Medical errors are consistently ranked as one of the leading causes of accidental death in the United States. While there are many different types of medical errors that contribute to this startling statistic, one of the most common types of mistakes is medication error.
A Texas medication error is typically the result of a pharmacist, nurse, or another medical professional, providing a patient with medication that was not intended for the patient. It may be that the nurse mistook one drug for another with a similar name, or that a pharmacist missed a decimal point when dosing a prescription. In any event, medical professionals are human and, as a result, make mistakes. When mistakes are made, patients suffer.
Two years ago, an Austin woman was given a prescription that was 54,000% stronger than the medication that was prescribed by her doctor. According to a local news report covering the error, as well as the woman’s recovery, the woman suffers from a rare disorder called Hashimoto’s disease that causes her immune system to attack her thyroid. As a result, the woman’s thyroid does not make sufficient levels of hormones.
Due to the woman’s condition, she was very sensitive to traditional fillers used in mass-produced medication. So, when her doctor wrote her a prescription, she had to get it filled at a compounding pharmacy. Compounding pharmacies create special forms of medications for patients with unique needs.
The woman took the medication home and began taking it as prescribed. Shortly after the first dose, she started to feel ill. The woman developed a migraine, and eventually went to the emergency room. Doctors were unsure of what was wrong, and discharged her. A few days later, the woman’s boyfriend noticed that she was disoriented, mixing up her words, and seemingly suffering from some kind of cognitive issue. He took the woman to the emergency room, where she was admitted and put into a medically induced coma for several days. Eventually, the woman was able to recover.
After the woman was released from the hospital, she began to look for answers. She eventually found out that the medication the compounding pharmacy gave her was 54,000% stronger than it should have been. The pharmacy admitted that it made an error; however, the woman filed a personal injury lawsuit against the pharmacy, which denied liability for the woman’s injuries.
Have You Been the Victim of a Texas Medical Error?
If you or someone you love has recently been injured in as a result of a medical professional’s negligence, you may be eligible for financial compensation through a Texas medical malpractice or pharmacy error lawsuit. At the law firm of Carabin Shaw, we represent Texas injury victims in all types of personal injury and medical malpractice cases, including Texas pharmacy errors. To learn more, and to schedule a free consultation to speak with an attorney about your case, call 800-862-1260. Calling is free, and we will not charge you for any of our services unless we can help you obtain the compensation you deserve.