How to avoid getting someone else’s medication at the pharmacy

After last week's blog about possibly getting someone else's medicine when you or a family member has a prescription dispensed at the pharmacy, I wanted to discuss steps that people can take to detect this type of error and avoid potential harm. This is based on research my organization has conducted on the topic.

First, check the prescriptions your pharmacist has given you before you leave the pharmacy. Open the bag at the counter to view the medicine labels to be sure the medicine is for you and looks correct. This simple step can cut the risk of taking home the wrong patient's medicine by half.

Another strategy is to always provide the pharmacy with your full name and date of birth when picking up prescriptions. This is important even if you know your pharmacy workers well, and they know you. The pharmacist should always ask you for these two identifiers at the time of dispensing.

Talking to the pharmacist about your prescription medicines before you leave also reduces the risk of taking home the wrong medicine by another quarter. When combined, providing your full name and date of birth, opening the bag to view each medicine bottle, and talking to your pharmacist about your medicine can help eliminate the risk of going home with the wrong medicine by about 85%.

So, every time you pick up a prescription, whether it's new or a refill, open the bag. Take the filled prescription out of the bag to view the label. Are your name and your doctor's name correct? Do not assume that any errors are just typing mistakes. A misspelled name could mean you have someone else's prescription medicine.

Read the drug name and directions on the label. Make sure it is what your doctor told you, and that you understand how much medicine to take and how many times a day you should take it. Verify that you have received the correct medicine and know how to take it correctly.

Open the patient information leaflet provided. Read the name of the medicine and what condition the medicine is supposed to treat. This information is usually found at the top of the page. Is the medicine what you expected? Does it treat your condition? If not, it could signal an error, so check with your pharmacist. (Read the full information leaflet once you are home and call the pharmacist if you still have questions.)

If you are getting a refill, open the bottle to make sure the medicine looks the same as it did last time. If it looks different, ask the pharmacist about it. Most likely, the pharmacist has filled your prescription with a generic drug that looks different than the generic medicine dispensed previously. But mistakes are possible, so check with the pharmacist to be sure.

When picking up a new prescription, here are some questions you should ask:

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