Medical Error Proves Lethal!

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Medical Error Proves Lethal!
12/15/2003
Q. I wish my mother had read your column on medical mistakes before it was too late. For four years she had been taking Coumadin to prevent a stroke and always got it at the same pharmacy. The last refill she got said Coumadin on one side of the bottle. The other side was labeled estradiol, and that is what was in the bottle. The day after her birthday she died of a massive stroke.
Isn’t Coumadin supposed to prevent blood clots? And couldn’t estradiol cause them?
The pharmacy tech who labeled the bottle incorrectly will just get his hands slapped, while my mom is dead.
Can you tell me who to talk to or how to get in touch with others who have suffered from medical mistakes? If more of us did something to prevent this problem it might happen less often!
A. We are saddened to hear of this tragedy. Medication errors are far more common than most people realize. According to one study, mistakes occur in two of every 100 prescriptions filled. That represents an estimated 60 million errors annually.
Problems arise because drug names sound alike, prescriptions are illegible and pharmacists are overextended. It is still hard to understand how the blood thinner Coumadin could have been confused with the female hormone estradiol, a drug which can indeed cause blood clots that could lead to a stroke.
It is crucial to double-check every prescription before leaving the pharmacy. Anyone who wishes to contact you may email pharmacy(at-sign)mindspring.com. [EDITORS NOTE: AT-SIGN SHOULD BE INSERTED IN EMAIL ADDRESS.]
Q. Is it true that if a person listens to music that is too loud, it can damage hearing? Would this be true if the music was amplified in a church service? Is there any way to protect your hearing without staying away from church?
A. Loud sounds of any sort can cause hearing loss. The louder it is and the longer the exposure, the worse the damage.
Your pharmacy may stock ear plugs to protect hearing. Two brands that allow people to hear music and voices while protecting ears from damaging volume are Hearos Hi-Fi and Etymotic ER-20.
Q. I am very healthy, but pressure at work led to a prescription for Xanax, which was later changed to Ativan. I was also prescribed Zoloft as an antidepressant.
When my job situation improved, my doctor told me to stop all medicines. Now I have mood swings and electric-like shocks and weird sensations all over my body. When will this go away?
A. You aren’t the only one who would like to know more about this problem. A physician writes, “What can you tell me about the withdrawal effects from SSRI antidepressants? My patients report ‘zingers’ (electric shock sensations) when coming off these medicines.”
Suddenly stopping antidepressants like Effexor, Paxil or Zoloft or nerve pills such as Ativan (lorazepam) or Xanax (alprozolam) can cause a range of reactions.
Gradual tapering over weeks or months may ease the discomfort, but there is no precise formula for symptom-free withdrawal. We are sending you our Guides to Antidepressant Pros & Cons and Psychological Side Effects for more information. Anyone who would like copies may send $2 in check or money order with a long (no. 10) stamped (60 cents), self-addressed envelope: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. MX-23, P. O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027.