I often listen to a radio show on National Public Radio – called the people’s pharmacy. The show features many members of the medical community, discussing relevant health issues.
Yesterday, the show had a feature on pharmacy errors. The hosts reported that more pharmacy errors occur in the beginning of the month because that is when elderly receive their social security checks and buy their medications – thereby increasing volume of prescriptions to be filled. They also reported the story of a woman who was prescribed prenatal vitamins, and the pharmacy made an error, giving her chemotherapy medication – that likely caused a miscarriage.
This is serious stuff friends – we have cases of pharmacy negligence. Don’t trust them! Open the bottle in the store; ask questions; don’t sign the sheet until you have; make sure it is the same dose you normally receive; is it a generic? Have you had success with the generic? If not – ask then to get the doctor’s office on the line. It may take an extra 5 minutes in line, but its worth it if you catch an error… And as medical professionals, pharmacists need to make sure they distributing the correct medications.