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An important component of recovering from injury or illness is receiving the appropriate medications that are necessary for the healing process. When medication errors happen at the pharmacy level, they can lead to serious health consequences that make reaching your fullest recovery that much more difficult – and that may cause further medical challenges. We look to the medical community to help us heal when we are ill or injured, and when they instead leave us even more harmed as a result of negligence, it amounts to a serious blow. If you have been harmed by a pharmacy error, seek the legal guidance of an experienced Florida pharmacy error attorney today. 

The Most Common Pharmacy Errors

While pharmacy errors can come in nearly limitless forms, there are several types that are both the most common and some of the most dangerous. 

Medication Errors

When a pharmacy dispenses the wrong medication, it means that you not only do not get the medicine that you do need but that you are also exposed to a medication that you don’t need. Receiving the wrong medication also means that you are more vulnerable to a dangerous drug interaction (between the drug that is in error and any other drugs that you take) – and because the drug isn’t the correct drug, to begin with, the pharmacist won’t be able to provide you with the necessary warnings related to potential drug interactions. In other words, a medication error can prove especially dangerous. 

Incorrect Dosage

The correct dosage is a critical part of any prescription, and if the dosage your pharmacy provides you with is incorrect, it can have serious consequences. In the end, drugs are toxins – with medical benefits that are deemed to outweigh the risks involved in the specific situation at hand. If your dosage is too high, however, the risks may sail beyond the benefits achieved. Further, if your dosage is too low, you run the risk of not receiving the health benefits you need but are still exposed to the drug’s attendant side effects.

 

Incorrect Patient Instructions

While it is important to be an advocate of your own health, it is also important to turn to medical professionals for the professional help and guidance you need. Prescription medications are scientifically complicated, and listening carefully to your pharmacist’s instructions and warnings in relation to any new prescriptions you’re taking is always well advised. If the forthcoming instructions, however, are inaccurate or outright incorrect, it can leave you at a decided health disadvantage. 

Oversight

When it comes to oversight for medication errors in the pharmacy, the Division of Medication Error Prevention and Analysis (DMEPA) and Division of Mitigation and Medication Error Surveillance (DMAMES) – within FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), Office of Medication Error Prevention and Risk Management (OMEPRM) – are responsible for monitoring and preventing all those medication errors that relate to naming, labeling, packaging, and designing drug products. 

Medication Error Reports

Medication error reporting forms are used to address medication errors that relate to marketed drug products, including all the following:

 

  • Prescription medications
  • Over the counter medications
  • Generic medications
  • Biosimilar medications 
  • Other therapeutic biologicals

 

While reporting medication errors to the FDA is voluntary, they encourage all healthcare professionals, consumers, patients, and drug manufacturers to report all medication errors, including those that relate to the following:

 

  • Container labels that are confusingly similar
  • Confusing prescribing information, which can lead to dangerous medication errors

 

Depending upon the type and the severity of the error involved, FDA can take a range of actions to help avoid further medication errors. 

The Damages You Suffer

The damages associated with pharmacy errors can be considerable. 

Medical Costs

If the pharmacy error causes your illness or injury to worsen or simply fails to adequately treat the ailment you are already suffering from, your medical bills can increase precipitously, including the cost of the following (as applicable):

 

  • Follow-up appointments with doctors, specialists, and/or other medical professionals)
  • Medical tests and diagnostics
  • Ongoing medical treatment and care
  • Increased medical intervention (if your illness has advanced due to the pharmacy error)

 

If you had an allergic reaction to the medication provided to you in the pharmacy error, the increase in your medical costs can be even more dramatic. 

Lost Earnings

If the pharmacy error is significant, you can be facing a difficult recovery ahead, which can translate to considerable lost earnings on the job. If your ability to perform your job in the future is affected, your earning potential can be diminished. 

Pain and Suffering

The physical pain and suffering you experience as a result of being exposed to the wrong medication, not receiving the correct medication, and/or receiving an incorrect dosage can be significant. When you add to this, however, the emotional pain and suffering associated with being injured by the medical entity that is meant to support your health and well-being – the pharmacy – can prove devastating. Further, some adverse pharmaceutical reactions can have serious emotional consequences that can include mood changes, increased anxiety, depressive episodes, physical reactions, GI issues, and more. 

An Experienced Florida Pharmacy Error Attorney Is Standing by to Help

A pharmacy error can have a profoundly negative effect on your health and your future, and obtaining just compensation can play an essential role in your ability to recover fully. The compassionate pharmacy error attorneys at Iscoe Law Firm – proudly serving Miami, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, Fort Lauderdale, and Broward County – are well acquainted with the serious nature of your claim and have considerable experience helping clients like you obtain the favorable claim resolutions they need to pursue their brightest futures. We’re here for you too, and because we care, we are available to take your call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year. To learn more about what we can do to help protect your legal rights, please don’t wait to contact us online or call us at 800-800-6500 today.

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