Do You Know What is in Your Prescription Bottle?

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), an estimated one billion medical prescriptions are handed out each year. Almost half of Americans have taken at least one prescription drug in the last 30 days, and many people are on multiple prescriptions. If you regularly pick up medications at your pharmacy or receive drugs in the mail, you likely trust that what is in your bottles is what you ordered. Unfortunately, this is not always the case due to pharmacy medication errors.

The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) has reported that 1.5 million people are harmed yearly by medication errors. While some occur in a hospital or medical facility, many happen in pharmacies nationwide. Hundreds of thousands of people lose their lives each year due to medication errors, and many deaths may not be recognized as a result of a wrong prescription. Pharmacists and their assistants may be responsible for making these errors that can have deadly consequences.

Types of Pharmacy Errors

Thousands of drugs are dispensed through pharmacies. Most pharmacies are located in busy retail environments, from your local grocery store to large box and warehouse stores. Anyone can make a mistake at work, but pharmacy mistakes can cause severe harm or death. Some of the typical pharmacy errors that occur include:

• Misreading handwritten prescriptions
• Misunderstanding oral prescriptions
• Filling medications with the wrong dosage
• Filling bottles with the wrong medication
• Mislabeling – wrong instructions, wrong name, or other label errors

If you are given the wrong medication or dosage, it can harm you in two ways. First, you are not getting the correct dosage for your medical condition. This can be a serious concern if you have a serious health issue like cardiovascular disease. Secondly, you may be getting a drug that could harm you or react to other medications you are taking.

Pharmacy Error Lawsuits

Medication errors caused by pharmacy mistakes are a type of medical malpractice. There have been many medical malpractice lawsuits against pharmacies that cause harm to patients by issuing the wrong drug or dosage. Like any medical malpractice case, lawsuits are only an option when you can prove that the pharmacy made a mistake and that the error caused serious harm. If you receive the wrong prescription but do not have an injury, it would not be a viable medical malpractice claim.

Medical Malpractice Attorney in Atlanta, GA

If you believe you were injured by a pharmacy error or you lost a loved one due to the wrong prescription, you should seek legal advice. At Race Injury Law, we welcome anyone who wants to discuss a possible medical malpractice claim, including pharmacy errors. Contact our office in Atlanta to talk to our legal team – the consultation is free, and you will never pay us a dime unless we obtain a monetary award for your case.