Health

Pharmacy Mistakenly Gives Pregnant Woman Abortion Pill

A first-time mother might lose her unborn child after her Colorado pharmacy mistakenly sent her home with an abortion pill instead of the antibiotic her doctor prescribed her.

Mareena Silva, who is six months pregnant, received the incorrect prescription drug last Thursday. “I took it because I thought it was mine,” Silva told Denver’s local ABC affiliate.

But after she began to feel nauseous, a closer examination of the pill bottle revealed the medicine was actually not hers. “I came back and I looked at the bottle and it wasn’t my name,” she said.

“My doctor immediately told me to try and make myself vomit to see if I could get the medicine to come back up,” Silva recalled. She was then rushed to the hospital where doctors gave her charcoal to try and absorb as much of the digested drug as possible.

Silva received the mistaken drug from her local Safeway pharmacy which has since issued an apology for the error. “We are also very concerned about how this happened and we are conducting a full and complete investigation,” the store said in a statement. “Safeway has pharmacy systems and processes in place to prevent this kind of occurrence. We have a well-earned reputation for reliably and safely filling prescriptions, and we will continue to work diligently to ensure our procedures and policies are being followed at each of our pharmacies.”

But Silva says “Sorry’s not going to cut it.”

“I’m going to have to deal with this for a long time,” she says. “My baby could have deformities. There’s a lot that goes with it.”

Medical physicians are closely monitoring her bloodwork, but warn she may miscarry or the child could be born with severe birth defects. There is a chance, however, she could have a happy, healthy baby.

For now, all Silva and doctors can do is wait and see.

Comments (108)

1 2
  • Rotten
    Posted on February 8, 2011 at 9:14am

    I have utmost sympathy for the baby, but didn’t the mother say she took the medication THEN came back and looked at the information on the prescription bottle?

    Report Post »  
  • KSoldier
    Posted on February 8, 2011 at 9:14am

    Interestingly enough, some other woman wanting to kill her unborn baby accidently received some prenatal vitamins.

    Report Post » KSoldier  
    • gigi33
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 1:41pm

      No, dumbass. The prescription was for a 50 year old woman who has cancer.

      Report Post »  
  • swonga
    Posted on February 8, 2011 at 9:10am

    A terrible mistake! Please remember this is not the pharmacist’s fault. It is the fault of the person ringing the girl out. There also is fault in the store’s qa policy if they do not ask identifying questions like what is your address to check against the label. So sad!

    Report Post »  
  • Country
    Posted on February 8, 2011 at 8:52am

    Safeway can remove the “safe” from thier name.

    Report Post »  
  • DVT
    Posted on February 8, 2011 at 8:08am

    That has got to be the worst thing i’ve heard in a very long time…my prayers go out for her to have a healthy baby.

    Report Post »  
    • ADNIL
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 8:40am

      There were two mistakes made. One, in giving the wrong Rx to the customer. Two, the customer blindly trusting that what she was given was correctly hers. The moral to this story is: everyone double check everything. Pointing fingers to assign blame is too late. God protect the baby.

      Report Post »  
  • APatriotFirst
    Posted on February 8, 2011 at 8:07am

    Silva received the mistaken drug from her local Safeway pharmacy

    And soon will be the owner of Safeway. I know I would.

    Report Post »  
  • ronmorgen
    Posted on February 8, 2011 at 7:55am

    Pills that kill should not be sold at the same location as pills that heal.

    Report Post » ronmorgen  
    • Country
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 8:11am

      That’s right, just like doctors take an oath to protect life. Isn’t it funny that no one gets the swine flu anymore after millions have been injected with Sebelius swine flu shot.

      Report Post »  
    • QuietRiot
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 8:12am

      Does that mean I have to go someplace special to get my ammo instead of the sporting goods store wher I bought my gun ? This is a tragic story these 2 people sticking together and going through this together and to term and some pharmacy has to screw an order like this up? This should be a tripple check medication like a narcotic or something.

      Report Post »  
    • RN MOM
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 10:40pm

      And you should be required to present ID.
      I find it funny that there are a million “checkpoints” along the system, yet no one verifies if the person ‘is who he says he is’.

      Report Post » RN MOM  
  • Cantbelievemyeyes
    Posted on February 8, 2011 at 7:55am

    I’m also a little suspicious of this story. I think it was either a terrible “deliberate” mistake on the part of who ever filled the prescription or there is something up with the woman’s story. Also – A question? I know antibiotics usually are for a course of about a few to several days. Isn’t the abortion pill, just one pill? Does anyone know? So if you were getting antibiotics and you saw only one pill in the bottle wouldn’t that make you take a second look at it?

    Report Post » Cantbelievemyeyes  
  • gobnait
    Posted on February 8, 2011 at 7:31am

    We MUST be our own advocates. That means asking our doctors questions to clarify his orders and READING the pill bottles before anything is ingested. One cannot simply rely blindly on others to care for himself.

    Report Post »  
  • Milkmom
    Posted on February 8, 2011 at 7:21am

    This mother and her child are in my prayers. What a horrible situation.

    Report Post »  
  • Gonzo
    Posted on February 8, 2011 at 7:17am

    That is beyond horrible and the pharmacist and pharmacy should be charged with negligent homicide if the baby dies.

    Report Post » Gonzo  
    • lillianrose
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 7:27am

      I don’t agree- there such a thing as is personal/patient responsibility.
      Do you cross a road and check both ways to see if it is clear or just go for it and see how lucky you are today?

      Report Post »  
    • Gonzo
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 8:10am

      If there is a crossing guard and he waves me on and I get flattened, it’s on the crossing guard.

      Report Post » Gonzo  
  • roofster
    Posted on February 8, 2011 at 7:12am

    my money’s on a normal finish to the pregnancy, and it sounds like some serious drama. PS: I’m a doctor

    Report Post »  
  • koyettsu
    Posted on February 8, 2011 at 7:00am

    Sorry is NOT going to cut it here, my God man that is one of the worst things I have ever heard.

    Report Post »  
  • Outside Looking In
    Posted on February 8, 2011 at 6:55am

    Am I the only one here who is considering that whoever FILLED the prescription

    KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE DOING AND WANTED THIS WOMAN TO ABORT HER BABY?

    This woman was prescribed an anti-biotic. That wouldn’t even be stored in the same section of a pharmacy as the abortion pills.

    There are some very sick people out there who see nothing wrong with abortion – let’s get real here and accept that a whole bunch of them probably work in pharmacies.

    Report Post »  
    • Creestof
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 7:08am

      Pharmacies are laid out pretty well, but obviously could use some changes:

      Fast rack…this is right infront of the filler and is the most common drugs filled.

      Mixers…these are large, bulky, high demand, mostly anti-biotics that have to be mixed with water just prior to being sold.

      The fridge…where insulin and others needing a controlled temp are stored.

      Cells…where replenishment stock is to fill their robotic script filler (if they have one).

      OTC…the most commonly dispensed OTC items used for scripts.

      PSE…these are the now controlled allergy/cold drugs pulled from the shelves due to mis-use.

      Alpha…this is everything else…all lined up A-Z. The innocents sitting next to the killers.

      The safe…where all the hardcore pain meds are kept.

      Pretty standard.

      Report Post »  
    • lillianrose
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 7:21am

      @Outside Looking In

      “But after she began to feel nauseous, a closer examination of the pill bottle revealed the medicine was actually not hers. “I came back and I looked at the bottle and it wasn’t my name,” she said.”

      She failed to check her rx before taking it.

      Report Post »  
    • KITA
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 3:38pm

      You are missing it. She was handed the wrong bag it sounds like. The pill bottle had another woman’s name on it with her same last name.

      Report Post »  
  • LibertarianLady
    Posted on February 8, 2011 at 6:47am

    While this could be a terrible tragedy, the responsibility lies firmly on the person taking the medication. Where I get my meds, a mom&pop, the Rx is in a stapled bag with paperworks on the front.No one at the counter has ever opened the bag to make sure the meds were correct. It is an individual responsibility..

    Report Post »  
  • RightPolitically
    Posted on February 8, 2011 at 6:46am

    I feel so bad for this woman and husband. Abortion pills, if they should exist at all, debatable, need to be under extremely strict control.

    Report Post » RightPolitically  
  • BeckFan1964
    Posted on February 8, 2011 at 6:43am

    She will sue and win. Even if her baby is healthy – which I hope and pray he is. Personal responsibility does not exist in America anymore.

    Report Post » BeckFan1964  
  • Harvey
    Posted on February 8, 2011 at 6:14am

    This is happening more and more as these pharmacys hire teenage kids to work in them to save money instead of haveing responsible people to take care of costumers.No one under twenty one can sell alcohol in a convience store but kids as young as sixteen can hand out narcotics in a drug store.Everyone needs to contact their Congressmen in their States and get legislation passed to put a stop to this.

    Report Post »  
    • the_ancient
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 6:29am

      1> “Sellers Age” depends on the state, some states you only have to 18 to sell or serve, other states your have to be 21… There is no federal standard

      2> There is no reason there needs to be a full pharmacist to hand people a bag at the counter. None. People need to take some responsibility for themselves at some point

      I thought this was a conservative leaning site? I guess not the liberal “always someone else’s fault” mentality has a strong presence here. Although I have a suspicion that it has more do with with the drug itself than the event….

      Report Post » the_ancient  
    • Creestof
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 6:59am

      The only law you need to get passed (that will help) is one where OTC (over the counter) prescriptions are refused and not covered or filled. You don’t even want to know how many prescriptions each day I fill for Calcium +D, Vitamin D, condoms, antacid, tylenol, and on and on…all because the patient went to the doctor or ER and got a script for them and their insurance company will pay for it. It increases the workload in all areas of the pharmacy just so someone does not have to pay for what they want/need.

      Had a woman the other day tie up our pharmacist for 30 minutes (with a line behind her) demanding that the omeprazole antacid she wanted to buy OTC should be covered by her insurance company now as part of her FSA (flexible spending account) coverage. And the damn stuff was for her dog!

      She finally paid cash and left because the people waiting behind her started giving her grief…but if the pharmacist had said no or boo to her, she’d have been written up for poor service and could have been taken before the review board of the patient reported the issue.

      It is just nuts…I swear, you could make me a saint due to the number of miracles I could perform on the “sick” if I just was able to require they toss the script and pay for it like anybody else…cause I guarantee you they’d become suddenly better and have no need of the medication if that was their only option.

      Report Post »  
    • lillianrose
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 6:59am

      Teenagers have worked in pharmacies for decades- they start out as clerks/ B techs- stocking shelves, running the cash register and helping customers find what they need. The first thing they are taught is to check for the names and to ask if this is a new rx for them. If it is new- they are then asked if they need a pharmacist to come to answer any questions they may have. The customer is responsible in making sure of what they are getting. The pharmacist is not required to be at the register for every tansaction- the pharmacist would never be able to concentrate on what he is doing or get any prescriptions finished. Many have the A techs also working right beside them, pharmacists do watch over all that is going on checking every rx as they go.
      You need to know that they also spend time with the older customers- some are just lonely and just want/need to talk(company is good medicine) they can talk an amazing long time. Next time you have to go and wait a little while for rx- be thankful for techs that help speed up the waiting time- as it could otherwise take days for that rx!

      Report Post »  
    • Oldphoto678
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 7:49am

      More government regulations? I thought you tools were against that.

      Report Post »  
    • beckisnutsisnuts
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 1:19pm

      There is no air conditioning in hell, Chief.

      Report Post »  
    • wcox33
      Posted on February 9, 2011 at 2:34am

      Ok Harvey, I’ve got a pharmacy technician job opening, go take your test, pay your registration fee, and come work for my pharmacy for 10.00/hr. You’ll work 5 days a week and every holiday, also every other weekend! Bring you “adult” friends too we don’t hire college “kids.”

      Report Post »  
  • 31st State
    Posted on February 8, 2011 at 6:07am

    My very first thought after reading this story was, when a script is being filled the pharmacy generally verifies the name of the patient. Usually asking if the script is for the person filling it or a family member. Then finally, the pharmacist will give instructions on when and how to take the medication(s). If all else fails in that respect, read the instruction sheet that accompanies the script. No instruction sheet, don’t pay for the script and go to another pharmacy. What a very sad avoidable situation on several parts. May she be blessed with a very healthy baby.

    Report Post »  
  • BlazingChance
    Posted on February 8, 2011 at 5:48am

    Oh. My. God. That’s absolutely horrific. I pray to God that the baby is alright. She would OWN Safeway Pharmacy if I was her lawyer.

    Report Post »  
    • lillianrose
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 7:53pm

      But is it a possibility there was not mistake? They need to check and make sure she did not go in with a rx under an alias and pick it up and so she could claim something horrible without actually taking the drug. $$ could be behind this.

      Report Post »  
  • goatkid
    Posted on February 8, 2011 at 5:37am

    Wow. My prayers are with her. Whoever made that mistake, should be charged with attempted murder. Though that will probably never happen, as so many belive that a baby is not a person.

    Report Post »  
    • the_ancient
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 5:46am

      No that will never happen because a key component to attempted murder is intent, there was no intent to murder anyone.

      Maybe some kind of negligence resulting in bodily harm charge, but I doubt any prosecution will take up the case nor should they IMO, this was an accident which happens. Unless there is a pattern at this pharmacy or a pattern with this pharmacist, it will be a civil matter and a lesson to all to double check your scripts

      Report Post » the_ancient  
    • CygnusX
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 12:50pm

      How about forgiveness. It was a mistake they will have to live with for the rest of their lives.

      Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

      Report Post »  
  • lillianrose
    Posted on February 8, 2011 at 5:35am

    I am praying for this mom and child. I am a retired pharm A tech and mistakes do happen- was part of the everyday stress of working there. No one wants to see this happen. I worked in mom and pop pharmacies- would never consider working or getting a rx filled in a chain store- ever! They rush to get as many rx’s filled and the higher management do not have as much interest in important patient interactions- just make $$. A prescription is to be checked several times thru out the process including making sure at the counter. The patient does have the responsibility to also check before taking any prescription to make sure it is what the dr prescribed, refilled or ask q’s of the pharmacist if they have any.

    Report Post »  
  • dodgerbaseball
    Posted on February 8, 2011 at 5:33am

    Absolutely heartbreaking, this is yet another reason why no such pill should be widely available, planned parenthood I’m sure is happy. This is one social issue I can’t give Liberals one second of empathy on, Abortion needs to end in America.

     
    • Creestof
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 6:45am

      I’m a conservative Christian…but I still support abortion being legal. Though I would prefer to limit it to rape/incest/mentally ill/ or where the life of one or both is seriously likely.

      Why do I still support it? Because it is never going to stop, and I would rather it be available t=in sterile surroundings with actual doctors rather than going back to the dark ages where someone has a room in the back of a store where they perform it with dirty instruments on a blanket their cat sleeps on.

      Education and instilling responsibility and morality back into our society is the only thing which will reduce the “need” to do them at all.

       
    • bikerr
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 7:16am

      Keep it legal because it is never going to stop?. That’s just nuts. There will always be car accidents let’s just make it legal to run into a persons car,after all it is going to happen you can’t stop it. Jeeez. where do you people come from? Oh that’s right you were born!

      Report Post »  
    • Creestof
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 7:31am

      Your 18 year old daughter gets raped and finds out she is pregnant. The shame, embarassment, humility she is feeling is just too much to bear and she has not been able to bring herself to tell you…giving you the opportunity to offer support/advice, etc. She decides to have an abortion and pretend it never happened.

      This is not a scenario from some crime show you watch while you eat your All-American mac & cheese TV dinner in front of each night…this is a reality that happens all the time…and is just one of many situations that come up and lead to girls/women getting abortions.

      Would you rather she have an abortion at a clinic with trained professionals, sterile surroundings/instruments, and so on…or some hag who does them in her basement that she hears about from a friend.

      They are going to happen…period. I don’t know what the color of the sky in your world is, but you need to wake up. Do you think outlawing abortions are going to make them stop…like by magic. If you do, you need to seek some mental health clinic advice.

      As soon as you outlaw them, these slice & dice basement operations will pop up everywhere…and then you’ll not only have dead babies on your hands, but 1/3rd of the mothers will probably die on the table or from complications afterward…or maybe that is your goal, huh? Get an abortion, die as your punishment? Maybe instead of pot and coke being sold outside your schools, you’d prefer them selling meds that cause a mis-carriage?

      Leave them legal and focus 100% on education, morality, and so on. It is the only way you’ll actually turn the tide.

       
    • slayer4fun
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 9:58am

      Creestof,
      I agree this should be legal because it will never stop. I am also in favor of murder, rape and theft being legal because they won’t stop either. As a conservative Christian I take God at his word that he knit us together in our mother’s womb. If someone gets pregnant during a violent crime I still believe that God put that baby there, not because he wanted someone to suffer but because he said he “knit us together”. I don’t think he picks and chooses who he “knits” I think that if a child is conceived he is involved. I am not smart enough to tell him he made a mistake.

       
    • Creestof
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 10:32am

      @slayer4fun
      When one of you “there ain’t no other way” type people want to finally answer the question…let me know.

      Nothing you believe, vote on, outlaw, stand against…is going to STOP abortions cold.

      So, once again…if someone you know and love WERE to get an abortion, where do you want it done? In a legal, safe, professional clinic with doctors and nurses? Or in some basement with non-sterile conditions, untrained people? Quit dodging the question with your “no way, no how” nonsense.

      And, no…God and/or Jesus are not going to come down in response to your prayers and halt all abortions. God gave us “free will” for a reason and I doubt he is going to rescind it when we stray from the proper path.

      Once again, focus on education, responsibility, morality, being good role models…and I don‘t mean the ol’ “do as I say, not as I do” type of role models.

       
    • tamalpass
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 11:46am

      Man rapes girl which is a great crime and sin. A life is created and a baby begins to grow.

      Response: Kill the baby.

      Girl has still been raped.
      Man is still a rapist.
      Baby is dead,

      The Lord of Creation is cool with that?
      Don’t think so.

      Report Post »  
    • Creestof
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 12:23pm

      @tamalpass

      and yet another who won’t answer the question.

      Report Post »  
    • CygnusX
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 12:47pm

      Crestoff, you are looking for an answer that cannot be answered in the realm of ethics. As has been pointed out to you murder will not be stopped either so should we make that legal. Perhaps you can take your victim to a doctor who will do it humanly and as painless as possible. Car accidents will never stop either so perhaps we should make them legal also. In each case someone could die. Perhaps if abortions were illegal the teen would be less likely to have sex, for fear of having to see a hack, and therefore removing the possibility of getting pregnant in the first place.

      How many murders are not committed due to fear of the repercussions. When you can answer that question I will answer yours.

      Your logic is fundamentally flawed and therefore there is no answer except the one you want which makes your argument useless.

      Report Post »  
    • Creestof
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 1:01pm

      @CygnusX
      And one more that dodges a simple question.

      If someone you love and care about is going to get an abortion (for whatever reason), with or without your knowledge, do you:
      a) want it done in a professional, sterile facility by a trained staff of doctors/nurses

      or

      b) want it done by some hack in storeroom or basement

      That is your only two options. You can dance around it all you want…get back to me when you decide.

      Whether you like it or not, abortions will happen. If you want to condemn those who have them by forcing them to some money strapped veternarian who’ll perform it in a basement somewhere for $500.00 …then just say so. However, if you want those that decide to have them to receive quality medical care…then you have to keep them legal.

      Two choices…not a lot of wiggle room there.

      If you can‘t decide what option you’d like your own daughter to have if she chose to go that way…then you need to shut up and take your hypocrisy somewhere else.

      Report Post »  
    • beckisnutsisnuts
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 1:10pm

      Is it my (or ‘society’s) responsibility to prevent you from making poor choices? Or sinful choices? You make a bad decision, you suffer the consequences. You make TWO bad decisions (have a back alley abortion) YOU SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES! It is NOT my, or society’s responsibility to STOP YOU FROM MAKING POOR CHOICES!

      Report Post »  
    • beckisnutsisnuts
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 1:13pm

      Guess you forgot the third option genius. HAVE THE BABY!

      That answers your ridiculous question. I am not responsible for other’s poor choices. Period, end of story.

      Report Post »  
    • beckisnutsisnuts
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 1:15pm

      And yes, that includes my own children. No one is exempt, chief.

      Report Post »  
    • 1TrueOne55
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 1:18pm

      @Creestof:

      What about the statistics that show your fears are unfounded. I was reported years ago that rape makes it harder to get pregnant and when it does happen it is rare.

      Ask the Evangelist Roberson about that, he was the product of his mothers “rape” and he became a well respected Christian Evangelist because his mother decided not to get an abortion.

      1TrueOne55  
    • copper
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 2:22pm

      @ CREESTOF

      God did not say use your own logic. He said do NOT murder your children like the pagans were doing. Abortion is offering up your children to the Spirit of the Age. Satan.

      Report Post »  
    • KITA
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 3:43pm

      @CRESTOFF – you really think the clinics are clean and full of caring people ? Planned parenthood doesn’t work like that. And besides – did you not read the headlines about the shameless doc from PA ? He’s being charged with 7 counts of murder ! YES ! What a dispicable person. How could you sit there and slice the back of a baby’s neck with a pair of scissors ? How could you ? The clinics you speak of are in fairy tales- it might as well be bargain basement style. The girls are treated like cattle and encouraged to have an abortion – WHY ? Because they receive more funding and they stay in business. Beats selling contraceptive, they don’t get as much money for that.

      Report Post »  
  • the_ancient
    Posted on February 8, 2011 at 5:33am

    While it is in excusable and the pharmacist should be held responsible, HOWEVER you as an individual have a responsibility to double check that your getting the right thing.

    This is not like it was the wrong drug in a correctly labeled bottle, there have been a couple times that a busy pharmacy has grabbed the wrong bag or bottle when I have picked up scripts, you always have to look at the label yourself, I personally then also compare the drugs that I actually get with a Pill ID book / online to ensure the drugs I was suppose to get is in fact what I got.

    This is what PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY means,

    TRUST BUT VERIFY

    Report Post » the_ancient  
    • goatkid
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 5:39am

      yes you are right about personal responsibility. someone who is pregnant should be extra sure about what they are taking. Still, what a horrible tragety.

      Report Post »  
    • grannyjojo
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 6:18am

      I agree completely. Always, always check your prescriptions. People are human, they make mistakes. Personal responsibility means just that and in the instance of prescriptions it can mean the difference between life and death. God bless

      Report Post »  
    • oh my
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 7:01am

      I agree. While this woman and her family are in my prayers and handing out the wrong prescription is a BIG problem, you should never take anything without reading the entire label first. I don’t trust anyone enought to just pop something into my mouth without checking. “I came back and I looked at the bottle and it wasn’t my name,” she said. Right patient, right dosage, right medication, simple quick check and the potential tragedy would have been avoided.

      Report Post »  
    • CatholiConservative
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 7:07am

      Amen! – on the other side- it’s a sad world we live in that brings such a dispicable medicine into existence. Like Glenn was talking about yesterday it’s a battle between good & evil- the way that the source of evil attacks good is through attacks on some of it’s foundation- that’s why our culture has driven us away from the best good that we can have in this life- our family & our children

       
    • Hmschlmom
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 9:44am

      My teen niece came home with a prescription that was SUPPOSED to be for an antibiotic she had taken before…thank God her parents were observant…the bottle ACTUALLY contained blood pressure meds! My sister noticed they didn’t look like the last ones, and called the pharmacy. They got a “Whoops, mistakes happen”. That could have killed an under 100 lb teen!

      The bottle had her name on it…but was filed with the wrong pills!

      Report Post » Hmschlmom  
  • mcpbob
    Posted on February 8, 2011 at 5:15am

    that is awefull, my prayers are with her, the baby and her family

    Report Post » mcpbob  
    • lillianrose
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 6:13am

      I have been going the way of natural suppliments avoiding as much of the drugs as possible. There are some conditions that you must use a Rx, make sure that what you take -you understand all the possible side effects. Herbal wise- it is amazing what there is out there that is economical and very safe. Do your homework, learn what is safe and use commonsense. Don’t just rely on one source for information. Consult your Dr or pharmacist-they can help guide you and make sure there are no bad interactions. Also-go to your local healthfood store and there is alot of great info on the net.

      Prepare for worse, hope for the best!
      With the way things are going…

      Report Post »  
    • DagneyT
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 6:21am

      Adding this family to my prayer list. Let’s all pray for a healthy baby born at the time God appointed.

      Report Post » DagneyT  
    • Creestof
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 6:36am

      This all sounds a little hokey to me. I work for a Drugstore/Pharmacy and though we have had close calls, the odds of giving a pregnant woman EXACTLY what she should not have…and not having a very common first/last name, is too high to calculate.

      The company I work for started something called POWER where 5000 employees in a factory setting fill most of the prescriptions and deliver them each day to us…we don’t actually even see most of the customers until they show up to pick their scripts up. In order to do this, we are charged $1.00 per prescription that we fill to support this factory…which at my store averages $22,000-$30,000 a month…and that all comes out of the payroll we would have normally used to staff the pharmacy. That leaves us a skeleton crew of 1-4 people at any one time. These few people have to accept the scripts, fill them, handle insurance problems, call/fax doctors, run a register at the counter, a register at the drivethru, and much more… ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

      It is a horrible system and errors are constantly happening…they are just usually caught before the medicine is handed to the patient.

      The two most common are when the patient is given the wrong strength (rare) or when a patient is picking up several (4-5) scripts at one time for the same name. I’ve personally made this mistake…I looked up the persons name, saw MANY scripts for them being ready, went to the bin where they are stored grabbed them all and as I rang them up, I noticed one had a different address…but same exact name and middle initial. It was a close call.

      I pray for her and her baby…but it still sounds a tad fishy.

      Report Post »  
    • anOpinion
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 6:50am

      I couldn’t imagine this happening; what an absolute nightmare for her and her baby.

      Report Post » anOpinion  
    • Buckaroo
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 7:33am

      @ creestof

      “the odds of giving a pregnant woman EXACTLY what she should not have…and not having a very common first/last name, is too high to calculate
      [one paragraph snip]
      It is a **horrible system and errors are constantly happening**”

      er, no, sorry, sounds like the odds are way too low that your system WILL soon cause an error of this magnitude. I would ask your boss what your company plans to do to enhance the safety of your medication dispensation system and use this story as an example. First off, ask your boss how you ensure that you’ve fulfilled the “five rights” for each prescription. If a blank stare is given in return, u don’t have much of a medication safety system [!!]

      Report Post »  
    • Creestof
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 8:15am

      @Buckaroo

      They have many checks and balances in place to “reduce” any error before the script gets to the patient. Yet I have personally seen one error that went like this: Pharmacist has several scripts in front of him that he is verifying, as the filler to his right is asking if it is ok for him to change the manufacturer for a drug, the cashier/tech to his left sets a script down in front of him and says his customer needs a consultation on it, the pharmacist mistakenly picks up one he just verified and consults the patient on how to use it. Problems were avoided only because the patient knew they were getting a cream and the consultation was how to use the drops in her ear. It was the patient who pointed out the problem.

      As far as what would my boss say? Well, I already know. They parrot a speech about we have the safest system in the world and it is all on the techs and the pharmacists to prevent problems. Right, try manning 4 required stations with three to 4 people max in the pharmacy, producing 100 scripts a day. Try doing that now around the 7th or 8th hour straight of having nasty people yelling at you to hurry up, and demanding to know why it will take 45 minutes even though there are only 4 customers there.

      We had one pharmacist presented with a script written by a doctor for a MUCH higher dosage than normal. He called the doctor and got read the riot act for questioning him. He then entered the script in the system and the computer flagged it as an abnormal dosage, causing the pharmacist to call the doctor again and once more was told to fill it. He filled it, the customer picked it up and the pharmacist told him of his concerns and they together called the doctor and questioned the dosage…they were assured it was ok and told not to call back. The customer wound up in the hospital and the pharmacist was brought before the review board, fined $4000.00, forced to take his board exams again and so on. Why? Because he was the last spot along the road to giving out the prescription and if he felt there were problems he should not have sold the prescription.

      Bottom line? As long as they have a scapegoat then the system works and it was human error.

      I don’t even get my own scripts filled where I work. They are all amazing people who work hard…but the system combined with no help = accident waiting to happen.

      Go too slow as a pharmacist and they write you up for not meeting production and eventually they get rid of you, go too fast and they love you…until you make a mistake…and then they just fire you for being careless and praise how well the system works.

      Report Post »  
    • Creestof
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 8:21am

      ^——my bad, it should read 1000 (one thousand) scripts each day…we are a 24hr pharmacy as well.

      Report Post »  
    • SHTFMRadio.com -- Emergency Preparedness Radio Show
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 11:09am

      @mcpbob
      It is a shame and how this happens is crazy, this is no MISTAKE.
      I feel for the woman.

      Report Post » SHTFMRadio.com -- Emergency Preparedness Radio Show  
    • tamalpass
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 11:58am

      Sad and scary.

      I picked up some meds the other week and in addition to what I had called in, they had a couple other bottles with my name on it. Address and doctor all correct, but it wasn’t mine. I hadn’t been to the doc and was never prescribed these meds. First time that has ever happened to me. I always check what I’m picking up so I caught it.

      Double check EVERYTHING.

      Report Post »  
    • copper
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 2:14pm

      Listen, a firend of mine works for a pharmacy that services nursing homes. The stories he has told me of the wrong drugs that are dispensed due to attempts to increase production and careless ness is astounding and scary.

      But the worst is that when my deceased husband was being treated with a bone marrow transplant for aplastic anemia, the PHARMACIST gave him leukemia drugs that were meant to kill the very cells they were trying to get to grow!! It was in a state of the art hospital (at the time) on a unit devoted to blood cancers. Only his diligence in keeping track of his own medications , made the error known. It was horrendous, he was very weak when it happened It hastened his death….

      DON’T TRUST OTHERS WITH YOUR LIFE. Drugs can kill, if they are the wrong ones.

      Report Post »  
    • AmericanSoldier
      Posted on February 8, 2011 at 3:14pm

      While this is very awful she also carries some responsibility for not checking to insure she was taking the right medication. Last time I went to the Pharmacy, I was asked to double check to insure it was my name and the right medication I requested. I looked at the bottle given to me and confirmed it was my name and the correct drug and I thanked my Pharmacist and walked away.

      Is the Pharmacist at fault? Yes. The mother still bears some responsibility as she should have checked it as well. When it’s your own health and the health of your future child is at stake, double check.

      Report Post » American Soldier (Separated)  
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