What should I do if I was given the wrong prescription from the pharmacy?

Shockingly, every day people receive incorrect prescriptions from their local pharmacy. The errors usually occur when the wrong medicine is prescribed, the pharmacy fills the prescription with the incorrect medication or the wrong dosage of the correct prescription is dispensed. Many times, the effects of the wrong medication are minor. If a wrong antibiotic is dispensed it is unlikely serious harm will result. If a lower dosage of a correct drug is dispensed to a patient, short-term damage will probably not be severe, and most likely go unnoticed for a period of time. Unfortunately, many incorrect prescriptions result in injuries that are not so benign. It is important that you identify, if you are able to, where the error occurred. Prescription errors can occur as a result of the doctor writing the prescription incorrectly or the pharmacy filling it wrong. Is the medication one that you have been on for a period of time and you can identify, by comparing an old and the current bottles, that the medication contained in the bottle is what the label says it is? Has the medication been incorrect for the entire time you have been taking it, or is just this refill incorrect?

If you were given the wrong medication from a pharmacy or drug store, and you have not yet taken the medication, it is good that you caught the mistake. You call the pharmacy immediately, advise them of the mistake and pick up the correct prescription. If you did not catch the mistake the pharmacy made and take the drug you should contact your doctor or pharmacist immediately to notify them and to inquire about any side effects you should watch for and over what time period you should be looking for side effects. If you experience any reaction to taking the wrong medication to seek medical attention immediately.

The dangerous thing about the wrong medication being prescribed or a pharmacy making a medication error is that many times the patient may not even know that they are taking the wrong medication until adverse side effects occur and their hospital or doctor advises them of the problem. Many times a trip to the emergency room and an in-patient stay is required if severe enough of a mistake. Some situations end in the patient dying from the medication error.

It is important to recognize that the effects of the incorrect prescription medication may not become evident for a period of time after you took the improper dosage. That is why it is imperative you document the when and how of the pharmacy mistake. Keep notes on when you discovered the mistake (how long after you were taking the incorrect medication) and how was the mistake made (did the doctor write the prescription wrong, did the pharmacy fill the prescription incorrectly). Keep a record of who you told about the mistake, when you told them and what they said when you informed them of the mistake. The more information you record about the incident, the stronger your case will be if you need to bring an action forward.

Prescription errors happen all of the time. If you feel you have been the victim of a prescription error, you need to speak with an experienced, qualified attorney to learn what your rights are. Call Dan Newlin Injury Attorneys at 800-257-1822 to learn more about prescription errors and to learn what your rights are injured are injures as a result of that type of error. The call is free. Dan Newlin Injury Attorneys have helped over 10,000 injured people receive the compensation they deserve when injured as the result of another’s negligence and we would be honored to assist you. Call us now. Do not go it alone.