Overdoses from medication are not always the patient’s fault. In many cases, negligent physicians and pharmacists may be responsible for you or a loved one taking an overdose of medication, and you may be able to hold your doctor or pharmacist responsible for these errors.
Medication overdoses can cause serious damage to your liver, kidneys, and other organs, and in severe cases, overdoses can even cause death. Talk to an attorney today if you or a loved one suffered an overdose because of a negligent prescription or pharmacy error. Prosper Shaked Accident Injury Attorneys PA’s Miami medication overdose lawyer might be able to take your case and fight to get you the compensation you need. To schedule a free legal consultation on your case, contact our law offices today at (305) 694-2676.
Holding Doctors and Pharmacies Accountable for Overdoses
When a doctor gives you a prescription for a drug, the physician should understand the potential side effects and the consequences of taking too much of a drug. In some cases, doctors do little to explain these side effects to their patients and fail to properly warn them about the effects of an overdose. Doctors may also make errors in prescribing medicine, giving patients doses that are too high. Lastly, pharmacists may make errors filling a prescription that leads to an overdose. Our attorney explains how these types of errors could lead to a lawsuit to seek compensation for the injuries you suffered during an overdose.
Failure to Warn
Pharmaceutical companies typically use labeling and pharmacy inserts to warn a potential recipient of their medication about the risks and dangers of taking their drugs. However, doctors often discuss the drugs they prescribe with their patients, and the doctor’s knowledge and warnings may work as a substitute for the pharmaceutical company’s warnings.
If your doctor began explaining the risks and side effects of a drug, it may be their responsibility to give you a complete warning of the risks of overdose and side-effects of taking too much of a drug. Especially if the drug is highly addictive or patients commonly build up a “tolerance” and begin to abuse the drug, your doctor should have a conversation with you about the drug and the risks of overdose. A failure to do so could be considered negligence, and you might be able to sue your doctor for the injuries you sustained.
Errors Prescribing Dangerous Drugs
When a doctor writes a prescription for medication, they should begin with a low dose to see how the patient is affected. In many cases, the doctor should also order tests, such as liver function tests, to see if the drugs are causing any problems with the patient’s body chemistry.
If your doctor moves too quickly and prescribes you too high of a dosage or prescribes you a dosage that is higher than the absolute minimum you need, the doctor may be negligent. Prescribing dangerous amounts of a drug to a patient can be negligent, especially if the patient is more vulnerable to drug misuse or overdose.
Other errors occur when the doctor is writing or submitting the prescription. Typos and other errors may cause a doctor to submit a dosage that is far higher than intended, potentially leading to an overdose.
Pharmaceutical Errors
Pharmacies are responsible for filling prescriptions as ordered. In some cases, your pharmacist might have the power to substitute in certain drugs or refuse to fill a prescription, and they should exercise this right if they are given a prescription that includes a dangerously high dosage. If they fill the high-dose drug without question, you may suffer injuries from an overdose.
Alternatively, pharmacists might make errors that cause you to receive a higher dosage than was prescribed. If pharmacists misread labels or prescriptions, you could end up with pills that have a much higher dosage than intended, and when you take these drugs, you could suffer from an overdose.
Compensation for Medication Overdoses in Miami, FL
If you are injured because of an overdose, you could face substantial health problems. Overdoses can cause damage to vital organs such as your heart, liver, kidneys, and other systems in your body. Many times, these overdoses result in physical symptoms like pain, vomiting, diarrhea, or more serious consequences such as muscle spasms, seizures, and other symptoms that require immediate medical attention.
Any medical bills, lost wages, or pain and suffering you face from a medication error resulting in an overdose should be compensated in court. Your doctor or pharmacist might be liable for these injuries, and taking them to court might get you the compensation you need to cover these costs.
Miami Medication Overdose Injury Lawyer Offering Free Consultations
If you or a loved one suffered serious illness or injury because of a medication overdose, talk to Miami medication overdose lawyer Prosper Shaked today. Prosper Shaked Accident Injury Attorneys PA may be able to investigate your case, find the responsible parties, and hold them accountable for the injuries you faced. Contact our law offices today at (305) 694-2676 to set up a free legal consultation on your pharmaceutical overdose injury case.