When in doubt don’t – when it doubt throw it out.
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Helen Vickers of Dekalb County wants everyone to know what happened to her family. She had a prescription filled at the CVS Pharmacy for her daughter, Penelope, for an anti-biotic which had the wrong directions on the medication. At the onset Mrs. Vickers thought the dosage was very high for such a small child – she was right. As directed on the medication , it was five times the dosage required. Instead of 3 ½ milliliters of Azithromycin it said to give her 3 teaspoons.Mrs. Victers stated that Penelope had been exhibiting unusual behavior over the past few days after taking the medication. She had itchy, watery eyes with sleepiness. The report said that after checking with the poison control center she was in no danger of death. She has since improved and is feeling better. But these parents wanted others to know of this and to be aware of such possible errors. Hundreds of thousands of people die every year from drug related errors.
We all remember when the twins of actor Dennis Quaid’s new born twins were given an overdose of Heparin which nearly killed them. The nurse pulled the wrong vial out of the bin. Since then he has taken on a huge crusade for measures to be implement using electronics to make sure medication is dispensed correctly. http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/20090219-tows-dennis-quaid
When the Vickers brought the matter to the attention of CVS they issued an apology to the family.
This was such a coincidence. Tonight while having dinner we were talking about the Swine flu and who should and should not get the immunization and I told my granddaughter about a time when she was probably the sickest little child I had ever seen. Her older brother, who was seven, at the time was in children’s hospital with a severe case of asthma and she was staying with me. She had the usual symptoms of flu – fever, lethargic, no appetite. Her father left the children’s hospital and came home to take her to another doctor. He filled her prescription on the way home and then he returned to the hospital to be with his son.
I had never seen an anti-biotic like this before and did not know what it was supposed to look like. It was white and so thick it would not pour from the bottle very easily. Like, Mrs. Vickers, I had some doubt about this medicine. I guess we are all just too trusting sometimes. After a couple of doses, my grandchild began to get very sick and had bloody diarrhea. I called the pharmacy and we found out that the proper about of sterile water had not been added to the mix and it was so strong that it scalded her insides. This was a different pharmacy; but they all can make mistakes.
That is why we must be more cautious than ever. I, too, have been given the wrong medicine altogether and a neighbor of mine knowing what her husband’s medication looked like noticed it was different and she returned it to the pharmacy and he said had he taken that medication with his heart problem, it would have killed him.
Hint? We are so blessed to have the world’s knowledge at our fingertips. Take the time to look up unfamiliar prescriptions and see what they look like and what the dose should be – there are several web sites that offer this service. Many times you can simply Google the name of the prescription.
I Googled Azithromycin as an example. There is a wealth of information here that will not be given to you by the doctor or the pharmacy. There are other sites like this one and if you suspect there is something really wrong with a medication contact the FDA – but only after seeking medical attention if needed.
I also look up prescriptions before I purchase them now. Twice in recent times I was given a prescription that would have been counter indicated for me. With the cost of medicine what it is today, it might be a good thing to check before we buy. Pharmacies will not take back medications unless it is their error. Once I had a terrible allergic reaction to a medication which sent me to the ER. I phoned the doctor and he said I should contact the pharmacist. I phoned the pharmacist and he said I should contact the manufacturer – when I contacted the manufacturer they said I should contact my doctor.
Also, once a neighbor put out moth balls in a little garden section between her apartment and my daughter’s which she thought would repel flies – before she could stop him, my two year old grandson grabbed up a handful and ate them. He thought they were cheese balls. Never hesitate to call poison control. They said he would be okay and no cause for alarm. But he nearly had a seizure and she had to call 911. Have the item and/or description handy when you call and then if you still don’t feel comfortable and if any side effects occur, take them to the hospital anyway.
Once when my husband was in the hospital, he called me and gave me the name of a medication that was making him really sick. I looked it up and to my horror it could be deadly taken with his other medications. I phoned the nurses station; but also sent a fax to the desk and one to the doctor’s office. I was frantic that the word would not get to the right person. Medline above gives much information on drugs that are helpful in making sure they cure you and not kill you.
One common mistake that some people, especially seniors, make is not understanding when a new medication is given, if a previous one should be discontinued. Lack of this understanding has resulted in dangerous overdoses by taking both medications. Also, sometime even when the directions on the bottle are correct, they are hard to understand. Overdoses in the elderly and small children can be extremely dangerous.
Another mistake that we sometimes make is not watching for expirations dates on medications – some grow weaker with age while others break down and can even become stronger. A quick call to the pharmacist should let you know if it is still safe. When in doubt – throw it out.
We are happy the Vickers had a good ending for Penelope; and that they were willing to share their story in an effort to warn others.
Comments
Wow. Thanks, Patricia for this powerful information. This is one article that I will definitely use for future reference.
Jackie Kass, Atlanta Northside Family & Parenting Examiner
My 8yr old son was perscription had the wrong info on the bottle as well . He was given medicine for ADD the amount of medicine was compared to a person on crystal meth. He could not sleep would not stop talking hallucinating. Went to hospital his heart rate was at 230 and was admitted for a week. It was the worse week of his and our lives. If you have questions call the doctor call the pharmacy. You put trust in those who you beileve are educated and know what they are doing and they made a mistake that almost caused me my son. PLEASE BECAREFUL!!!!!
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