Pharmacy errors are still a major problem for patients simply trying to fill a prescription.

There are many causes of medication errors. Illegible handwriting on the part of the physician can be a factor in some cases, but the majority of pharmacy errors are due to the conduct of the pharmacy staff. Medication errors can be avoided through proper education, training, management and technology, but many large pharmacies are reluctant to take preventative actions that may reduce profit for the company.

• Dispensing the wrong drug to the right patient. In this case, the patient is given a different medication than the one on the physician’s script.
• Dispensing the right drug to the wrong patient. In this case, the script is filled correctly, but the medication is then given to the wrong patient.
• Misidentifying drugs. Many medications have similar names. Many providers will confuse medications because of their similar-sounding names and will then dispense the wrong medication.
• Dispensing the wrong dosage of the right drug. In this case, the patient is given the right medication, but is given either a dosage that is more or less than what the physician prescribed.
• Giving the wrong directions for taking the drug. In this case, the patient is given the correct medication and the right dosage, but is given the wrong instructions in how to take the medication.
• Giving a drug to a patient who has a drug allergy. In this case, the patient is allergic to a medication or an ingredient in a medication, but the pharmacy nevertheless gives the medication to the patient.
• Adulterated drugs. In this case, the patient is given a medication that has either expired or has been altered from its original manufactured state.
• Imitation/fake drugs. In this case, the patient is given a medication that is represented to be manufactured by a particular drug maker, but in reality was manufactured by someone else.
• Wrong combination of drugs. Some medications should not be mixed with one another. In this case, the pharmacist fills several prescriptions for medications that should not be mixed.

In a four-month investigation, 20/20’s investigative team went undercover and reported that many prescriptions are not even filled by pharmacists but by pharmacy technicians who are often just high school students.

The attorneys at the Kennedy Law Firm, LLP can help with any of these types of medication errors or others that are not listed. It is imperative that you contact an attorney soon after discovery of your medication error so that your rights may be protected.