Woman Told to Take 4 Pills Instead of 1 in Anti-Anxiety Med Error

A woman who was given a prescription for medication to help ease her anxiety before a dental appointment now has good reason to be skeptical of pharmacies.

The woman was given a prescription by her dentist to take prior to a dental appointment for 0.25 milligrams of Triazolam. When she picked up her medication from a local pharmacy, she assumed that the instructions on the label were accurate, and after paying for the medicine, was not consulted by a pharmacist. The label instructed the woman to take four pills an hour before treatment.

The woman reports losing memory just after her dental appointment began. She does not recall a friend driving her home or the rest of the evening. She credits her boyfriend having stayed over for the relatively uneventful rest of the day. The woman’s friend said she had seemed “completely normal,” which concerned the woman to think what could have happened under the circumstances. According to pharmacy experts, amnesia is a well known side effect of an overdose of the drug Triazolam. Other serious side effects include cardiac arrest, coma and seizures.

According to the woman, a pharmacy employee later informed her that an input error led to the system reflecting that four tablets were to be taken instead of one.

The woman in this case was fortunate not to have suffered injury or any other adverse effects during her period of amnesia. Additionally, she was also lucky to not have suffered any of the other side effects, which due to their severity could individually potentially have posed a risk of death. What is further jarring is the fact that the pharmacist where she got her prescription did not require a consultation before sending her off with the medicine. It is at the very least routine, if not required, that all patients receiving a new prescription medication consult with a pharmacist to discuss instructions regarding when and how to take the medication, as well as to discuss any potential side effects or things to watch out for. This failure to consult is seemingly the second error made, with the first being the failure to catch the dosage error.

If a prescription error caused you harm, you may be entitled to compensation from the pharmacy responsible for the error. Lapses in security measures or sheer carelessness could be foundations for negligence claims. You may be entitled to damages for your injuries, medical bills, physical therapy expenses, and lost wages at work, among other things. Additionally, if your injuries affect your ability for future earnings or other daily life tasks, separate damages may potentially be recoverable. An experienced prescription error attorney can fully advise you regarding your case.

If you or a loved one has been injured or died as a result of a pharmacy misfill or dispensing error, contact the experienced Maryland personal injury attorneys at Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers. Our lawyers have extensive experience in advocating on behalf of individuals who have been harmed by medication errors, whether they were improperly prescribed, dispensed, or administered. Contact us today in order to schedule a complimentary initial consultation. You can reach us by calling us at (800) 654-1949 or through our website.

More Blog Posts:

Makers of Tylenol Announce New Label Warnings in Attempt to Reduce Overdoses, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog, published September 13, 2013
Near $1 Million Award in Unauthorized Palliative Care Death, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog, published September 6, 2013

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