4 Common Types of Prescription Drug Errors

A prescription drug error is a specific type of medical malpractice that can have devastating consequences. When a medication error results, it can be the result of many things, including the following:

Wrong Medication

A patient might receive the wrong medication and there are a few different ways this can happen. If the patient fills a written prescription, it’s possible that the doctor’s handwriting was misunderstood and a completely different medication with a similar name is prescribed. Other times, a pharmacist may be the one responsible for this mistake when filling the prescription, or may even accidentally switch your prescription with another patient that has a name that’s similar to yours.
If there wasn’t a mix-up, a patient might receive the wrong medication if he or she was wrongly diagnosed. In other situations, the right diagnosis may have been made, but a poor treatment plan was put in place. For example, a known drug allergy can cause issues if the patient is prescribed a treatment that he or she should not be taking.

Too Strong of a Dosage

Receiving the right medication doesn’t always mean the dosage is correct. Another type of medication error is dosage errors, or more specifically, receiving too strong of a dosage. When a patient receives more medication than they should be, it can make their condition worse, rather than better. In some cases, this can result in a fatal overdose.

Too Low of a Dosage

Receiving too low of a dosage can be just as much as a problem. If a patient is prescribed the right medication, but the dosage is too low, he or she may not be receiving the level of treatment they need. This can potentially cause their condition to worsen and can lead to deadly consequences.

Wrong Directions

Sometimes, a patient is prescribed the correct medication and the correct dosage, but the administration directions printed on the bottle could be incorrect. In some situations, this mistake could be the pharmacy’s fault. If a patient doesn’t receive the correct instructions, he or she may be taking the medication too often (or not enough) throughout the day.
 
Have you or someone you know been injured as the direct result of a prescription drug error? You may be entitled to financial damages through a medical malpractice lawsuit. Our medical malpractice lawyers will fight for your rights to monetary compensation if you or a loved one was harmed as the direct result of a medical professional’s negligence. Contact our medical malpractice lawyers today for more information.