The chances are that anyone who has dropped off a prescription or refill request to a retail pharmacy has had to wait a considerable amount of time for the pharmacist to fill the prescription. First, the patient must wait in line to drop off the prescription. Then, the pharmacist often tells a patient to come back in at least 30 minutes – sometimes even longer.
While waiting 30 or 45 minutes for a prescription to be filled isn’t a problem for most patients, the fact that a pharmacy is so busy raises some concerns for pharmacy experts. According to a recent news report discussing the prevalence of errors and what can be done to curb them in the future, it is estimated that there are approximately 100,000 deaths caused by pharmacy errors each year. The leading cause of Maryland pharmacy errors is commonly understood to be an overworked pharmacist.
The article details the startling account of a woman who was provided the wrong medication by her local pharmacy. The woman was prescribed the pain medication Gabapentin. Her physician instructed the woman to take the medication three times a day, taking two pills for each dose.
The woman dropped her prescription off, picked it up, and began taking the medication. After taking the medication for about 12 days, the woman started to feel incredibly ill. She reported that she could hardly move and needed help completing everyday tasks.
The woman looked at her prescription bottle, which had a label for Gabapentin and instructed her to take the proper dose. It wasn’t until later that she looked more closely at the bottle’s description of what the pills should look like that she noticed the pharmacist put the wrong pills in the bottle.
Instead of Gabapentin, the woman was given Gemfibrozil, which is a medication used to treat those with high levels of cholesterol. The Gemfibrozil and Gabapentin pills have a similar appearance. Evidently, the pharmacist who filled the prescription put the correct label on the bottle but then grabbed the wrong pills.
The article explained that, despite the statements that are issued by pharmacies in the wake of a prescription error, mistakes are more common than most people believe. One reason for this is that, in most cases, only mistakes resulting in serious patient harm are required to be reported.
Have You Been Provided the Wrong Medication?
If you or a loved one has recently been given the wrong medication at the pharmacy when picking up a prescription or refill, you may be entitled to monetary compensation through a Maryland pharmacy error lawsuit. The dedicated Maryland personal injury attorneys at the law firm of Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers have extensive experience representing those hurt by pharmacy errors. We have a broad network of experts with whom we routinely consult to ensure that our clients’ cases are presented in a compelling and legally sound manner. To learn more, call 410-654-3600 to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case with a Maryland pharmacy error attorney at the law firm of Lebowitz & Mzhen today.
More Blog Posts:
How a Physician May Be Responsible for a Maryland Pharmacy Error, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog, April 16, 2018.
Pharmacy Errors May Not Initially Be Easy to Detect, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog, May 1, 2018.