Prescription Mix-ups

You may have heard about the local 6-year-old boy who was recently given the wrong medication following a pharmacy mix-up. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard of a pharmacy filling the wrong prescription, and the results are almost always severely dangerous. So what can you do to protect yourself from this type of situation? It is as simple as asking questions.

While there lies a large amount of responsibility on the prescribing physician and the pharmacist, it doesn’t hurt to double check their work. Confirm with your doctor the name of the medication being prescribed, and for what condition it is being prescribed. When you first get your medicine from the pharmacy, check that it has your correct information (name, address, etc.). Check that the name of the prescription matches what your doctor prescribed. Lastly, there are a number of sites online to help you identify the medicine you are taking. Type “pill identifier” into any search engine, and a list of free sites will appear to help you identifying the pill you are taking.

While the medical experts work hard not to make mistakes, sometimes accidents do happen. Being pro-active in your medical care can help prevent those mistakes, and help protect your health.