When you go to a pharmacy to pick up a prescription, pharmacists typically ask you if you have taken the medication previously and if you are familiar with the side effects. The reason why they do this is because all drugs have side effects that some people may suffer from and consumers should make well informed decisions. Drugs are tested through a variety of methods, such as, clinical trials to identify safety and efficacy. Yet, there is an FDA reporting system that helps to regulate the safety and effectiveness of drugs by identifying drugs that have caused side effects in individuals over time.
Some side effects are short term, mere bothersome symptoms. Other side effects can be life-threatening or result in death. So, pharmacists take precautions to make certain you are aware of the risks associated with the drugs you are prescribed. Pharmacists are also familiar with drug interactions should you be taking one drug and then prescribed another drug. Some drugs can negatively interact with each other. So, the pharmacist is part of the check and balance system in medicine.
One Indiana woman went to a CVS pharmacy to fill a prescription for OsmoPrep, a drug that can negatively interact with Lisinopril, another drug she was taking. This interaction can potentially cause kidney damage or failure. The pharmacist failed to warn the woman, but she did not suffer kidney damage. However, she received a second prescription for OsmoPrep and this resulted in kidney failure. Now, this woman must undergo dialysis for a lifetime or attempt a kidney transplant.
This is why the Indiana Court of Appeals recently concluded that a pharmacist working in the Hendricks County CVS failed to fulfill his duty to either warn her of the side effects of the drug or withhold the medication.
It is vitally important for all consumers to read drug label and be familiar with the diseases that have been linked to the drug and listed as a side effect. Some of the names of diseases may not sound alarming, but may be lethal in the end. For example, Steven’s Johnson Syndrome has been linked to Ibuprofen. The name Steven’s Johnson Syndrome may imply a slight syndrome and the risk may be very, very low but, Steven’s Johnson Syndrome is characterized by skin sloughing off of the body with the possibility of affecting organs. People with Steven’s Johnson Syndrome are often treated in burn units and progressively deteriorate over the course of a year or so until death.
It’s always wise to weigh the pros and cons of the medication you plan to take.
If you, your family or a friend have suffered serious illness and need assistance in asserting your legal rights for compensation, contact PADOVE LAW, toll free at (877) 446 5294 for a free consultation