Medical Malpractice Lawyer
When we pick up a prescription medication from the pharmacy, we reasonably assume that the dosage, type, and brand are correct. We trust that our doctors have our best of interest in mind at all times, and that they won’t commit an error that leads to our harm. From the moment you leave the doctor’s office, your prescription is being processed. As it gets forwarded from your doctor, to a nurse, and to a pharmacist, if a mistake is made then it can have devastating consequences to your health.
Unfortunately, prescription drug errors happen more often than people want to imagine, and therefore, awareness is crucial. If you are wondering how to be more safe, here are ways that you can protect yourself from prescription drug errors:
Examine Expiration Dates Carefully
If we don’t know when our medications are no longer good to take, we may be putting ourselves at risk for issues related to efficacy and safety. Depending on how old the drug is when our prescription is filled, we may have less or more time than we thought to use them before a new set should be ordered.
Confirm The Drug is Correct
Around 1 in 4 people in the United States will pick up a prescription from the pharmacy that is incorrect. In most cases, a drug was replaced with a similar sounding or look-alike drug name. Even if you have been on the same medication for years and never had an issue, validate that the drug type is correct each time you pick it up. At the pharmacy, review the drug with your pharmacist after the prescription is filled. As an extra precaution, confirm with the pharmacist that it is still appropriate for your medical condition or injury.
Calculate Dosage and Strength
If you are looking at a dosage amount and strength on the outside of the bottle and feel like it may be too little or too much, you could be right. There are various amounts pharmacies use when dosing out medication, including cc, mls, tsp, tbsp, etc. The pill strength may be different than what you have used before for the same medication. The pill may range from a strength of 25mg, 50mg, 500mg, and so on. If you are accustomed to taking two pills twice a day for your medication, but are given a pill strength that is much less or more, it can lead to serious health consequences.
Examining your prescriptions more in-depth and being aware of how prescription errors occur can reduce the chances of it happening to you. For those who have experienced a medication error and were adversely affected because of it, may want to reach out to a medical malpractice lawyer in Indianapolis, IN, such as a lawyer from Ward & Ward Law Firm, for further guidance.