The prescription written to you by a doctor can either heal or hurt you. Prescription errors are an unfortunate but real danger that affects tens of thousands of Americans annually. These mistakes can occur in virtually any form, either at the doctor’s office, at the pharmacy or at home.

It goes without saying that these errors can lead you to serious or even disastrous consequences. That’s why it’s essential for you to know ahead of time what the common prescription errors are and what you can do to spot them.

Prescription Error 1 – Giving the Patient the Wrong Medications

One of the most common and serious prescription errors is giving the patient the wrong drug in the first place. It’s far common that many realize and it’s an easy mistake to make. Why?

Well, for one, some drugs have several variants that may only be differentiated by their main active compound. Also, many drugs share names (whether its a brand name or chemical composition) that are almost identical. The danger here is that a pharmacist may accidentally give a patient a drug that they absolutely don’t need or shouldn’t have because they didn’t double check the spelling.

For example, the drug Chlorpromazine is used to treat psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and ADHD. Chlorpropamide, on the other hand, is used to treat Type II Diabetes. As you can see, the names seem to share the same root (“chlorpro”) and if a pharmacist isn’t careful, they can easily miss the difference.

Prescription Error 2 – Giving the Patient the Wrong Dose

Another frightening yet common error is prescribing patients the wrong dose. This often occurs by mistake (especially when there are “0s” involved), miscommunication between doctors, poor management of medical records or fatigue when entering data in a computer. Whatever the cause, prescribing too much or too little medication can cause serious damage to the patient.

Unfortunately, it’s a big problem. A study from Stanford University School of Medicine revealed that as many as 11 million people in the U.S. currently hold incorrect prescriptions. The most common errors were found for drugs such as aspirin, statins and blood pressure medications.

Prescription Error 3 – Prescribing a Drug That’s Contraindicated

A contraindication is a situation where a drug, procedure or surgery shouldn’t be used to treat a patient because it can harm them. In terms of prescription drugs, there’s the term relative contradiction, which means doctors and patients should exercise caution when using two or more drugs. In other words, they must be careful not to take two or more medicines together.

Unfortunately, this happens very often, where a doctor will prescribe a drug to a patient without checking to see what other medications they are already using. These mixes can lead to dangerous reactions which could land a patient in the emergency room.

How To Avoid Prescription Errors From Affecting You

It may seem like we are at the mercy of the doctors and medical professionals who prescribe us our medications. It may worry you to think that the experts can get such crucial details wrong, but they are human and not immune to making mistakes. That’s where you have to take an active role in ensuring that you get the right medications.

Steps To Take For Accurate Prescriptions

• Research Your Condition and Its treatments – Google your condition and familiarize yourself with the drug names and dosages medical experts recommend to treat your specific illness or injury.
• Understand Your Medication’s Side Effects & Contraindications – Read about the side effects and contraindications (what drugs it shouldn’t be taken with) of your prescribed medication.
• Keep Your Doctor Updated On Current Medications – Inform your doctor what medications you’re taking before getting another prescription.
• Ask Your Doctor To Verbalize Drug Name & Dosage – A simple way to avoid confusion at the pharmacy is to ask the doctor to verbally spell out the name of the drug and the dosage. Write this down and keep it with you so that you can compare it with the label on the bottle given to you by the pharmacist.
• Let Your Primary Physician Write the Prescriptions – Unless it’s urgent, avoid taking prescriptions from another doctor (common when one’s main doctor takes a vacation). Medical records are often poorly mismanaged and another doctor may not even bother to check what medications you’re currently taking.
• Stick To Your Pharmacy – Avoid getting prescriptions from different pharmacies if you have one you always go to. A new pharmacist will know nothing about you, and this increases the risk of them giving you the wrong medicine or dosage.

Keep the Wrong Medication Out Of the Cabinet

Prescription errors are an unfortunate and worrisome reality in the medical world. And since the doctors and pharmacists are only human, they will continue to make mistakes. For that reason, it’s important to do some legwork yourself and not rely 100% on their instructions and direction.

While we’re not encouraging you to question or belittle your doctor, we recommend that you do a little research on your condition and the medications used to treat it. It’s merely a way of verifying that you’re receiving the right treatment. And if you take this step, you’ll greatly reduce your risk of getting injured from the wrong medication, dosage or a bad mixture.