incorrect medication or failure to medicate her own problem. I know it was just a sinus infection, but imagine if she were the one that needed the bp medicine or if she had a more serious problem. A lawyer would probably say "yes, you need a lawyer." I don't know if a suit is in order, but definitely complaints to state agencies.

 

[Bobtrumpet]

I would definitely contact the state pharmacy board and, if it's a chain, the main offices of the pharmacy. If necessary (i.e., their response is not to your satisfaction), spend a few $ and send a second letter from someone with "Attorney at Law" on the letterhead.

She should also see her doctor and explain what happened and see if there were any undetected problems (full blood panel, etc.). Unless it was a very high dose BP med, I doubt there would be any long term problems - but I don't even play a doctor on TV.

An additional complaint from her doctor to the company and the board would not be out of line, if he/she is willing to submit one. After all, she wasn't receiving treatment for 2 week for a condition that could have been made much worse - and who would be on the ultimate hook for that? After all, she could have just finished the script, complained that she was getting worse, and had a much bigger problem with no one knowing that the scripts had been mixed up, except for the pharmacy/pharmacist - and they weren't telling.

 

[the beav]

If she has a sinus infection, using a neti pot (available at a drugstore) may help her more than medication.

 

[Jethro1984]

Report it to whatever regulatory commission oversees the pharmacy. I think it's pretty bad that they have been unapolgetic especially over something this dangerous. And it could have been much much worse so thank God that it wasn't.

I wouldn't pursue compensation action yet, unless she experiences some other side effects or damage, or if the case is not resolved properly by the regulatory board.

 

[murchmb]

I would definitely contact the state pharmacy board and, if it's a chain, the main offices of the pharmacy. If necessary (i.e., their response is not to your satisfaction), spend a few $ and send a second letter from someone with "Attorney at Law" on the letterhead.

She should also see her doctor and explain what happened and see if there were any undetected problems (full blood panel, etc.). Unless it was a very high dose BP med, I doubt there would be any long term problems - but I don't even play a doctor on TV.

An additional complaint from her doctor to the company and the board would not be out of line, if he/she is willing to submit one. After all, she wasn't receiving treatment for 2 week for a condition that could have been made much worse - and who would be on the ultimate hook for that? After all, she could have just finished the script, complained that she was getting worse, and had a much bigger problem with no one knowing that the scripts had been mixed up, except for the pharmacy/pharmacist - and they weren't telling.

The pharmacy did call both of her doctors. It was the negligence (on multiple levels) and the attitude that "we'll talk about it on Monday" that really burns me. That, and the fact that they made her wait a few days before letting her have the med she was to have gotten in the first place. When she asked for the original incorrect medication bottle back, that gave it back with most of the info blacked out, presumably "to protect the privacy of the correct patient." There's a point where CYA starts to go against you and we're reaching that point in this case as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Dennis]

Wow.

There is no way I would not follow that up. Your wife could have been killed. That is the most serious no-no I can think of for a pharmacy to do, and to be treated in the manner you were is just extra cause.

 

[Unknownsoldier]

A mix up like that could have killed someone like my father who already has high blood pressure, Diabetes etc. and add another dose of something or take away a dose of something it could easily kill him...... You trust that whatever Pez coloured pills you get in that little bottle, are what you're supposed to get, not whatever they happen to have on the side at the time......

Tom

 

[Austin]

Mike, your wife needs to inform her physician of this mishap asap. Make sure she has the name of the medication. Some pharmaceuticals do not mix well and cause problems. Your physician needs to be aware of this issue so he can assess what steps to take with your wife. Hopefully there will be no contraindications.

The Pharmacy's Corporate offices need to be aware of this issue. Make the call. Good luck.

 

[murchmb]

Report it to whatever regulatory commission oversees the pharmacy. I think it's pretty bad that they have been unapolgetic especially over something this dangerous. And it could have been much much worse so thank God that it wasn't.

I wouldn't pursue compensation action yet, unless she experiences some other side effects or damage, or if the case is not resolved properly by the regulatory board.

The case resolution though the state board would be some sort of disciplinary action against the pharmacy, pharmacist, or a technician. You are correct that it could have been worse, but this incident has affected my wife and family as a whole. How much is a unnecessarily prolonged illness and a two week headache worth? We're in the middle of a major home addition/renovation and her downtime has translated to schedule slips, less attention to my son, more work for me, etc.

 

[krissy]

Sadly mistakes happen, and happened to my son. I had to pick him up from school because his was with an ADHD medication and he was given another. He was embarrassing himself in class which is why the teacher called and it was then that I noticed a difference in the name on the bottle. They gave him a similar pill and the bottle was labeled with his name and the wrong medication.

They mailed me out the right med since I don't live where the pharmacy is. And when i went to that town i dropped off the mistake bottle. They also said they filed a report to the state of their error.

Errors do happen and even here a pill bottle might be filled by a tech, but the pharmacist must look and approve of the bottle and here he puts his initials on the bottle.

They fill thousands of bottles and mistakes shouldn't happen but they do on occasion. I feel it's the consumers responsibility to make sure they have the right product before taking it. You don't take tylenol or another OTC medication at home without looking at the label. At least to make sure you have the right pill bottle since many look the same.

I learned from that mistake that it is MY responsibility to look at the pill and the label to make sure it's the right medication that anyone in my family takes. Feeling really sick or not, it's something that must be done for safety.

Also the label should indicate what the pill is supposed to look like for that particular prescription. So if the label read pil XXXX and they put another inside the pill won't match the written description of the pill. So you should go back and question them before taking.

 

[murchmb]

Mike, your wife needs to inform her physician of this mishap asap. Make sure she has the name of the medication. Some pharmaceuticals do not mix well and cause problems. Your physician needs to be aware of this issue so he can assess what steps to take with your wife. Hopefully there will be no contraindications.

The Pharmacy's Corporate offices need to be aware of this issue. Make the call. Good luck.

Thanks. It is all being well documented. We've hashed out the potential problems with mixing meds and there don't appear to be any. I'm going to leave it up to her as to where and how high we pursue this. My normal inclination would be to leave it be, but upon reflecting and putting the whole story together, I'm not a happy camper right now.

 

[mretzloff]

That is really sad. Pharmacists earn enough money to be able to get their stuff straight. Request compensation or sue.

 

[dpm802]

If she has a sinus infection, using a neti pot (available at a drugstore) may help her more than medication.

+1 on the neti-pot ... I use one regularly.

As for the OP's question, the thread is filled with good advice on how to proceed.

Don't let this slide by without doing something about it. The pharmacy needs to be called on the carpet, to prevent a mistake like this from possibly happening again.

As to whether you seek compensation for damages, that is up to you. You definitely have a good strong case, but taking it to court may turn out to be a long, drawn out process, and the actual money received in the end may not be worth the effort.

 

[Abdiel]

That is really sad. Pharmacists earn enough money to be able to get their stuff straight. Request compensation or sue.

Hooray for lawsuits making all of our health care more expensive!



Seriously, call the state board. If it's a chain pharmacy, call their HQ and report them as well. But for crying out loud, if you're wife has no extra medical fees due to this and no monetary damages were otherwise incurred, there's no reason to sue. You aren't hurting the pharmacy or pharmacist that screwed up one bit.

 

[mretzloff]

Hooray for lawsuits making all of our health care more expensive!

Considering that a law suit would actually do something, unlike a complaint, I think that would be the best option.

 

[Obsessed]

I'd hold off on thinking about a lawsuit until your wife is checked out by her doctor - which is obviosuly the single most important thing for you to do right now. Ideally, she will not have suffered any serious effects from either getting the BP medication or from delaying treatment of the sinus infection. If she's ok, then you really won't have a lawsuit worth bringing. If, God forbid, there are any serious issues, you can consult an attorney.

You should absolutely report them to the proper state authorities. Making a mistake is one thing, as bad as it is (and it's pretty bad). Dealing with it the way they did after they knew what happened is another.

 

[kwk285]

First off I hope that your wife is alright.

What I would do in that situation is contact the HQ of the company and tell them that you are taking your business elsewhere. Tell them why and that you will be sure to tell all of your friends, family and coworkers about what happened to you. You saw this in a very professional matter.

It sounds like this business screwed up. The way you hurt businesses is to take business away from them.

Unless your wife was injured, I don't think you will have much of a case. We had a situation in this state several years ago where a pharmacist substituted Oxycontin with Oxybutinin. Oxicontin is a narcotic for pain and Oxybutinin is to help with incontinence. Since the patient could prove no injury, the pharmacist got a slap on the wrist.

 

[mdunn]

If you dont get a response from their corporate office, or the state board etc that you like, call up your local TV station. If its a slow news day theres a story in it. Plus - corporate offices do things when TV stations call, and even if they dont theyre in a world of bad press.