Medication Errors – Beware of Bad Medicine!
Some drugs go on the market before adequate safety testing is done and end up harming people through unknown side effects. Sometimes, doctors prescribe drugs that react dangerously with your current medication or interfere with your medical history. And other times, pharmacists give patients the wrong drug or an incorrect dosage. This type of error is called pharmacy malpractice and it can lead to serious complications, illness, and even death.
At The S.E. Farris Law Firm, we are the Missouri medication error lawyers who help victims of pharmacy malpractice. If you or a family member has been harmed because of medication errors due to pharmacist negligence, call us at 314-A-LAWYER today for a free consultation. Speak with an attorney who will listen to your side of the story and help determine if you have a case, and who will fight to get you the compensation and justice you deserve.
Pharmacist Negligence
You pharmacist is responsible for dispensing your medication as ordered by your doctor. If your pharmacist gives you the wrong drug, an incorrect dosage, or the wrong instructions to go with your medication, it is considered pharmacist negligence, and he or she can be held liable for injuries that result from it.
Reasons for Medication Errors
Dispensing errors account for more than 20% of all medication errors. Errors happen most frequently during transcription – entering information into the computer. Hard to read or incomplete prescriptions also cause a lot of errors if a pharmacist guesses at, instead of verifying, what is written.
Some medications look alike, while other medication names sound alike. This can easily cause a pharmacist who’s not being careful to give you the wrong drug. Other medications, like insulin, require precise dosing instructions, so even slight errors can cause life-threatening effects.
Help Prevent Medication Errors
You have the right to safe and proper medication, but mistakes do happen. Millions of documented medication errors occur each year, while many more go unreported. The best way to avoid them is to talk to your and your family’s health care providers every time they prescribe medications. Understand what the medicine is, why you’re taking it, and how much you need. This gives you a better chance of recognizing an error before it’s too late. Malpractice cases have very short time limits to file a claim, and it is crucial that you contact an attorney as soon as an error is suspected.
Contact a St. Louis Pharmacy Malpractice Attorney
If you have been harmed by a medication error due to pharmacist negligence, call The S.E. Farris Law Firm today. You may be entitled to compensation for your pain and suffering. The time to act is now, so call our experienced pharmacy malpractice attorneys at 314-A-LAWYER for a free consultation. For more personal injury topics from the S.E. Farris Law Firm, visit Injury Law News.