In September 2012, Ms. A walked into a Hampton, SC pharmacy to have a Prilosec (acid reflux medication) prescription filled. The pharmacist gave her a 90 pill bottle. Ms. A began taking the pills as she believed she should. Within a week, Ms. A’s family noticed changes in her behavior. The side effects intensified over the following three weeks.
On October 8, 2012, Ms. A called her daughter, and asked “What is Zoloft?” The daughter questioned why her mother would ask about Zoloft. Ms. A told her daughter, “That is the medication I’ve been taking for my stomach.” The daughter instructed Ms. A to immediately stop taking Zoloft (anti-depressant). Regrettably, the chemicals were already in her blood and Ms. A had to be hospitalized two days later as a result of "delirium secondary to medication interactions."
Sadly, prescription errors are as common as they are preventable. In this instance, the pharmacy’s patient-safety violation placed a respected member of the Hampton community in the hospital. In other instances, patients are killed because neither pharmacists nor their assistants take just a few moments to ensure sick people are issued the right medication. The lack of attention and concern which leads to prescription errors such as the one that harmed Ms. A is unacceptable.
Ms. Williams had to be made whole and her community had to be protected from unsafe pharmacies. I told the pharmacy that if their settlement offer did not account for these truths, a jury verdict would. In South Carolina, jurors are charged to protect their community and serve as its conscience. In Hampton County, jurors have a reputation for upholding those duties while ensuring that members of their community receive full and lasting justice.
The pharmacy settled the case for a confidential amount within 6 weeks of receiving our demand.
If you have questions about a prescription misfill case, call me at (803) 790-2800 or contact us by using the live chat feature below.
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