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Van Wey, Metzler & Williams

Pharmacy Errors

Pharmacy And Prescription Error

The FDA estimates that 1.3 million people a year are injured from prescription medicine mistakes. As the U.S. population ages, and more prescriptions are dispensed, that number will also continue to rise unless better safety systems are put in place and followed.

With technology as advanced as it is, you might expect pharmacy errors to be relics of the past. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. At pharmacies across the country, patients receive the wrong prescriptions more often than you think.

How Do Pharmacy Errors Happen?

The harm caused by pharmacy mix-ups is two-fold: (1) the patient is taking an unknown medication not prescribed to them by a medical professional or a dosage not prescribed; (2) the patient is not taking the medication they were prescribed.

Sometimes the patient catches the error before they take the medication. Even if they take a couple of the pills, they notice the mistake quickly enough without suffering any adverse effects.

But not everyone notices the mix-up, particularly elderly or disabled patients, as they’re trusting that their pharmacists got it right. Here’s why this is dangerous: The erroneous prescription hasn’t been cross-checked against their other medications to ensure that it won’t cause a negative reaction, nor has it been vetted against the patient’s allergy history.

Even if there are no contraindications or allergies, the patient is taking a medicine that wasn’t prescribed for them. This means they’re not receiving the treatment their doctors determined they needed.

What Are the Consequences of Pharmacy Dispensing Errors?

We have seen many careless mistakes in our practice that have practically cost our clients their lives. IN some cases, a patient may be given a mediation they are allergic to and can have a severe emergency life threatening reaction. Other examples, may be a person who received the wrong prescription and therefore, they were not receiving the life saving medicines they needed, such as blood pressure medication. Another example are instances where the dosage is wrong so that the right medicine is given to the patient, but in a much higher dose than would be safe.

What to Do If You Think You Have a Pharmacy Error Case

You have undoubtedly heard the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words.” That definitely applies to pharmacy error cases. If you or a loved one received a prescription that was wrong, it is important to photograph the bottle, the label and the contents. Make a note of when you took the medicine, how many doses and the ill effects you suffered.

If a potential client comes to us with a prescription that they never should have been given, the photographic evidence provides a strong starting point for our investigation.

Do You Need a Pharmacy Error Lawyer?

Hiring A Dallas Pharmacy Error Lawyer

The attorneys at Van Wey, Metzler & Williams are very familiar with pharmacy error cases. In situations where the mix-up led to a serious injury or death, it is in your best interest to speak to an experienced Dallas Pharmacy Error Lawyer. Contact the team at Van Wey, Metzler & Williams for a free consultation to see if we can help.

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