Are you freaking kidding me? I'm so sorry for this poor girl. She was given another woman with the same last name and similar first name's prescription. Instead of an antibiotic she was given a drug that is used to terminate pregnancy early on.
Isaac Levi 4/26/09 : BFP#2 - MC 9w : Ezra John 6/26/11 : Miriam Joy 4/12/13 : Naomi Ann 9/2/14
Re: From 2nd Tri: PG woman given wrong Rx
I heard this on the news today. Terrible.
And really, it's not that off the wall. There are so many drugs (and so many that sound the same), so many patients, pharmacists are SO busy and bogged down with stupid insurance garbage, which can distract them, and so many people don't pay attention to what the medication looks like or what it is called exactly -- it's a perfect storm for this kind of thing.
DD #1 born 9/07 ** DD #2 born 7/11 ** Operation Take Back My Body has begun 10/11
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I heard that on the radio this morning. They said she has three possible outcomes: 1. Lose the baby
2. Have the baby with severe birth defects
3. Have a perfectly healthy baby.
What a terrible situation.
I feel bad for her, but at the same time LEARN HOW TO READ YOUR RX BOTTLE AND DIRECTIONS AND SIDE EFFECTS BEFORE YOU POP SOMETHING IN YOUR MOUTH!!!!
Sorry I work at a pharmacy and this rarely happens but seriously ppl read your ***.
I saw that!
So so sad. I don't know what I'd do if I was her.
I'm amazed though that she didn't check the bottle. I'm paranoid about stuff like that.
Also, I want to know what pharmacy protocol was there. I can't hardly buy cough drops with out signing a consent form saying I and the tech checked the name on the bottle and agreed it was correct. I also have to get my driver's license out to prove it's me. They also ALWAYS ask to verify my birthdate.
DD #1 born 9/07 ** DD #2 born 7/11 ** Operation Take Back My Body has begun 10/11
Upcoming Races
Gobble Wobble 5K 11/24/11 - Abington, PA 29:40
Superbowl 10K 02/05/12 - Allentown, PA 54:28 PR!!!!
Broad Street 10 Mile Run 05/06/12 - Philadelphia, PA 1:30:44
Rock and Roll Half Marathon 09/16/12 - Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia (Half?!?) Marathon 11/18/12 - Philadelphia, PA
DD1, Kathleen 9/15/2007
i smell a lawsuit with this one.
That is just awful and I couldn't imagine that happening but I would always read the bottle before popping a new drug
That's so horrifying
I used to get my Rx at Safeway and they always, always would verify my DOB before giving me my meds. They also would often verify my address. This just seems like such a case of letting the importance of taking proper precautions fall through the cracks on behalf of BOTH parties. I can't fathom taking a prescription without looking at the bottle, and I always carefully read the literature provided to verify dosing instructions and side-effects.
Either way, it's tragic and I hope and pray with all my might that her baby is okay.
YEp..I am very paranoid with strangers touching medication for me, DH, or DS I ALWAYS check to make sure names match and the medication is indeed what we wanted
That is horrible. I hope her baby is ok. But It is shocking that people do not read their Rx bottles before taking it. Pharmacies make mistakes all the time.
Also of a completely different note it bothers me that they labeled it Abortion pill, because it definitely is not, the only time it is given to end pregnancy is when the person has miscarried but not expelled the products of conception.
Not to stick up for this pharmacy but:
I have worked in a pharmacy for 7 years and many many many times the Dr or nurse say they called into the pharmacy but never do.
It is also possible they didnt receive the vm, fax or erx yet. People always come straight to the pharmacy right after the Dr office and assume there rx will be there and waiting ready to be picked up. If it was e scribed there is always a delay in the system.
but still that is weird that they had filled that other rx you had just gotten, because chances are if you just got it, it would not have gone through the insurance..
That is very sad. I couldn't imagine the devastation I'd feel going through that. I really hope her baby is okay.
I didn't watch the news story, but I have to say it is partially her responsibility. She should have read the information that came with her prescription. Pharmacists are human beings, too, and they make mistakes. It is our job as consumers to make sure we know what we are putting into our bodies.
I actually looked it up, and it is the abortion pill
I took misoprostol when I had my missed m/c, that's the one that causes the contraction and expels the contents of the uterus. The one they gave her is the first part of an abortion- the one that kills the fetus. I agree she should have read the bottle, though. My pharmacy has given me the wrong prescription before (it was my prescription, but not the one I was trying to fill).
I have to agree. It is sad, but at the same time you should always check the bottle. I always check the bottle and read over the RX description.
Did they say what the drug was? I used to take a drug called arthrotec (anti-inflammatory) and it contained misoprostol.. which causes abortions. I wonder if its the same thing.
Edit - It was a cancer drug (cancer drugs kill cells), so it also causes abortions. Either way, that sucks.
I work in a pharmacy too and while I agree what happened was a shame I have to say people need to step up and manage/understand their own medicine!
The big wigs in these major companies (CVS/Safeway/Walgreens/Rite Aid...) are pushing way too much demand and responsibilities on their staff and pharmacists it's no wonder mistakes like the wrong med being dispensed to the wrong patient happens. Pharmacists (generally there is only one staff) are the only ones (besides interns of course) that can talk to MDs, counsel customers, deal with customer med questions on the phone or in the store, verify scripts before they go out to the customer and more. That's just what they went to school for. Add to that the dumb-ass demands their companies throw at them now to increase profit.
It just sickens me that people don't take it upon themselves for understanding and taking responsibility for their own meds or health.
I read that they gave her methotrexate. That is a cancer drug. it is used to treat certain cancers. It is an FDA approved drug for cancer...it is not labeled for use of pregnancy termination (though it is used in conjunction with another pill (misoprostil) for that purpose).
So really, they need to stop saying "oh...they gave her an abortion drug". Because that is not it's main use....they are just trying to make sensational headline news.
THat may not have been why methytrexate was developed, but it is prescribed by doctors to terminate pregnancies- which is why I said it was the abortion pill as opposed to the one for missed miscarriage.
I took meds for interstitial cystitis that are actually anti-seisure meds, as well as antidepressants, but if asked what meds I was taking I didn't say ant -seisure meds and antidepressants, I said it was interstitial cystitis meds.
In this case I doubt a 50-something woman was getting an abortion, so you are right about the news sensationalizing it for their purposes, but I was not trying to sensationalize, only clarify that she was not taking a medicine that is only prescribed for miscarriages, she took the one that induces abortion by killing the fetus.
I'm not even paranoid, I just like to know what the heck I'm putting into my body and what all possible side effects are.
That is sad, but this is a PERFECT reason why people need to look at their RX bottles to be sure it has their name on it. In fact, I often double check to be sure the pills in the bottle are in fact what was prescribed. A pill reference book is easy to obtain and inexpensive.
It would be great if we could trust everyone...but we can't. Consumers have to protect themselves.
We'll miss you sweet Debbie Girl (4.21.12) and sweet Cindy Girl (8.9.12)

exactly what kind of charges are you thinking here?
We'll miss you sweet Debbie Girl (4.21.12) and sweet Cindy Girl (8.9.12)

I saw that, the poor woman, my heart goes out to her.
Can you saw lawsuit?
6/14/10 BFP; 6/30/10 Dx ectopic
11/16/10 BFP #2; DD born 7/26/11
I don't know anything about the law, so IDK, but I feel like the person responsible for handing that girl another person's medication should be subject to some type of punishment (or fine) to deter them from being careless in the future. I'm not saying they should do hard time, but they chose a profession where making a mistake could be life of death for their customers, and there has to some accountability on their part for making careless mistakes. Saying 'I'm sorry' is not enough, especially if that baby dies. I still think that girl holds part of the responsibility- when I go to the pharmacy I always ask if there are any interactions with OTC meds, make sure I know the appropriate instructions for when and how to take my meds, etc. which is how I have found out that I was given the wrong pills in the past.
I'm betting that most likely the person who gave the med to the patient is a pharmacy tech. Most likely one that is not certified, licensed or anything else along those line, so no, legally they are not responsible for their actions or wrong doing, or this case a faucking mistake made by a human being!
Everyone seems to want to lay blame here, but I think it's just a tragic accident. Not all pharmacy personnel will always give out the right Rx, and not all preg-brained pregnant ladies are going to remember to double check. Of course these things should always happen, but mistakes are inevitable. This one was particularly bad.
I think it's good that this is getting lots of media attention, because maybe pharmacies will be better at training employees. It's not the "big wigs" of pharmacy companies that push these things. In fact, those people tend to push policies that encourage general safety, like checking birth dates and addresses. It's the pharmacists and managers who need to train and enforce these policies better.
And hopefully the news will scare even the most scatterbrained among us into making checking our prescriptions a priority. It's a reminder to all of us to be responsible for ourselves!
This is true. I know a lot of my facebook friends zoomed right in on the fact that they are using "pregnant woman go abortion drug". And it's for headlines. Yes, that's a use of it. But why didn't they say "pregnant woman given a cancer drug deemed category X" or "pregnant woman given rheumatoid arthritis drug that is contraindicated in pregnancy". Wouldn't have as many readers then.
The article should be a lesson and educate the public on the seriousness of checking and being educated on your RXs. But,of course, they need to sensationalize. *sigh*