Pharmaceutical Malpractice Cases Are Serious

Laws

Every year large amounts of money is paid out by pharmaceutical companies and drug stores for pharmaceutical malpractice claims.  Severe medical conditions and even death can result from the incorrect dosage being administered or the incorrect use of the medication.

Pharmaceutical malpractice can occur when:

  • There is a medication mix-up between patients
  • The wrong dosage of the medication is given to the patient
  • The wrong instruction pamphlet is given with the medication or the incorrect instruction information is given
  • The wrong medication was given to the patient when medication with a similar name was actually prescribed
  • The pharmacist misreads the doctor’s handwriting on the prescription paper and the patient receives the incorrect medication
  • The pharmacy does not correctly compound the prescription drug

There are some things patients can do to minimize the impact of pharmaceutical errors.  If a patient who has received the wrong medication from a pharmacy or drug store, but has not taken it prior to catching the mistake, the patient should call the pharmacy and inform them of the mistake and pick up the correct prescription.  If the patient takes the drug then catches the mistake, the patient should contact their doctor or pharmacist immediately to notify them and the patient can be informed of any side effects they should be watching for and for how long they should be watching for them.  Patients who experience any reaction after taking the wrong medication should seek medical attention immediately.

Most of the time patients will not know that they have taken the wrong medication until they have experienced adverse side effects.  They then go to the hospital or their doctor who informs them of the problem.  Patients will often need to make a trip to the emergency room and stay there if the mistake is severe enough.  There are some cases where a patient may die from a medication error.

Medication errors are very serious, especially if a health condition results.  When the incorrect dosage of a medication is administered, wrong instructions are given, or the pharmacy or drug store gives the wrong medication to a patient, the pharmacy is liable for negligence should the adverse reactions injure the patient or the patient dies as a result of the error.

If you or a loved one has been injured or has died due to a medication error, contact an experienced Kingston, New York medical malpractice attorney as soon as possible to evaluate your case.

But what do you think?  I would love to hear from you!  Leave a comment or I also welcome your phone call on my toll-free cell at 1-866-889-6882 or you can drop me an e-mail at jfisher@fishermalpracticelaw.com.  You are always welcome to request my FREE book, The Seven Deadly Mistakes of Malpractice Victims, at the home page of my website at www.protectingpatientrights.com.