Pregnant Colorado Woman Mistakenly Given Abortion Pill

[Jennasis]

So terribly sad. I can only hope her baby will be okay.

This is very much the pharmacy's fault and I'm sure she will sue them into oblivion. However, as others have stated, she should've checked the label. For this very reason.

Not long ago, I went to pick up DH's cholesterol med from our pharmacy. We have a very unique last name and nobody can spell it or pronounce it. SO I tell the girl behind the counter his name, and she must've come back to me 3 times asking "what was his name again?". I finally wrote it out for her. Well she comes back, hands me his bag and I'm about to drive off (drive through!) when I happened to peak at the bag...SO not his name. In fact, it was a woman's name on the bag and her first and last name were not even remotely close to his other than the first letters. So instead of "Michael Supercalafragilisticexpealidocious", I was handed "Martha Sampsons" medication.

I called her back over and told her about the screw up. No apology. no woops! Just a roll of the eyes and she disappeared into the back for 5 more minutes before she found it.

Lucky I checked.

 

[Jennasis]

How stupid of her to actually trust the pharmacy. She should have known that people are to stupid to do their jobs correctly. Yeah, it's her fault for not double checking the professionals.

I really hope that she is able to have a healthy pregnancy and baby. I can't imagine the the fear that she is experiencing right now. I would be devastated if something like that had happened to me.

I know you're being facetious, but you are right. Trust no one. Double check, especially when it comes to drugs. Mistakes like this happen in pharmacies, hospitls and doctor's offices all the time. Remember when Dennis Quaid's twins were given the wrong dose of heperin and almost killed? Medical professionals are NOT infallible.

 

[ccgirl]

picked up an Rx for DD everything was labeled correctly-
went to put new pills with current(space issue- lots of Rx bottles) and noticed that they were different shape- very slight!
WORNG med! her Rx was for 10mg- she was given 100mg- can we say massive OD! they were the same color, and almost the same shape, just an extra "corner" if I hadn't caught that...

I was just going to stress this. PLEASE PLEASE not only check the medication is correct but the dosage as well. I have caught my children being given adult doses of medications more times than I care to from various pharmacies. I am a bit anal and take a picture with my cell phone of the prescription the MD writes. I then compare that to the bottle I was actual given by the pharmacy. Drug errors can be life changing/ending mistakes.

 

[sparklynails23]

I was just going to stress this. PLEASE PLEASE not only check the medication is correct but the dosage as well. I have caught my children being given adult doses of medications more times than I care to from various pharmacies. I am a bit anal and take a picture with my cell phone of the prescription the MD writes. I then compare that to the bottle I was actual given by the pharmacy. Drug errors can be life changing/ending mistakes.

I reamed a young pharmacist who gave my son an adult dosage of a medication when he was a baby. I caught it when I got to the car, but that was something he needed to be more careful about.

 

[indimom]

My sister has a common name for our area and received a prescription intended for another woman in town with the same first and last name. She caught it before she even left the store, but the pharmacists were shocked.

I certainly hope that everything turns out okay for this woman and her baby. What an awful thing to have happen.

 

[NikitaZee]

I was just going to stress this. PLEASE PLEASE not only check the medication is correct but the dosage as well. I have caught my children being given adult doses of medications more times than I care to from various pharmacies. I am a bit anal and take a picture with my cell phone of the prescription the MD writes. I then compare that to the bottle I was actual given by the pharmacy. Drug errors can be life changing/ending mistakes.

Great advice. I usually look at the dosage - though not always - but how would I know if it were too much or too little? I think I'll make sure to ask my doctor and my kids' pediatrician what he's prescribing, and in what dosage, from now on.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Uggh, when I saw this my heart sank. That poor woman isn't going to have a moments peace until her child is born, what a horror.

I was handed heart medicine once for a woman with the same name but a different birthdate, thank heavens I noticed it. Truthfully the only reason I realized it was because I was getting a refill of my migraine medicine and stopped because I knew what it should have said and thought they had given me a weird generic. When I came home & looked it up my mouth dropped and when I called they just glossed over it. I was also once handed my FIL's prescription along with others for my family and didn't realize it until I was home.

I bet this happens a lot.

 

[Nik's Mom]

My ds was given the wrong prescription about a year ago. I always check before leaving the pharmacy, so I was able to give them a lecture right on the spot. The pharmacy staff were horrified and kept apologizing.

It's a sad story for that woman, but a good learning opportunity for people. Please check your medications when you pick them up from the pharmacy!

 

[shortbun]

I do I don't know anyone who checks the package.

Wow! I check packaging every time. I read the description on the paperwork and compare. I've caught two meds that were dispensed as a generic that did not match the description. Both were safe to take but I didn't take them until I verified. I can not imagine being so trusting about a drug. I am very, very sorry this happened to the woman in Colorado. I blame the pharmacy, of course, BUT we should all learn from this.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Can't somebody at the pharmacy be charged with negligence or something?

 

[FlightlessDuck]

So, the person behind the counter handing over your prescription to you may not have a high school education.

"Education" isn't the only issue. People are human beings and make mistakes. I've had to deal with several incompetent doctors last year. College and med school didn't keep them from making mistakes

 

[Nik's Mom]

"Education" isn't the only issue. People are human beings and make mistakes. I've had to deal with several incompetent doctors last year. College and med school didn't keep them from making mistakes

So true. That is why we all need to double check to make sure we are given the right prescription.

 

[shaylyn]

How awful! I was given the same medication, methotrexate, in the form of a shot, to end an abdominal ectopic pregnancy in 2002 that would otherwise have killed me. My little one was growing on the wall of my abdomen, not inside of my uterus.

I hope she was able to induce vomiting in time to save the life of her baby.

 

[SookieStackhouse]

Unbelievable

 

[AKL_Megs]

Can't somebody at the pharmacy be charged with negligence or something?

I don't think it was done with criminal intent, it was a BAD mistake. No crime was committed.

I feel terrible for her, but agree with the 50/50.

I always double check my meds. Mostly, I am nosy, but I read all of the provided information.

Actually, two days ago I was picking up a refill. I have a common last name, and apparently there is another Megs Lastname at my pharmacy, because the tech was halfway to me with the script before he re-asked me my DOB. Yep, not my pills.

 

[Rora]

So sad.

 

[themilesfamily]

Coulda, woulda, shoulda. I think whether the woman read the packaging or not is irrelevant. The pharmacy distributed the wrong meds. It was their job to deliver the patient the correct medication.

What will probably happen -- she will file a lawsuit and the pharmacy will settle.

I came across this article of the exact same thing happening at a pharmacy in 2008.

Many Lawsuits Against Pharmacies Settled in Silence
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/health/2008-02-13-pharmacy-errors-secrecy_N.htm

 

[tiggersbombed2]

A reminder to all to check their meds when they get them. Reminds me of It's a Wonderful Life. That movie made me a med check freak.

I hope the mom and baby come out of this alright. What an awful thing to have happen.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

I always double check *and* research what I'm taking before it goes in my mouth. I even now double check every medication or treatment by any of my family members' medical providers. We had a BAD BAD BAD horrible awful experience with a NICU Dr...

That poor woman.

I do have personal experience with methotrexate. I've had to take methotrexate to help pass a missed miscarraige (NOT AN ABORTION, the baby had no heartbeat, I was devastated.) and it took multiple pills at a high dose to actually work. I'm sure if she was able to regurgitate the pill that she and the baby will be fine... at least I hope so.

 

[rchristiansen]

"Education" isn't the only issue. People are human beings and make mistakes. I've had to deal with several incompetent doctors last year. College and med school didn't keep them from making mistakes

A lot of my graduate school studies focused on patient safety and accident prevention and I have read many stories similar to this. It is true that even the most educated person can contribute to an accident such as this. Many factors are involved when accidents like this occur. One contributing factor can not be blamed. Here's a good illustration:

http://patientsafetyed.duhs.duke.edu/module_e/swiss_cheese.html

The good thing is there IS much research in this field of patient safety.