Pregnant woman accidentally given abortion pill by Safeway pharmacy

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Ricemarine

Lifer
Sep 10, 2004
10,507
0
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The pharmacist didn't screw up at all here people. The lady walked up and said her name was Mareena Silva and the tech reached into the bags and found one for "Maureen Silva" and no one noticed the difference.

Happens more than you might think. Normally the tech should ask for the phone number or date of birth to make sure they match, but who knows what happened in this care.

And since Mareena is pregnant for the first time she is probably taking stuff that she has never taken before so wouldn't even know what it looks like etc etc.

In the end the lady is getting a lot of money for this screw up. Could easily turn into a million plus, especially if the baby dies or has permanent damage done to it. If the baby comes out with serious problems and needs medical attention for the rest of its life Safeway will most likely be paying for all those needs.

The OP specified the pharmacist though. So... we can assume the pharmacist but we're not 100% sure who actually gave it to her?
 

preCRT

Platinum Member
Apr 12, 2000
2,340
123
106
I don't read labels.

I just took 4 different meds and I didn't look at the label once. Matter of fact....I don't think I've read an RX label in years.
You are an idiot. How can anyone of sound mind not check the label on every med, OTC or Rx, before taking it?


Well people here are assuming she can easily just have another baby but we don't know. For all we know she could have been trying to have a baby for years.
I hope to hell not, she's 19 & unmarried.
 

thepd7

Diamond Member
Jan 2, 2005
9,423
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Who the fuck just takes medication without reading the labels first, honestly? I'm taking odds she noticed the mix up, googled the medication and realized she could probably make a mint suing the pharmacy for the mix up. Any takers?

I don't read labels.

I just took 4 different meds and I didn't look at the label once. Matter of fact....I don't think I've read an RX label in years.

This. I don't read them either. That's why pharmacists make tons of money. I never thought about the techs screwing things up.
 

punktlich02

Junior Member
Feb 9, 2011
1
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The OP specified the pharmacist though. So... we can assume the pharmacist but we're not 100% sure who actually gave it to her?

100% of the time when I collect a prescription from Boots the Chemist in the UK they ask (and check against the prescription) my home address as well as my name.
 

dabuddha

Lifer
Apr 10, 2000
19,579
17
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Sucks but to be fair, she should have read the bottle to make sure it was her medication at least. I'm paranoid everytime I get a prescription filled and at the very least, I always make sure the name on it is mine and the name of the medication is the one the doc prescribed.
 

Vette73

Lifer
Jul 5, 2000
21,503
8
0
Yep people need to accept at least some responsibility for their actions as well.
When my son was born all they write on the cart is baby and last name of mother. My wife’s name is very common so she was worried about getting the wrong kid. I had to point out we, wife/son/me, also got bracelets that do not come off and have ID numbers. So she checked and we all matched.

Even when I buy OTC drugs I check the label to make sure it has the active ingredients I am looking for and also the dosage. Hell I even read the label on paint cans when I was buying primer to make sure it had a certain ingredient in it.

Yet this woman did not even check to see if the name matched, let alone drug?
 

marvdmartian

Diamond Member
Apr 12, 2002
5,434
20
81
As far as the OP, damn, that's just awful. :( I'm sure heads will roll for this one, but, and yes the pharmacist made an outright mistake, shouldn't one take a second and read the label on a bottle of medication before taking it? I know I sure as hell wouldn't be taking any meds from a bottle without double/triple checking what's written on it. Very unfortunate.

Personally, I never take a new prescription until I've gone home and google'd the name of it, and done some research. When I first went on blood pressure medicine, my doctor (at the time) tried to give me a diuretic (water pill), that specifically mentioned NO PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO SUNLIGHT in the warnings. Uh, doc? I WORK OUTSIDE!!! :rolleyes:

Buy yeah, the blame is probably 10% woman, for not knowing what she was taking, and 90% pharmacist. Maybe 5%/95%. :'(
 

jman19

Lifer
Nov 3, 2000
11,220
654
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Who the fuck just takes medication without reading the labels first, honestly? I'm taking odds she noticed the mix up, googled the medication and realized she could probably make a mint suing the pharmacy for the mix up. Any takers?

With no additional facts, you just assume that she took meds, which she just so happened to receive in error, to kill or harm her unborn child for money... you're a sick dude.:rolleyes:
 

JTsyo

Lifer
Nov 18, 2007
11,816
952
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This story is a lot of hype. I doubt that the woman aborted her pregnancy. I'm not saying that the woman (I agree she's a victim in this situation) has the right to sue and make tons of money off this incident, but I'm fairly certain that no harm will come to her child.

Methotrexate comes in 2.5mg pills. They're tiny. You need something like 25mg to abort a child; it's more common to prescribe 50 to 75mg. Unless this lady downed the entire bottle of methotrexate, it's likely that the child will be fine.

This is one of the cases that even if everything works out ok, you still go through months of anxiety thinking about what could go wrong. Even if she was to check the name, it would probably have seem OK to her since it's so close. Checking the actual pill would have been her best chance to avoid it. Hopefully the baby will be fine and Safeway will implement some sort of double check.
 

Hayabusa Rider

Admin Emeritus & Elite Member
Jan 26, 2000
50,879
4,266
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This is what I do so here's how this reads to me.

First, the reporter didn't even google properly. Methotrexate is NOT used to terminate miscarriages in a community setting these days. Never seen it. Its "textbook" use is indeed chemotherapy, but it's also not it's main use. The vast majority of times it's used for rheumatoid arthritis.

Considering the poor quality of the story it's hard to put full faith in it, but anyway-

There are two possibilities. First is the wrong patient was selected in the computer and the prescription misfilled. No matter who made the mistake the pharmacist is ultimately responsible. The wording suggests that what happened is a prescription was filled correctly but the patient received someones properly filled medication.

Since that's probably the case who is at fault depends on a few critical issues.

Scenario 1- The patient comes in and asks for a medication. The cashier hands her the wrong medication without checking the name on the label or receipt. The fault lies with the cashier.

Scenario 2- The patient comes in and asks for the medication and the cashier asks but the patient says something to the effect of "yeah" without paying attention. The fault lies with the patient.

There is a caveat depending on state regulations of how the "offer to counsel" is made. That is the legal duty to of the pharmacy to OFFER the patient to ask any questions about the medication. There is no mandate to do so because that would mean tying up the pharmacist and patient and forcing a speech given every time something is dispensed. Now if the offer was made the two hold, but if it wasn't there is an out for a lawsuit in either case. The pharmacist doesn't have to be the one to personally make the offer because he or she cannot afford to be distracted by everyone who comes to pick up medication. Errors by pharmacists are directly related to the number of disturbances they experience while performing their job.

What happened and who is responsible isn't really clear but those are the possibilities.
 

TwiceOver

Lifer
Dec 20, 2002
13,544
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Time to pull out the checkbook Safeway. No matter where the fault lies, this is a losing case for them.
 

Capt Caveman

Lifer
Jan 30, 2005
34,543
651
126
What happened and who is responsible isn't really clear but those are the possibilities.

From everything I've read, the cashier needed to verify the customer's address and dob of birth, so the fault lies with the cashier. I believe Safeway has already stated that the cashier failed to follow protocol.

Curious to know the name of the medication she was supposed to receive. The pregnant woman may not have looked at the prescription label at all or casually glanced at it and saw her last name and the medication name was similar?
 

Capt Caveman

Lifer
Jan 30, 2005
34,543
651
126
You are an idiot. How can anyone of sound mind not check the label on every med, OTC or Rx, before taking it?

Happens all the time, even in hospitals - doctors/nurses giving the wrong medication. Heck they even operate on the wrong arm, leg, etc...
 

Aharami

Lifer
Aug 31, 2001
21,205
165
106
Making a million dollars is harder than making another baby. Hell, making 10,000 grand is harder than making another baby. Honestly when all the pros and cons are weighed, I might have done the same exact thing if I could get away with it. Why not? Sucks, but giving up your potential babies life for a better life yourself and for any future kids you can have doesn't seem like that bad of a deal.

nice morals you got there. you're a real winner
 

Hayabusa Rider

Admin Emeritus & Elite Member
Jan 26, 2000
50,879
4,266
126
From everything I've read, the cashier needed to verify the customer's address and dob of birth, so the fault lies with the cashier. I believe Safeway has already stated that the cashier failed to follow protocol.

Curious to know the name of the medication she was supposed to receive. The pregnant woman may not have looked at the prescription label at all or casually glanced at it and saw her last name and the medication name was similar?

If that is the case, then the fault lies with the cashier and Safeway will pay.
 

Rockinacoustic

Platinum Member
Aug 19, 2006
2,460
0
76
Sad and easily could have been avoided. The blame absolutely lies on the cashier who sold the medication without verifying the address or DOB. Every patient I ring up I absolutely verify the DOB or address and will not sell it if they don't know either. Mistakes do happen though.

Maybe this will be a wake-up call to some of you who have no clue what you get from the pharmacy, AKA the kind of people who when I ask what medication they need respond "the yellow pill" :rolleyes: Compliance is a two way street.
 

dpodblood

Diamond Member
May 20, 2010
4,020
1
81
It would have been good for the woman to double check what she was taking, but ultimately it's up to the pharmacy to provide the correct medication, and have protocols in place to make sure this sort of thing doesn't happen. Looks like Safeway (ironic) will be paying out on this one. Hopefully the child is born defect free.
 

Hayabusa Rider

Admin Emeritus & Elite Member
Jan 26, 2000
50,879
4,266
126
Sad and easily could have been avoided. The blame absolutely lies on the cashier who sold the medication without verifying the address or DOB. Every patient I ring up I absolutely verify the DOB or address and will not sell it if they don't know either. Mistakes do happen though.

Maybe this will be a wake-up call to some of you who have no clue what you get from the pharmacy, AKA the kind of people who when I ask what medication they need respond "the yellow pill" :rolleyes: Compliance is a two way street.

Yep. I can't tell you how many people absolutely refuse to take part in their own health care. I've known of several instances where people will ask for "everything" to be renewed and become absolutely irate when asked for specifics. That's usually because they haven't a clue, but they want it anyway. Spooky.
 
Jun 19, 2004
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I'm not saying the lady new what she was taking in hopes for a major payday, but what I'd like to know is if she was prescribed an antibiotic wouldn't there be many pills versus only one abortion pill? That should have been red flag number one, right?
 

brainmidget

Banned
Feb 9, 2011
6
0
0
birth control pills
1687079_f260.jpg


regular pill bottle
pill_bottle_and_pills1.jpg

i don't understand how the pt could have made the mistake
 
Dec 10, 2005
25,022
8,298
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birth control pills
1687079_f260.jpg


regular pill bottle
pill_bottle_and_pills1.jpg

i don't understand how the pt could have made the mistake

You must be slow. Try reading the article again, it said nothing about birth control pills. In fact, it seems to suggest that she was just handed the wrong prescription and not the case that they filled the wrong prescription in her name.
 
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