Terrible Pharmacy Mistake

[xotoxi]

snip

the drug accidentally prescribed to Silva,

This this is NOT the pharmacists or pharmacies problem or mistake. They filled a prescription that was presented to them.

Did the doctor know she was pregnant? Did she TELL the pharmacy that she was pregnant and ask about the drugs?

I am sorry, personal responsibility has to kick in here somewhere.

In reading the article, it appears that the OBGYN prescribed the antibiotic, therefore the pregnancy was likely known by the doctor. I'm guessing metronidazole...which was improperly filled by the pharmacist as methotrexate.

That's got to be one of the worst mistakes I have heard. Even if she wasn't pregnant, methotraxate is an immunosuppressor. If you give it to someone with a bacterial infection (someone who is being prescribed an antibiotic), their infection may blossom out of control.

We have patients who take methotrexate once a week to keep their rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis under control...and if they get cold symptoms, we have them stop their dose for a week just to allow their immune system to work.

 

[syrenn]

snip

the drug accidentally prescribed to Silva,

This this is NOT the pharmacists or pharmacies problem or mistake. They filled a prescription that was presented to them.

Did the doctor know she was pregnant? Did she TELL the pharmacy that she was pregnant and ask about the drugs?

I am sorry, personal responsibility has to kick in here somewhere.

In reading the article, it appears that the OBGYN prescribed the antibiotic, therefore the pregnancy was likely known by the doctor. I'm guessing metronidazole...which was improperly filled by the pharmacist as methotrexate.

That's got to be one of the worst mistakes I have heard. Even if she wasn't pregnant, methotraxate is an immunosuppressor. If you give it to someone with a bacterial infection (someone who is being prescribed an antibiotic), their infection may blossom out of control.

We have patients who take methotrexate once a week to keep their rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis under control...and if they get cold symptoms, we have them stop their dose for a week just to allow their immune system to work.

Going just on the OP it is hard to tell just what went wrong. Rat in the Hat provides a better link to the story. It was not a mistake in meds, they gave the wrong prescription to the wrong person.

A lazy mistake.

 

[Madeline]

Sorry about the link, guys.

 

[Douger]

I go to the pharmacy mebbe once or twice a year, but unlike IMEURU, I do not have one guy I especially trust. I go to the grocery's pharmacy, because it is convenient and might be cheaper, and some kid about 16 waits on me. They have so many back there, they are actually crowded...I shudder to think how many scripts they fill per hour. I'm sure the joint has a licensed pharmacist but I dun even know what that person looks like.

This is a frightening story and I WILL be reading my label before I leave, you can be sure. (But if they had put the wrong medicine in, I'd never know it.)

Don't forget to search #drugs dot com# for whatever the doctors in " the greatest nation ever" prescribed for you. You may find you have been a victim of attempted involuntary manslaughter.
My doc owns his own farmacia and is there at work from 630 AM until 9 PM.
He's a 74 year old Argentino.
He lives on the second floor so, if I need him, I can call him........ or just blow the horn.
He saved a friends kids life about a month ago. He was bitten by a fer de lance. He's fine now.

 

[xotoxi]

snip

This this is NOT the pharmacists or pharmacies problem or mistake. They filled a prescription that was presented to them.

Did the doctor know she was pregnant? Did she TELL the pharmacy that she was pregnant and ask about the drugs?

I am sorry, personal responsibility has to kick in here somewhere.

In reading the article, it appears that the OBGYN prescribed the antibiotic, therefore the pregnancy was likely known by the doctor. I'm guessing metronidazole...which was improperly filled by the pharmacist as methotrexate.

That's got to be one of the worst mistakes I have heard. Even if she wasn't pregnant, methotraxate is an immunosuppressor. If you give it to someone with a bacterial infection (someone who is being prescribed an antibiotic), their infection may blossom out of control.

We have patients who take methotrexate once a week to keep their rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis under control...and if they get cold symptoms, we have them stop their dose for a week just to allow their immune system to work.

Going just on the OP it is hard to tell just what went wrong. Rat in the Hat provides a better link to the story. It was not a mistake in meds, they gave the wrong prescription to the wrong person.

A lazy mistake.

I didn't see that other link. Either way, very bad mistake.

And, in this country, if there was a bad outcome, the person who made the error (a tech?) would be fired, but the pharmacy would be sued, the pharmacist would be sued, and the doctor would be sued. And probably the drug manufacturer would be sued.

And the bad outcome could be determined right now with a miscarriage...or it could be determined at any point in the next 21 years if the child develops some sort of ailment or issue which can loosely be attributed to in utero exposure to methotrexate.

So, that doctor and all of the others would be on the hook for a possible lawsuit for the next 21 years.

 

[syrenn]

In reading the article, it appears that the OBGYN prescribed the antibiotic, therefore the pregnancy was likely known by the doctor. I'm guessing metronidazole...which was improperly filled by the pharmacist as methotrexate.

That's got to be one of the worst mistakes I have heard. Even if she wasn't pregnant, methotraxate is an immunosuppressor. If you give it to someone with a bacterial infection (someone who is being prescribed an antibiotic), their infection may blossom out of control.

We have patients who take methotrexate once a week to keep their rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis under control...and if they get cold symptoms, we have them stop their dose for a week just to allow their immune system to work.

Going just on the OP it is hard to tell just what went wrong. Rat in the Hat provides a better link to the story. It was not a mistake in meds, they gave the wrong prescription to the wrong person.

A lazy mistake.

I didn't see that other link. Either way, very bad mistake.

And, in this country, if there was a bad outcome, the person who made the error (a tech?) would be fired, but the pharmacy would be sued, the pharmacist would be sued, and the doctor would be sued. And probably the drug manufacturer would be sued.

And the bad outcome could be determined right now with a miscarriage...or it could be determined at any point in the next 21 years if the child develops some sort of ailment or issue which can loosely be attributed to in utero exposure to methotrexate.

So, that doctor and all of the others would be on the hook for a possible lawsuit for the next 21 years.

I know.

 

[Rat in the Hat]

In reading the article, it appears that the OBGYN prescribed the antibiotic, therefore the pregnancy was likely known by the doctor. I'm guessing metronidazole...which was improperly filled by the pharmacist as methotrexate.

That's got to be one of the worst mistakes I have heard. Even if she wasn't pregnant, methotraxate is an immunosuppressor. If you give it to someone with a bacterial infection (someone who is being prescribed an antibiotic), their infection may blossom out of control.

We have patients who take methotrexate once a week to keep their rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis under control...and if they get cold symptoms, we have them stop their dose for a week just to allow their immune system to work.

Going just on the OP it is hard to tell just what went wrong. Rat in the Hat provides a better link to the story. It was not a mistake in meds, they gave the wrong prescription to the wrong person.

A lazy mistake.

I didn't see that other link. Either way, very bad mistake.

And, in this country, if there was a bad outcome, the person who made the error (a tech?) would be fired, but the pharmacy would be sued, the pharmacist would be sued, and the doctor would be sued. And probably the drug manufacturer would be sued.

And the bad outcome could be determined right now with a miscarriage...or it could be determined at any point in the next 21 years if the child develops some sort of ailment or issue which can loosely be attributed to in utero exposure to methotrexate.

So, that doctor and all of the others would be on the hook for a possible lawsuit for the next 21 years.

Of course, your being a doctor, I give way to your medical knowledge, but why should the doctor and drug manufacturer be blamed for this? The pharmacy assistant handed out the wrong meds to the patient. It's their fault, no one else's, unless there's something I'm not seeing.

 

[syrenn]

Going just on the OP it is hard to tell just what went wrong. Rat in the Hat provides a better link to the story. It was not a mistake in meds, they gave the wrong prescription to the wrong person.

A lazy mistake.

I didn't see that other link. Either way, very bad mistake.

And, in this country, if there was a bad outcome, the person who made the error (a tech?) would be fired, but the pharmacy would be sued, the pharmacist would be sued, and the doctor would be sued. And probably the drug manufacturer would be sued.

And the bad outcome could be determined right now with a miscarriage...or it could be determined at any point in the next 21 years if the child develops some sort of ailment or issue which can loosely be attributed to in utero exposure to methotrexate.

So, that doctor and all of the others would be on the hook for a possible lawsuit for the next 21 years.

Of course, your being a doctor, I give way to your medical knowledge, but why should the doctor and drug manufacturer be blamed for this? The pharmacy assistant handed out the wrong meds to the patient. It's their fault, no one else's, unless there's something I'm not seeing.

Its called deep pockets. It is standard practice now to sue everyone and get as much as possible. Its one of the reasons malpractice insurance is so expensive.

 

[Madeline]

If this woman has a healthy baby, she will have no suit. You need to be damaged to sue anyone. But if she loses the baby or it has birth defects, the pharmacy will be liable (assuming that the mistake caused it).

When a business' employee causes an injury through negligence, that business is liable.

 

[Madeline]

In reading the article, it appears that the OBGYN prescribed the antibiotic, therefore the pregnancy was likely known by the doctor. I'm guessing metronidazole...which was improperly filled by the pharmacist as methotrexate.

That's got to be one of the worst mistakes I have heard. Even if she wasn't pregnant, methotraxate is an immunosuppressor. If you give it to someone with a bacterial infection (someone who is being prescribed an antibiotic), their infection may blossom out of control.

We have patients who take methotrexate once a week to keep their rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis under control...and if they get cold symptoms, we have them stop their dose for a week just to allow their immune system to work.

Going just on the OP it is hard to tell just what went wrong. Rat in the Hat provides a better link to the story. It was not a mistake in meds, they gave the wrong prescription to the wrong person.

A lazy mistake.

I didn't see that other link. Either way, very bad mistake.

And, in this country, if there was a bad outcome, the person who made the error (a tech?) would be fired, but the pharmacy would be sued, the pharmacist would be sued, and the doctor would be sued. And probably the drug manufacturer would be sued.

And the bad outcome could be determined right now with a miscarriage...or it could be determined at any point in the next 21 years if the child develops some sort of ailment or issue which can loosely be attributed to in utero exposure to methotrexate.

So, that doctor and all of the others would be on the hook for a possible lawsuit for the next 21 years.

I fail to see how the doctor or drug manufacturer could be sued, xotoxi. And the tort reform so many are so anxious to see passed would reduce that time to one year in most proposals.

So if the birth defective was not seen until the child could not talk or walk, etc. at 2 years, those parents would be SOL.

But that's what so many Americans seem to think is "fair".

 

[uscitizen]

There's nothing I take on a regular basis, so I have no way of knowing what the pills should look like. In the part of Cleveland where I live, as far as I know, there is no Ye Olde Pharmacy Shoppes. It's all Walgreens, CVS, etc. And they are all just as bad as the pharmacy at my grocery as far as hiring kids are concerned.

Go to the CVS like we do. They are far superior to Walgreens.

We switched 4 years ago, and have never looked back.

I really hate the CVS, Rattie. But I agree with you about Walgreens...I think I'll look and see if there are any locally-owned pharmacies still around.

the only locally owned one in my town was who kept screwing my prescriptions up.
I checked around and went with CVS. Of course here we keep employees in CVS and have virtually no turnover. Not like the big cities.

 

[xotoxi]

Going just on the OP it is hard to tell just what went wrong. Rat in the Hat provides a better link to the story. It was not a mistake in meds, they gave the wrong prescription to the wrong person.

A lazy mistake.

I didn't see that other link. Either way, very bad mistake.

And, in this country, if there was a bad outcome, the person who made the error (a tech?) would be fired, but the pharmacy would be sued, the pharmacist would be sued, and the doctor would be sued. And probably the drug manufacturer would be sued.

And the bad outcome could be determined right now with a miscarriage...or it could be determined at any point in the next 21 years if the child develops some sort of ailment or issue which can loosely be attributed to in utero exposure to methotrexate.

So, that doctor and all of the others would be on the hook for a possible lawsuit for the next 21 years.

Of course, your being a doctor, I give way to your medical knowledge, but why should the doctor and drug manufacturer be blamed for this? The pharmacy assistant handed out the wrong meds to the patient. It's their fault, no one else's, unless there's something I'm not seeing.

Only because they can be blamed. It's not their fault, but that doesn't stop someone from suing them, causing them to spend money on their defense and developing an ulcer due to the aggrevation and worry.

 

[xotoxi]

Going just on the OP it is hard to tell just what went wrong. Rat in the Hat provides a better link to the story. It was not a mistake in meds, they gave the wrong prescription to the wrong person.

A lazy mistake.

I didn't see that other link. Either way, very bad mistake.

And, in this country, if there was a bad outcome, the person who made the error (a tech?) would be fired, but the pharmacy would be sued, the pharmacist would be sued, and the doctor would be sued. And probably the drug manufacturer would be sued.

And the bad outcome could be determined right now with a miscarriage...or it could be determined at any point in the next 21 years if the child develops some sort of ailment or issue which can loosely be attributed to in utero exposure to methotrexate.

So, that doctor and all of the others would be on the hook for a possible lawsuit for the next 21 years.

I fail to see how the doctor or drug manufacturer could be sued, xotoxi.

Anyone CAN be sued. They would not lose the case, but they would face a lot of aggrevation and cost to defend.

I've never been sued, but I've heard that it is one of the most sucky experiences that their is.

 

[xotoxi]

If this woman has a healthy baby, she will have no suit. You need to be damaged to sue anyone. But if she loses the baby or it has birth defects, the pharmacy will be liable (assuming that the mistake caused it).

When a business' employee causes an injury through negligence, that business is liable.

What if the child develops ADHD...and some "expert witness" (i.e. quack) claims that ADHD can be caused by methotrexate exposure in utero.

BAM! There's your case.

 

[Rat in the Hat]

If this woman has a healthy baby, she will have no suit. You need to be damaged to sue anyone. But if she loses the baby or it has birth defects, the pharmacy will be liable (assuming that the mistake caused it).

When a business' employee causes an injury through negligence, that business is liable.

Even if the baby is healthy, months of mental anguish is not damaging to the parents?

I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

Whoever gave her the wrong script should be sued into the dark ages, no matter what the outcome is.

 

[uscitizen]

Yeah when that pharmacy lost my narcotic pain med prescription they told me I would just have to get another one from my DR.
I asked them if someone there had sold it for money? it was worth probably 10k on the street. a 6 months prescription for 4 percocet per day...
And told them the DEA would be investigating. they called me the next day and said they found it.

 

[syrenn]

Yeah when that pharmacy lost my narcotic pain med prescription they told me I would just have to get another one from my DR.
I asked them if someone there had sold it for money? it was worth probably 10k on the street. a 6 months prescription for 4 percocet per day...
And told them the DEA would be investigating. they called me the next day and said they found it.

Good for you.

Ever count your meds? Mine have come up short on occasion.

 

[uscitizen]

Yeah when that pharmacy lost my narcotic pain med prescription they told me I would just have to get another one from my DR.
I asked them if someone there had sold it for money? it was worth probably 10k on the street. a 6 months prescription for 4 percocet per day...
And told them the DEA would be investigating. they called me the next day and said they found it.

Good for you.

Ever count your meds? Mine have come up short on occasion.

Actually I usually weigh them. I know how much they should weigh.

Had I just gotten another presc from my Dr and then some started using my "lost" ONe the DEA would have been after my doctor and my ass.
Since I am not a talk show celeb they keep track of those kinds of things on me.

I was going to contact the DEA just to cover my ass if they had not found my prescription.

 

[Madeline]

If this woman has a healthy baby, she will have no suit. You need to be damaged to sue anyone. But if she loses the baby or it has birth defects, the pharmacy will be liable (assuming that the mistake caused it).

When a business' employee causes an injury through negligence, that business is liable.

Even if the baby is healthy, months of mental anguish is not damaging to the parents?

I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

Whoever gave her the wrong script should be sued into the dark ages, no matter what the outcome is.

No, mental anguish alone will not support a suit of this kind. And if a suit can be brought (God forbid), mental anguish will almost certainly not be a portion of the measure of damages. Punitive damages can be awarded in a negligence case for med mal, but they are extremely rare.

 

[Madeline]

If this woman has a healthy baby, she will have no suit. You need to be damaged to sue anyone. But if she loses the baby or it has birth defects, the pharmacy will be liable (assuming that the mistake caused it).

When a business' employee causes an injury through negligence, that business is liable.

What if the child develops ADHD...and some "expert witness" (i.e. quack) claims that ADHD can be caused by methotrexate exposure in utero.

BAM! There's your case.

Yanno, xotoxi, it is not entirely fair to blame these kinds of cases on lawyers. Who invented the diagnosis of ADHD? Doctors. Who would connect the ADHD to the mistake? Doctors.

IRL, as we both know, the pharmacy will be all over those parents to settle by the end of the week.