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You are in: Home Page | Personal Injury | Medical Negligence Claims | General Clinical Negligence Issues | Prescription Errors

Prescription Errors

Injuries caused by Prescription Errors
  Incorrect medication can cause injuries
Examples of errors made when prescribing medication
  How mistakes with prescriptions come to happen
Real clients we have helped with prescription error claims
  Prescription error claims we have dealt with
Compensation Claim Advice
  How to start a Claim for Compensation

Injuries caused by Prescription Errors

Incorrect medication can cause injuries

Taking the wrong medication can cause serious side effects and in rare cases can result in death depending on the drug involved and how long it is taken for.  Although in an ideal situation, you should be able to trust that you have been given the correct medication, in reality you should always check the packaging, contents and literature included with all medicines before taking it.

If you are issued with a prescription for medication by a hospital or a GP you should check that the medication you are given by the chemist matches the prescription you handed in and also that the medication prescribed is the correct type and strength to treat the condition you have.  Check that the contents match the box and the prescription sticker before taking the medication and query any discrepancies with your pharmacist.

If you are caused harm by prescription medication given to you in error, you may be able to make a personal injury claim for compensation.  To find out if Thompsons Solicitors can help you, call us on 08000 224 224 or complete one of our online personal injury compensation claim forms.

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Examples of errors made when prescribing medication

How mistakes with prescriptions come to happen

There are many different ways in which patients can end up taking the wrong medication.  For example:

Medication prescribed for too long

If a course of medication is prescribed for too long of a period, this can cause injuries as some medication has harmful side effects if it is taken over a long period of time.  This type of error is most likely to occur where a patient is allowed to keep ordering repeat prescriptions without being examined by a doctor.

Incorrect dosage being prescribed

Quite often the same medication is available in several different doses and mistakes can happen when either a GP prescribes the incorrect dose or a pharmacist misreads the prescription and supplies the incorrect dose to the patient.  It has also happened that an adult dose has been prescribed to a child in error.

Medication supplied which patient is allergic to

If you have been found to be allergic to a particular drug in the past it should be clearly noted on your medical records and you should not be prescribed with any medication in the future containing the ingredient you are allergic to.  Mistakes do happen though and serious side effects can occur if a person takes medication they are allergic to.

Two or more medicines which should not be taken together

Serious reactions can occur if a patient is prescribed with two medications which should not be taken together.  This happens most frequently when a patient is prescribed with a new medication without checks being carried out to check if the patient is already taking any other medication.

If you have suffered injuries due to errors made when medication was prescribed to you, you may be able to make a personal injury claim for compensation.  For more information contact us on 08000 224 224 or complete one of our online personal injury compensation claim forms.

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Real clients we have helped with prescription error claims

Prescription error claims we have dealt with

In the past, Thompsons Solicitors have dealt with many clinical negligence cases where patients have been harmed due to errors made with prescription drugs.  Below, you will find just two examples of claims we have successfully handled to recover compensation for the injured person.

GP prescribed medication patient was allergic to

Our client in this case was a man who suffered from psoriasis and when he developed an infection, the dermatology clinic advised his GP to prescribe him with some antibiotics.

Despite the fact that it was well documented within his medical notes that he was allergic to penicillin, his GP prescribed him with penicillin-based antibiotics.

The man took the prescription drugs and suffered an allergic reaction.  His psoriasis worsened and he was in pain.  He had to be admitted to hospital for 10 days while his symptoms were brought under control.

Thompsons Solicitors' clinical negligence team successfully made a claim for compensation on behalf of the injured man as his GP should have seen from his medical records that he was allergic to penicillin and prescribed an antibiotic which was not penicillin-based.

Wrong Medication dispensed by chemist

In this case our client was a 72 year old gentleman from the Midlands who had recently had gall bladder removal surgery.  He was given a prescription for Omeprazole which was prescribed for a pre existing stomach condition and his wife attended a very well known chemist to collect the medication for him. The medication was placed in a sealed bag and our client’s wife reasonably took it for the medication as prescribed.

However, after taking several dosses of the medication, our client began to suffer symptoms of dizziness, problems sleeping, blurred vision, acid reflux and muscle ache. Our client continued to take the medication as he initially believed that his symptoms may be due to his gall bladder surgery. A week after taking the medication, our client began to suspect that his medication may be the cause of his quite sudden onset of symptoms. Upon checking the name of the medication on the box and the enclosed leaflet, on the internet, it was realised that the tablets were for patients with high blood pressure. He had therefore been dispensed the incorrect medication by the chemist.

Our client highlighted this error to his GP and to the chemist involved who then provided him with the correct medication and apologised for the serious error that occurred. It took our client months to fully recover from the error made. Thompsons were successful in representing this client by submitting a claim, obtaining a formal acceptance of fault from the chemist and finally receiving compensation for the damage caused to the client as a result of the dispensing error.

Repeat Prescription dispensed incorrectly

Our client, in this case was a gentleman from Wales who attended his GP for a repeat prescription of Amitriptyline of which he normally took 3 tablets daily. This medication is an anti-depressant. The medication was prescribed and then collected from his local chemist.

After taking several doses of the medication, our client suffered from a lack of sleep, severe headaches, nausea, dizziness and a feeling of disorientation. Our client continued to take the medication in the assumption that his symptoms may be unrelated. Some days after taking the medication, he noticed that the printed label on the medication box read Amitriptyline but the actual box and the enclosed information leaflet read Amlodipine. This medication treats patients with high blood pressure and therefore acts to reduce a patient’s blood pressure.

Our client contacted NHS Direct and was advised to attend his local hospital immediately. Upon attending the hospital, he was seen by a Cardio-Vascular consultant who explained the seriousness of the incident to our client and admitted him for 2 days for treatment. Our client was left with continuing symptoms of dizziness and blurred vision which lasted just under a year.

The error was highlighted to the chemist who acknowledged the error but did not take any further action. Thompsons successfully represented this gentleman in a Clinical negligence claim against the chemist due to their incorrect dispensing of medication and obtained an admission of fault from the chemist and compensation for the client after submitting a claim and obtaining necessary medical evidence on his behalf.

We have also assisted with a case involving incorrectly prescribed Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).  Read about this case by visiting Hormone Replacement Therapy.

If you have been harmed because of errors made with a prescription, you may be able to make a claim for compensation.  To find out more call us on 08000 224 224 or complete one of our online personal injury compensation claim forms.

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Compensation Claim Advice

How to start a Claim for Compensation

Thompsons Solicitors have years of experience in dealing with cases involving clinical negligence.

If you or anyone you know has suffered from any form of clinical negligence, telephone us now for accurate claim advice.

There are strict time limits in place to make any personal injury compensation claim. For further information, contact us or visit our Questions Answered page.

Thompsons Solicitors are experts in all matters relating to clinical negligence and will be able to advise you as to whether or not you have a valid claim for compensation. Our specialist clinical negligence lawyers will be happy to talk you through the process of making a claim in plain English and will be happy to answer any questions or queries you may have.

Telephone us now on 08000 224 224 or complete one of our online personal injury compensation claim forms.

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