35°Toddler sickened after he wrongly receives double strength of prescription
Jun 12
2011
Severe diarrhea.
That's what Melissa Campbell's 15-month-old son, Mason Holden, had from Wednesday night until about 4 p.m. Saturday.
After a Discount Drug Mart pharmacist gave the Willard mother twice the amount of an antibiotic prescription Wednesday, Campbell said she doesn't want other parents to go through the same thing.
It all started Wednesday afternoon when Campbell went to Discount Drug Mart at 307 W Walton Ave., Willard, to get a prescription for Omnicef, an antibiotic for a sinus infection, for her son.
"He had a sinus infection for a week," the mother said.
The prescription was for 125 milligrams per 5 milliliters; Campbell said what pharmacist Tina Shook gave her was 250 milligrams per 5 milliliters.
"On the label, it was right. The bottle she used to fill it said 250 milligrams," Campbell said.
Shook has been unavailable for comment.
Later after Drug Mart employees discovered what happened, Campbell said an employee called to tell her that her son's prescription "might have been mixed wrong."
"They said, 'We might have given him the wrong strength,'" the mother added.
But in the meantime, her toddler's reaction had already started.
Campbell said she gave her son his medicine about 20 minutes after picking it up from the store. She said she changed the first of many diapers about 30 minutes after the first dose.
"That's the first time he's had severe diarrhea," Campbell said last week. "I'm changing him every 30 minutes."
Shook apologized when Campbell returned to Drug Mart for the proper dosage, she said.
"She said she accidentally picked up the wrong bottle," said Campbell, who was given a $25 gift card and was asked if there was anything else the store could do.
Campbell said she changed her prescriptions to Rite Aid and called the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy about what happened. She said she was told an investigation would be started and the incident "would be looked into."
A state board representative did not return a request to be interviewed.
Campbell is very familiar with getting prescriptions.
After all, she said she buys about 10 a month for her 8-year-old daughter Destiny, some of which are for the girl's leukemia. The mother recalled a different incident at Drug Mart when she dropped off a handwritten prescription from her doctor; Campbell said the pharmacy later reported having no record of it, but then determined the prescription in question had been filed under someone else's name.
"We put our trusts in pharmacists," she said.
"If it was a heart patient and they got something else (instead of the proper medicine), what would happen?," Campbell said.
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10:07 PM
ladybug1977 says
Rural Monroeville while I do agree that mistake do happen, do you have children, ever taken one to the Dr. Because kids get liquid they tell you give them 1 tsp 2 times a day or whatever it is, at no point do they tell you it is 125 milligrams per 5 milliliters, so even if it says on the label 250 milligrams per 5 milliliters, how was she to know this was incorrect. I do agree that you should always read your label and make sure it is correct, but if I get a prescription that I've never had before and the label says it is what I was prescribed but the pills inside are not what I was prescribed at what point should I know this is wrong. My child take a daily medication and Drug Mart is the only pharmacy that doesn't tell me up front that they got his pills from a different manufacturer and they look different this month, I had to call the first time it happened. I work customer service for a national tv provider, so I know all about stupid and customer responsibility, but those that we give our trust to in matters that could be life and death, should take that responsibility very seriously, not just the pharmacists, but the techs and the store.10:05 AM
Rural Monroeville says
LadyBug, LadyBug, LADYBUG---what are you thinking???? Even if the retail CLERK did tell you anything about the prescription why would you trust that???? Do you think these clerks do anything more than open a bottle and shove it to the next station......do you think most of them really care???? No, it is not their license on the line and most are working at low paying retail jobs because they can't get any other and a pharmacy tech is just one step ahead of stock boy. They receive retail wages -- much less than most office jobs or factory positions and just take the path of least resistance. It is all on the shoulders of your pharmacist and all clerks, techs or whatever they call them are required to ask either in writing or verbally if you need to talk to the pharmacist. It is your responsiblity to question the pharmacy. Drug Mart operates well within the letter of the law and the pharmacists will bend over backwards to help you......the clerks....not a chance, if fact I think federal law prohibits them from counselling customers....they are required to go get the registered pharmacist. If they don't tell you who made the the drugs you are taking it is probably not required by law and the volume filled prevents the pharmacist from standing there personally interveiwing each customer. As for the dosage and and milliliters versus teaspoons.....duh.....not rocket science. It was the customers responsibility to clarify it if they did not understand. YES, I have children and I take my responsibility to them quite seriously....I do not expect anyone to lead me by the hand. I know how many mls or ccs are in a teaspoon....most every measuring unit says it also. AGAIN, not rocket science but raising my children is my first priority and by accepting my responsibilities as a parent I hope I am leading my example. No one sends me a check....I have to EARN it. No one reads my children's meds to me.......I make sure I know what I am giving them without whining it was Susie, the 19 year old pharmacy clerk's responsibility to take care of it for me. Susie just wants to hit closing time and party with her boyfriend and/or get off her feet and recover from her day's work. Grow a pair -be a more self-relient. I am far from perfect but I pull my share of the load. Whiners who want to blame everyone else for their lazy or haphazard approach to their family or social responsibilities really rattle my cage!!!!!07:14 PM
caseclosed says
That same pharmacy has filled my prescription wrong, not once but twice! First time it was wrong name and medication. Then on a different occasion, it had my name but wrong medication. Luckily, I noticed the pill was of different color. Something needs to happen. Someone may not be so lucky.12:57 PM
Rural Monroeville says
Dude.....did ya go to the counter or the drive in window with your mouth full of cheetos and mumbled your name? Does your name sound like someone else's? That is why there is a labelso you can read your name BEFORE you take your meds. Different pill? what did the label say? You know that thing they put on the bottle to tell you what it is........ You got some responsibility for your own medication.02:47 AM
Bailey says
Lets get one thing straight, the laws are NOT about justice. The number one slant concerning justice is $$$ and protecting those who have a higher education, which comes back to the $$$$$$ !! Remember the incident at Sea World when the speed boat went out of control and it flew into the stands and injured the people sitting there watching the show? Videos revealed that the driver tried desperately to turn the boat and it would not respond due to inproper service of the boat by its billion dollar owners. But the courts idea of JUSTICE was to try and CONVICT the driver for reckless operation of a motor vehicle........ yep, that makes sense! Don't be surprised if the investigation reveals that somehow its the fault of the nightly janitor, or maybe its the childs fault for appearing to be older than what he actually is!01:21 PM
letmepicyou says
Just goes to show you how good pharmaceuticals are for ya. Wee bit too much, and it's game over.12:09 PM
arnmcrmn says
Just goest to show that you really have no clue what you are talking about. A wee bit to much and its game over? HARDLY THE CASE.02:18 PM
letmepicyou says
I'm starting to think you're employed by Homeland Security the way you:A: seem to single out my posts
B: seem to never have any counter point or relevant data to prove me incorrect
C: seem to only have attacks against ME and NOTHING against anything I say.
Oh, but I'M the nut!
Why don't you post the annual death statistics from prescription medicines and prove me wrong for all these people to see? Why not post the annual death statistics for children from prescription medicines? Where is all the data you have to prove what a nut I really am?
How long do you suppose you'll be able to FOOL the people here into thinking you're "one of them" ?
12:37 PM
yea right says
lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit.....yeaaaaaa..12:59 PM
Rural Monroeville says
I wonder how many pharmacists and clerks would like to file a lawsuit for stupid...... Can you sue customers for being stupid? How about retail abuse?12:57 AM
ultra says
I was told today that when a prescription comes up that is dangerous to take with another that you are taken this store is told to ignore it and just go on filling the prescription. You would of thought they would of given her a lot of free packages of diapers for this poor baby.01:02 PM
Rural Monroeville says
Yep, it sure does....and most mothers are aware of what their baby is taking. Ever tried to read a prescription? Some doctor's handwritting looks like they wrote it with their feet. Pharmacists are not in place to second guess the doctor. Everybody wants a hand-out and do not accept their own responsibility for the situation. Did the mother contact the doctor or the pharmacy? Naw, she just took the path of least resistance. Let someone else take care of the details.12:54 AM
cnutter says
You have to realize that mistakes do happen, pharmacists fill over a thousand prescriptions a week. Even if they are 99.9% accurate at their job which most people would consider to be highly efficient that translates to 1 mistake a week. There is an excessive workload placed on pharmacists and they are not given adequate tech hours in many cases as district managers squeeze payroll, this isn't an excuse just reality. To the person commenting about pharmacist's salary, you're quite wrong. A new pharmacist will make about 50$ an hour and top out at around $60, yes this is a great salary but you have to realize the education requirements. It's a minimum of 6 years with many having 8 years (a bachelors degree and 4 years of grad school). The average pharmacist will graduate with $135,000 in student loans and a significant amount of time invested in the profession, so there is a compensation that has to match the requirements...05:58 PM
RAISEDbyNFC says
Worked in a Pharmacy for over a year, and I seriously don't think Pharmacist's are overworked unless they choose to be. If they take a job, they should know ahead of time how many hours are required, i.e. overtime, etc. Pharmacist's make MEGA bucks (right out of school about $25/hr. and a seasoned Pharmacist about $50/hr.) The reason they are paid so well is because they are responsible for making certain each and every prescription is correct. Also with today's technology, there are tons of checks and balances at their disposal to verify a dosage, usually in relation to a child's weight. With pills even easier, as it shows the pill, it's markings, color, etc. The fact that she found the error AFTER the fact is what bothers me in this case. Typically a Pharmacy Tech fills the script, labels it, etc. Then the Pharmacist checks it before it goes out. Sounds like maybe she was checking it after it had gone out and by then was too late.01:09 PM
Rural Monroeville says
I understand your point BUT Drug Mart in Willard fills literally hundreds of prescriptions a day. So people need to accept their responsibility for medications not play the innocent bystanding and blame someone else for their ignorance. Drug Mart in Willard has EXCELLENT pharmacists with no tolerance for pain med abusers. Had the pharmacist not caught the error and had not done every thing she could to correct it maybe I would be less critical of this whole article but she did the ethical and responsible thing instead of just letting it slide. I think contacting the paper and blowing this up is really low class. I will continue to use Discount Drug Mart. They are the cheapest in town and do the best they can. Of course, I have to pay for my prescriptions I am not on welfare so maybe if I didn't have a job I might not be so dedicated.12:51 PM
miss molly says
I just wonder how many times this has happened. They also did this to my husband a few years back. They gave him ear drops instead of eye drops. We found this out after we already put them in his eyes. We took it back up to them and they discovered it was the wrong thing.The $25 gift card they gave the mother is hardly enough!11:49 AM
phoenix5211 says
What scares me is the fact that each prescription is supposed to be checked by more than one person so that something like this doesn't happen. As a consumer you should always know what was prescribed and at what dosage, and check your prescription before you leave the pharmacy. I know that the pharmacist is the one ultimately responsible, but there were many chances for this mistake to be caught before the medication was given to the child.01:29 PM
Rural Monroeville says
You are exactly right phoenix........ Voice of reason and responsibility. You must be someone with a good work ethic and a good parent. Wish more people were like you!!!07:57 AM
Uputwhatwhere says
@VOR That is hardly an accurate argument for OVERDOSING.08:42 AM
Kottage Kat says
I will defend VOR on this one. As nurses we have seen many times when a drug store or intitutional pharmacy has deleivered the wrong med or the wrong dose. Caught and corrected. Plase remember the pharmacy caught the error, and was honest enough to admit their mistake. If you have NEVER made a mistake and being human we do. I realize in the medical profession it is not suppose to happen and we are held to that perverbial "higher stsandard", however it does. The paper was notified by whoom??? Do I smell alittle $$$$$$ in regard to this article???09:28 AM
Uputwhatwhere says
"If you look up the side effects of omnicef suspension you will find that diarrhea is listed as a side effect. This could have happened to this child even if given the proper dosage. Who would the mother blame then?" I know people make mistakes, Lord knows I have made more than my fair share! However, to use this statement as grounds for an argument is not valid. The point being that the child received an overdose of medication, not that he had a case of the runs. The fact that he received an overdose compounded the side effects and could have severly dehydrated the child making the infection worse. Bravo for standing up and admitting to your mistake before the problem worsened. My point to make was that VOR was stating that it was a side effect anyhow.08:10 AM
VOR says
And I'm sure this pharmacist won't make this mistake again. The parties involved should thank God that this is all that happened. Like Carolynsue stated, ask questions and double check your meds before administering or taking them. We trust in our Doctors and pharmacists, but we're all human.07:53 AM
Carolynsue says
It's scary because we are all human and do make mistakes, but with medications it can be fatal. thankfully this one was not. I don't think the pharmacist should lose her job, but this store needs to look at what safe guards they have in place for these kind of mistakes. I have gotten new scripts and just trusted what the bottle said was true. Sometimes my pills have looked different and I have called and it's because it's a different manufacturer. Maybe with our childred we will have to go further and ask questions before we leave the store ( sad but true that we would have to do this) just to go that extra step even tho it's not our job. But we all our capable of human error, i know as I did nursing for 20 years.07:40 AM
VOR says
If you look up the side effects of omnicef suspension you will find that diarrhea is listed as a side effect. This could have happened to this child even if given the proper dosage. Who would the mother blame then? I'm sure the pharmacist feels horrible about what happened, we're all human and mistakes happen. But I'm sure nobody on this thread is going to think about that for a second now are they? It's not like they were given the wrong drug all together. And would the mother have even realized it was the wrong dosage had the pharmacy not contacted her? At least the mistake was caught before several doses were given.07:33 AM
yea right says
here is another for the same drug mart in willard bout 15 yrs ago they called me up and said i owed 70 dollars..i asked for what they told me" a year ago you got a prescription and your insusance did not cover it..we just now found the mistake.." i was like well you call me a year later and want me to "PAY" for your mistake..yea right..if i was informed at that time the dr's would have been called and something different called in..i hung up..11:59 PM
Another Opinion says
Does filed under someone else's name mean two papers were layed on top of each other and both picked up as one piece later and filed (meaning they stuck together) or does it mean the script had someone else's name on your script? She could really make this story JUICY!07:45 PM
FST says
Let me first say that as humans, we ALL make mistakes from time to time. That said, when it comes to a Pharmacist making a mistake, it could cost somebody their life. And seeing this isn`t the first mistake made at this pharmacy, I feel it was right for he to report it. I hope the Pharmacist doesn`t loose her job over this. I would like to believe it will make her more aware of what could happen and to take her time and read the labels. Thank God that little child only ended up with dirty diapers. It could have been a lot worse. It kind of makes ya wonder how many times this same thing happens and is not caught. It doesn`t help that most Pharmacists are way over worked too.