A North Carolina mom says her daughter ended up in the emergency room after a pharmacist wrote the wrong dose on her child’s medication instructions
A North Carolina mom says her daughter, 5, ended up in the emergency room after being mistakenly prescribed an overdose of ADHD medication, prompting an investigation by the state Board of Pharmacy.
A Mount Airy, North Carolina mom told WXII-12 that her daughter, who was recently diagnosed with ADHD, was prescribed 1ml of Quillivant XR, a liquid stimulant, by her doctor.
However, mom said that the dosage of 5 ml was stated on the pharmacy label. Thirty minutes after taking the dose, the mom said her daughter became very sick.
She contacted the nurse who said to lower the dose, which the child reportedly tolerated well. When the dose was increased to 5 mL, she became ill again.
“My daughter is small for a five-year-old. She is more like a 3 or 4 year old child. And this could have killed her because it’s a strong stimulant,” the mom told the newspaper, adding that her daughter was admitted to the emergency room after speaking with her daughter’s doctor.
The pharmacist hands over the medicine to the customer.
Getty
As the Mayo Clinic explains, stimulants are “typically the most commonly prescribed medication for ADHD.”
“Despite their name, stimulants don’t work by increasing your arousal,” explains the Cleveland Clinic. “Rather, they work by increasing the levels of certain chemicals (neurotransmitters) in your brain called dopamine and norepinephrine…Studies have shown that approximately 80% of children with ADHD have fewer symptoms after finding the right stimulant and dose.”
A pharmacy accidentally gave an abortion pill to a woman undergoing IVF: ‘That mistake took something from me’
But as the mom told WXII-12, the doctor said, “‘Something’s wrong. This should be 1 ml. That’s too much. Are you sure?’
The mom says she called the pharmacy to let them know about the medication error and says the pharmacy apologized saying she was in a hurry because she was understaffed.
“We’re very upset about it. She’s still not 100 percent,” the mom told the outlet. “She’s still missing school. She was most upset because they had a party for the 100th Day of School and she didn’t make it. It’s a really sad situation all around.”
450 patients may have been exposed to HIV and hepatitis at Mass Hospital
The pharmacy chain issued a statement to NBC News, saying, “In the event of any prescription error, our first concern is always the patient’s well-being. Our multi-step process includes several security checks to minimize the possibility of human error and we have reviewed this process with our pharmacy staff to prevent such occurrences.”
Citing patient privacy laws, Walgreens would not comment on this specific case to NBC News.
PEOPLE has reached out to Walgreens for more information.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education