Citalopram Error

[admin]

Hi Everyone

Yesterday I had a guy who had been previously taking 40mg daily of citalopram. His new script was for 10mg citalopram and 10mg escitalopram. I told him I was concerned this was a mistake, but he swore blind it was correct. I said I needed to ring the Dr anyway. He got really angry about me wasting his time etc and insisted his Dr was correct. It turned out it was an error and he had been switched from 40mg citalopram to 10mg escitalopram.

[Zoggite]

I get that all the time: patients write "cipralex" on their repeat slips if it's not printed on them, and receptionists aren't always aware of the difference between citalopram and escitalopram, so the wrong thing gets prescribed...

[kemzero]

we need more of this - it's interventions like these that make us valued.Pharmacists aren't just tablet counters we make a valuable contribution to the health chain..this can only continue if pharmacists are involved in the dispensing process i.e the initial clinical check.

The New Health bill if passed will compromise patient safety to some extent .. you can never replace a good pharmacist..not even with a GP because we are experts when it comes to medicines,pharmacy assistants or checking techs might be good but not as good as a "good pharmacist" although they may be better than a "bog-standard pharmacist"

[admin]

Kemzero

I have dozens of these if you want more!

[kemzero]

dear admin

Pls give me more!
I am thinking of writing an article about pharmacists contributions to effective healthcare.I believe we play a big role in preventing hospital admissions etc
Currently most p'cists are seen as pill counters ( and unfortunately some of us are, we lack initiative)...that's why a few p'cists are scared techs might take over.....but we as p'cists must show and prove that we offer much more than pills and sticky labels!

[Zoggite]

Today I was presented with a handwritten rx for flucloxacillin 500mg for a Nursing Home patient for whom our PMR indicated that she was allergic to penicillin;Nothing unusual so far, except it was the third script for penicillins for this same patient since Easter, and I'd contacted the prescriber on the two previous occasions to flag up this allergy...

[silnarnin]

There's loads of examples:
- ephedrine 0.5% nasal drops given to a week old baby (happened twice in 2 months)
- not weighing children to get the correct dose, and then not getting correct dose.
- metformin mr 500mg prescribed 1 TDS and it should have been metformim 500mg
- diltiazem twice a day formulations prescribed 1OD and diltiazem once a day prescribed as 1BD, and when I try to explain the difference, I'm not understood
- transtec patches prescribed to apply once a week, instead of apply every four days. In this case, the gp insisted that she didn't have to change the prescription and for me to tell the patient to change the patch when it stopped working. I refused to dispense the prescription written in that way, and she ammended it.
- glibenclamide given 2 BD --- it should have been gliclazide
- diamicron MR 30mg prescribed as 1 and a half a day. Contacted manufacturers, and the tablet is not supposed to be halfed.

Do you want more?

[johnep]

Yeah! lets have them, i too get fed up with Drs not realising the difference between SR and XL Adizem.
johnep

[womble]

Has anyone else had a prescription for 500g Potassium permanganate - use in bath as directed. Was for a 5 year old with chicken pox!

[Pharmanaut]

Originally Posted by womble

Has anyone else had a prescription for 500g Potassium permanganate - use in bath as directed. Was for a 5 year old with chicken pox!

Thought you put a couple of tablespoons of Sod.Bic. in a tepid bath?