Pharmacy errors are fairly commonplace, but they range in severity and cause. While most serious pharmacy errors are the result of a pharmacist providing a patient with the wrong medication, there are a good number of errors that are the result of a patient receiving the correct medication but the wrong dose. These errors are especially dangerous to children, who are often prescribed minute amounts of a medication due to their small size and low tolerance of serious medications.
Regardless of the reason for an error or the type of error, pharmacists are ultimately responsible for the medications they provide to their patients. While a pharmacist may not be found to be liable if the doctor fills out the wrong prescription, when a pharmacist receives a correct prescription but improperly fills it, liability may arise. This is even the case if the pharmacist was well-intentioned at the time of the mistake.
Recent Pharmacy Error Claims Eight-Year-Old Boy’s Life
Earlier this month in Colorado, a young boy died after ingesting 1,000 times the prescribed dose of his ADHD medication, Clonidine. According to a recent news article reporting on the tragic accident, the young boy was initially given the extreme dose back around Halloween of last year. He was hospitalized for a short time and then released. It seemed as though he was doing fine, but then his condition started to worsen again. He died a short time after he was admitted to the hospital.
Evidently, the boy had been taking the medication for three years without incident until the error last year. It is not clear why the boy was feeling better for a few months before his condition began to worsen, but it is believed to be a delayed or cumulative reaction to the medication.
Clonidine is a prescription medication used to treat high blood pressure and ADHD. The dose the boy was supposed to receive was .03 g. However, he was given a dose of 30 g instead. It remains to be seen if the pharmacist on duty who filled the prescription will face any disciplinary sanctions or a personal injury lawsuit as a result of the boy’s death.
Have You Been the Victim of a Pharmacist’s Negligence?
If you or a loved one has recently been the victim of a pharmacist’s negligence, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. Each year, thousands of people die due to hurried pharmacists trying to get patients their prescriptions. While many of these errors do not result in the serious consequences discussed above, too many do. The skilled pharmacy error attorneys at the Maryland personal injury law firm of Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers have decades of experience pursuing compensation for their clients and know how to successfully bring pharmacy error cases nationwide. Call 410-654-3600 to set up a free consultation today.
More Blog Posts:
Pharmacists Among Top Professions Most Likely to Be Replaced by Robots, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog, June 22, 2016.
$3 Million Verdict Upheld in Topamax Birth Injury Lawsuit, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog, June 8, 2016.