This week, CNN reported the story of a Colorado woman who is six weeks pregnant and was prescribed an antibiotic, but was mistakenly given a cancer drug that is also used to induce early abortions. The mistake happened at her local pharmacy. This situation raises the question: how closely do you look at the label when you pick up your prescriptions?
According the the CNN article, the National Patient Safety Foundation reports that about 3 billion prescriptions are filled at neighborhood pharmacies each year, and nearly 30 million of those prescriptions are dispensed improperly. CNN offers 3 tips for picking up your prescriptions.
Write down your prescription information. When you give the pharmacist your prescription, you won’t have a record of what your doctor prescribed. So write down your prescription information so you can make sure you get the right medication.
Check the label. Double check the label to make sure it is your name, your medication, and the right dosage.
Open the bottle. While you’re at the pharmacist’s, CNN recommends opening the bottle and showing the pills to the pharmacist and ask if it’s the drug you’ve been prescribed.
When it comes to your health and your prescriptions, it’s better to be safe than sorry.