Prescription Errors: When Medication Causes Harm Instead of Healing

When you take medication, you expect it to help you feel better, not put your health at risk. That trust is based on the belief that your doctor, pharmacist, or healthcare provider took the time to prescribe the right drug, at the right dose, for the right reason.

But what happens when that trust is broken?

Prescription errors happen more often than most people realize. Sometimes it’s the wrong drug. Sometimes it’s the wrong dosage. And sometimes, it’s a dangerous combination of medications that should never have been prescribed together.

In one tragic case in Sioux City, Iowa, a man died after a paramedic injected him with a lethal dose of the wrong medication. Cases like this are a grim reminder that these mistakes can lead to serious injury or even death. If you’ve been affected by a prescription error, you may have legal options.

What Counts as a Prescription Error?

A prescription error is any mistake made during the process of prescribing, dispensing, or administering medication. These errors can happen at nearly any point, whether in the ambulance, at a doctor’s office, in a pharmacy, or even at the hospital bedside.

At Morgan & Morgan, we’ve seen many types of prescription error cases. Some of the most common involve:

• The wrong drug being prescribed or dispensed
• Incorrect dosage
• Medication administered via the wrong method (e.g., oral vs. injection)
• The medication was given to the wrong patient
• Dangerous drug interactions with existing prescriptions

Even a single mistake in this process can lead to serious harm. That’s why every step in the chain — prescriber, pharmacist, nurse, and provider — is expected to meet the highest standard of care.

What Can Go Wrong?

Prescription errors may not seem alarming at first, but they can have serious, even life-threatening consequences. Depending on the medication and the nature of the mistake, patients may experience:

• Seizures
• Internal bleeding
• Organ damage
• Heart problems or stroke
• Severe allergic reactions
• Worsening of the underlying condition
• Mental confusion or emotional distress
• Accidental overdose or death

Sometimes the harm is immediate. Other times, the effects may build gradually, leaving you unaware of the mistake until your health begins to spiral out of control.

Common Causes of Prescription Errors

Negligence plays a major role in many prescription error cases, but it’s not the only cause. These mistakes can also happen due to systemic failures, communication breakdowns, or simple but dangerous oversights. Common causes include:

• Illegible handwriting on prescriptions
• Overworked or fatigued doctors and pharmacists
• Poor communication between healthcare providers
• Look-alike or sound-alike drug names (e.g., Celebrex vs. Celexa)
• Errors in electronic prescribing systems
• Failure to check a patient’s medical history or known allergies
• Lack of proper training or supervision

Regardless of the reason, these errors should never happen. Patients deserve safe, accurate, and responsible medical care. Anything less may be a breach of the standard of care, and it can lead to serious injury or even death.

How to Recognize a Prescription Error

You don’t have to be a doctor to spot the signs of a prescription mistake. Some red flags to watch for include:

• Worsening of your original symptoms
• New or unexpected side effects
• Medications that look different from what you normally take
• Labels with confusing, incorrect, or unclear instructions
• Sudden allergic reactions or unusual responses

If you suspect a prescription error has occurred, stop taking the medication unless told otherwise by a doctor, and seek immediate medical attention to treat any reactions or complications.

What to Do Next

If you believe a prescription error caused you harm, take these steps to protect your health and your legal rights:

• Save the evidence: Keep the prescription bottle, packaging, or pharmacy receipt.
• Request your medical records for review.
• Document everything, including when your symptoms started, who prescribed the drug, and what instructions you were given.
• Seek legal help: Contact Morgan & Morgan for a free case evaluation with someone who understands medical malpractice and prescription error claims.

If your claim is successful, you may be entitled to compensation for:

• Medical expenses
• Lost wages or reduced earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Wrongful death, if a loved one died as a result of the error

You Have the Right to Safe Medication

Prescription drugs are meant to help you heal, not put your health or life at risk. When you pick up medication from a pharmacy or receive it in a hospital, you shouldn’t have to second-guess what’s in the bottle. That responsibility falls on the healthcare professionals involved in your care.

You’re not expected to be the expert. But they are.

If that trust was broken and you were harmed because of a prescription error, you may be entitled to take legal action. Fill out our free case evaluation form to find out how Morgan & Morgan may be able to help. You pay nothing unless we win.