What to Do If You Were Prescribed the Wrong Medication
If you are one of the millions of people who rely on their prescription medications to manage a health condition or alleviate your symptoms, you know how dangerous it is to take the wrong drug. The incorrect medication could have an adverse interaction with another drug you are taking, while the absence of the medication that you need can cause additional health problems. If you were prescribed the wrong drug by your doctor or given the incorrect medication by a pharmacy, here’s what you should do.
Tell Your Doctor and Pharmacist
When you first notice the medication error, notify your pharmacy. Explain that you believe you were given the wrong drug and that you need the right prescription. You may need to bring the medication into your pharmacy so that a pharmacist can determine what medication you were given. Once you know what you were accidentally taking, tell your doctor what happened. Your doctor can help you understand what taking the incorrect medication might mean for your health and medical condition.
Get More Information About the Drug
In some cases, taking the wrong medication will only result in mild or minor effects. You may not notice any symptoms at all or not notice them for a long period of time. However, you could have the opposite experience. Some prescription medication errors lead to severe drug interactions and medical issues, such as allergic reactions, adverse interactions with other drugs, overdoses and underdoses. In addition, you may suffer harm from your original medical condition due to a lack of the correct prescription drug.
Ask your doctor for more information about the medication that you were prescribed in error. You can also do your own research through an online search from a reputable source, such as the National Institute of Health’s Drug Information Portal. This will give you more information about the drug that you were unintentionally prescribed, including a summary of the drug from the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and its possible side effects.
Document the Incident
If you suffered adverse health effects because you were prescribed the wrong medication by your doctor or given the wrong drug by a pharmacist, document the situation in detail. If you experienced a worsened health diagnosis or prognosis, an illness, infection, injury or organ damage because you were given the wrong drug, you may have grounds to file an injury claim in Kentucky for medical malpractice. Proving this type of claim requires clear and convincing evidence.
Start building your case by writing down everything you remember about the incident, including:
- When and where you picked up the medication.
- A copy of the original prescription from your doctor.
- The name of the medication you were supposed to be given.
- The name of the medication that you were given by mistake.
- When you discovered the mistake (how long you were taking the incorrect medication).
- A list of the people you informed about the mistake.
- The side effects and health problems that you experienced.
- Your medical records for any trips to the hospital or emergency room.
The more information and documentation that you collect about the medication error, the stronger your case will be if you need to file a lawsuit against your doctor or the pharmacy for medical negligence.
Consult With a Medical Malpractice Attorney About a Potential Claim
Pursuing a claim for an injury or illness caused by the incorrect prescription could result in payment for your related expenses, such as medical bills, future necessary medical care, pain and suffering, lost wages, and attorney’s fees. For more information about taking legal action due to a medication error in Kentucky, contact a lawyer at the Law Office of Hendy | Johnson | Vaughn | Emery to request a free case consultation. We can assist you with evidence collection and the claims process as a whole.