Drugs and medication are powerful chemical compounds that can change your body chemistry and have drastic effects on your life – for better or for worse. It is vital that professions that manage medication for customers do so correctly. Errors in filling a prescription can result in severe harm to the victim of a medication or wrong prescription error.
Miami medication error and wrong prescription lawyer Prosper Shaked represents victims of these kinds of errors and fights to get them compensation for the harm they suffered. If you received tainted medication, altered or adulterated drugs, or the wrong prescription, you may be entitled to file a lawsuit against the pharmacy, prescribing healthcare provider, and/or the medication manufacturer. For help with your case, contact the Prosper Shaked Accident Injury Attorneys PA today at (305) 694-2676.
How Does a Patient Get the Wrong Medication?
Prescription medication goes through a long process between manufacturing and when the patient takes the prescription. This means that there are many potential parties along the way that could be at fault for the errors. The process starts at the manufacturer who produces the medication and transports it to the pharmacy. The pharmacy is either part of a hospital or a doctor’s services or it is operated by an independent pharmacy company. Your doctor or another healthcare provider will write a prescription and send it to the pharmacy where a pharmacist will fill the prescription. Any errors that occur typically happen at the hands of the manufacturers, transporters, prescribing doctor, or pharmacists.
Manufacturing Errors
Manufacturers can commit errors when they produce the medication incorrectly. A batch of medicine could be manufactured to the wrong strength or may include the wrong drug. There could also be errors with the medication becoming tainted by conditions at the factory or by contaminating it with other medication. Medication may also be incorrectly packaged or incorrectly labeled at this stage, causing a chain reaction of problems throughout the process.
Transportation Errors
Improper transportation can cause problems with medication. Drugs are sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity, and if the trucks and other vehicles used to transport medication are not properly climate-controlled, the medication could be damaged, lose effectiveness, or otherwise face problems from adulteration or contamination.
Prescription Errors
Doctors are responsible for prescribing the correct medication. A doctor may confuse medications or simply commit an error when writing down the name of the medication on the prescription slip. If this happens, you may get a prescription for the wrong drug entirely, but you may not notice the error if you are not a medical expert.
Pharmacy Errors
Pharmacists are responsible for filling the drug the doctor prescribed. If the pharmacist receives improperly labeled medication or gets a prescription order for the wrong drug, they will typically fill it as requested and the patient will get the wrong drug. Other incidents at the pharmacy may lead to the wrong drug being filled. Pharmacists can misread prescription orders, mix up drugs, or simply fill an order with the wrong drug.
Our prescription error and wrong medication lawyer will investigate the problems in your case and determine why you received the wrong medication. Any responsible parties can be taken to court and held responsible for their errors in your case.
Injuries and Harm from Taking the Wrong Medication
If you received the wrong prescription for your ailment, you could face two major types of harm. First, you could face unnecessary effects from receiving the wrong prescription. If a pharmacist or doctor gives you drugs you are allergic to or fills a prescription with a drug that has harsh side effects and potential health consequences of taking it when you do not need it, you could become quite sick or injured. Second, your condition or illness will go untreated if you are given the wrong medication. This means that you will not receive the therapeutic effects of the drugs you were supposed to receive, and your condition may go untreated and become worse.
In many cases, you will need additional medical care to deal with these negative effects, and the harm from taking the wrong medication can lead you to miss work if you become sicker. When you file a lawsuit for the harms you suffered, you may be able to claim compensation for these financial harms. A lawsuit can cover the additional medical care you needed to help after facing the toxicity or side effects of prescription errors.
The immediate effects you face can also lead to compensation for pain and suffering. Many prescriptions are used to treat acute illness or ongoing physical symptoms. If you suffer physical pain and discomfort or mental and emotional suffering from taking the wrong medication and having your true condition go untreated, you can claim substantial compensation in a lawsuit.
Miami Lawyer for Prescription Medication Errors and Pharmacy Errors
If you received the wrong medication and suffered serious harm from the side effects or you suffered because your condition went untreated, you may be entitled to financial compensation. Call Miami medication error and wrong prescription attorney Prosper Shaked today to discuss filing a lawsuit against the pharmaceutical manufacturer, transporter, physician, or pharmacist responsible for your harm. Call Prosper Shaked today at (305) 694-2676 to schedule a free consultation on your case.