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Reporting a Medication Error

Getting Prescriptions Safely by Mail

42bfbea03cce865b2f6f3be1a87895b7 MMost health plans offer mail-order prescriptions. Follow these steps to ensure that your prescriptions are filled correctly and delivered safely.

  • Send the pharmacy an up-to-date list of all prescription and over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and herbal products taken by each person in your family (including products not provided by the mail-order pharmacy).
  • Send the pharmacy the height, weight, allergies, and health conditions of each family member.
  • Make sure the delivery site is secure to reduce the risk of theft and misuse of prescription medications. For example, a mailbox is more secure than your front steps.
  • Call the pharmacy if you don't receive your medication when expected.
  • Request a phone or mail alert from the pharmacy a few weeks before a refill is needed. That gives you the opportunity to confirm that you are still taking the medication. Don't accept automatic delivery of refills without such an alert.
  • Check prescriptions as soon as they arrive to make sure the products look as expected and that you can understand the directions on the labels.

More Safety Articles

One drug pair name that often results in confusion

Our organization, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), often receives medication error reports that result from confusion with drug names that look or sound alike. One look-alike and sound-alike pair that often results in confusion is hydrALAZINE and hydrOXYzine.

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Do Not Take Medicine in the Dark!

A man was awakened by a toothache in the middle of the night. Without turning on the lights, he pulled out and applied what he thought was a spray of pain reliever for his toothache. Afterwards, he did not rinse his mouth. In the daylight of the morning, he realized he had actually used Lamisil AT Pump Spray in his mouth.

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Insurance Letter: “Your Medicine Is No Longer Covered”

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Free Samples of Medicine May Not Be Problem-Free

Medicines are costly. So it's no surprise that most people are thankful when they leave the doctor's office with a bagful of medicine samples. Of course, doctors don't have samples of every medicine.They only have samples of certain medicines that drug companies decide to offer, hoping to boost sales. But when your doctor wants you to try a new medicine, he may be able to give you a small supply of samples to take home. This way, he can make sure that you tolerate the medicine and that it's working as expected before you have to pay for a prescription.

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