Warning: Check your Prescriptions Before Taking

AmyQ

I don't know where else to post this so I'll start here. This is a topic for everyone taking prescriptions and a warning. My husband picked up a refill for me yesterday at the pharmacy and left it at the usual spot at home. In my hurry to get to an appointment, I grabbed the bottle of pills, opened and took one, then left the house.

This morning I went to take another pill from the same bottle and I noticed these were for someone else. They were NOT mine. I opened them up and could see a reddish colored small pill which I did not notice when I took one yesterday. I looked closer and see they were intended for someone whose name started with the first two letters of my last name but the similarity ended there. Even our first names are different.

I returned the bottle to the pharmacy and explained that my husband was given the wrong meds. I also explained that in my haste I took one of the pills. The pharmacist was horrified and appropriately concerned. I had taken Ambien which explains why I was so sleepy all afternoon. Even though the pharmacist signed the right drug out to my husband, he handed the wrong bottle to him. My husband didn't pay any attention either so brought it home.

Anyway, I will no longer assume I have been given the right Rx and will check to make sure it's mine before taking.

I know mistakes happen, but I can only imagine what a worse-case-scenario would look like.

Amy

dltnhm

Amy,

So thankful that you are all right. How disconcerting that is and you are right about how tragic it could have been.

I usually check the description of the meds (including numbers or letters) but not all the time. Can honestly say I don't think I've checked the bottle for my name to be right.

I am glad sleepiness was your only side effect. You could have mixed two meds or drank alcohol with the Ambien. Or you could have missed a key medication or taken something you were allergic to or .... My mind is racing at all the different scenarios for you and the other patient as well

Again, I am so glad you are all right.

Diana

Meadow

My gosh I am sure your pharmacist was just a mess after that. So glad you are ok.

glennie19

It does always pay to check. Us pharmacists are only human too. I double check all my meds,, and when they change generics on me, I look up the numbers to be sure they are correct.

Amy: glad that your only SE was sleepiness. SOOOO glad it was not anything worse. That's a freak out moment for sure.

Anonymous

Wow. That's concerning. Thanks for the heads up. Happy to hear you're ok.

exbrnxgrl

Oh my! The pharmacy techs always match the pill bottle against my info on their computer file, but I have never double checked. Suffice to say I will from now on. I often order my refills on line and have them mailed to me. For some reason, I always check those when they arrive

sas-schatzi

AARP magazine probably dated may 2013, there is a story about the safest hospitals and what safety procedures that are in place that cause them to be safe. The article cites that 180,000 people die a year due to medical/surgical errors AND 400,000 drug errors are made a year. The articles states that these numbers are likely higher b/c these are the ones that are reported. I agree. These numbers are higher then the last set of numbers that I had known. The problem is either getting worse OR there is better reporting. I'll go with better reporting.

Glad you are okay Amy

AmyQ

Thanks for your kind words. I love this pharmacy and one gentle soul in particular. When I started chemo and had to pick up a ton of pre-chemo meds, he grasped my hands and said good luck to you dear. It was enough kindness from a stranger that made me burst into tears and walk away sobbing. I was able to thank him months later.

On a lighter note, I never slept so soundly as the night with Ambien

luvmygoats

http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/index.cfm

This is the site I use to double check my pills against the pharmacy label.

Scary Amy but at least now you know a sleeping med that works for you. Hope the missed correct medicine dose did no harm to you. And yes doing business with a company like that and people like that makes all the difference.

exbrnxgrl

Glad that you're well and got a good night's sleep 😉

Kessala

I always open my pharmacy bag, pull out the bottles and read every word while I'm still either in the pharmacy or sitting in my car in the pharmacy parking lot. I won't leave the premises until I double-check what the pharmacy has done. There are simply too many errors in the medical field. We each have to look out for ourselves.

My health insurance requires I use a mail order pharmacy for ongoing medications that I'll be taking for a long time. For those prescriptions I can't check their work until the medication has arrived at my house. Not only do I read the labels on the bottles but I actually dump out the tablets and count them. One time I was shorted eight tablets! I immediately phoned the mail order pharmacy and they FedExed my missing eight tablets to me Next Day shipping!

I would venture to guess these big mail order pharmacies have people who sweep the floors at the end of each day and discover all sorts of stray tablets, capsules and other medications that have fallen out of packaging equipment or off conveyor belts. Make sure you're not someone who gets gypped!

Never trust. Humans make errors. Look out for yourself!

Kessala