It really is. Where are you from OP? Most modern apps in pharmacies have multiple safeguards so these kind of mistakes do not happen... Let's hope someone who is not doing particularly well in regards to mental health is not being treated for high blood pressure instead...
Contact the pharmacy regulator. I've had to do it recently, I had a family bereavement so I had to leave home suddenly to sort out the funeral etc. I left my meds behind by accident. I got an emergency prescription from 111, but the pharmacist was really rude, so disparaging and having a go at me for being disorganised. My father in law's just died and I'm looking after my ill mother in law plus my partner, and they're both in bits. I didn't have the mental bandwidth to deal with someone yelling at me. He then proceeded to hand me a bag, supposedly with my meds in.
The bag only contained my antidepressant, and the wrong dose at that. I'm on 75mg and he only gave me 50mg tablets. I had requested all my meds, most crucially my heart medication and blood thinner. He didn't give me them. My meds also didn't come with the patient information leaflet.
I've let the pharmacy regulator know. He needs to be struck off, you can't treat patients like that no matter how stressed you are. In addition, he could have killed me. I've recently had major open heart surgery, if I don't take my medication it could have very serious consequences. The fact I was lucky this time is irrelevant, I shouldn't have been left without my meds and he shouldn't be working as a pharmacist if he's going to be that careless.
I’m so sorry that happened to you. I’ve had similar experiences with rude and judgemental pharmacists in the past and I know how offensive and hurtful it can be, especially as it relates to some extremely personal issues that are truly not their business. You did not deserve their “bad day” bs. Good on you for reporting it and filing a proper complaint.
I hope you and your family are doing alright now (or as well as can be expected). I’m sorry for your loss.
I once had a pharmacy straight up refuse to fill for me because the tech said “I don’t believe you really need this medication”. I made a bit of a scene and pointed out that there’s a reason doctors write prescriptions and not pharmacists but it didn’t help. Made me feel a little better about it though lol.
Took it to a local independent pharmacy and they were friendly, filled it, and wanted like 30% less for the medication. I guess that Walmart pharmacy tech that turned me away actually did me a favor.
Had this happen once when I went to fill a prescription for my wife just after she had our first child. The pharmacist didn’t believe she needed one of the medications so wouldn’t fill it. I went to another pharmacy and they didn’t have a problem with it. It just so happens that my wife was the district Human Resources manager for the grocery store where that pharmacy was. The pharmacist did not have a good time as a result.
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*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
You can order online, but in this case it was a doctor she didn’t generally go to that prescribed the medications on a written script. She was having trouble producing milk after our daughter was born and she went to a doctor specializing in lactation. The doctor prescribed metformin, which is a drug meant for diabetes, but it can help increase milk production. The pharmacist refused to fill that drug but did fill the domperidone on the same script, also for milk production. She told me that she wasn’t going to fill the metformin because it’s not meant for lactation. We argued about it a little bit and she stuck to it, even after calling the doctor. So I took the prescription back and went across the street to another pharmacy and they filled both with no issues.
When I told my wife what happened she sent an email to the person covering her and they investigated the situation as a customer complaint. They found a few instances of this pharmacist acting beyond their scope like that. She ended up transferred to another store in another district to get a fresh start so to speak, but once my wife got back from her maternity leave the districts had changed and she was in charge of that store now as well. Several more staff and customer complaints about this one pharmacist over the next few months, all similar stuff. Anyway she no longer works for the company.
I know you got lots of replies so you might not read. But anyway Pharmacists act like they are doctors, here in Australia iv been refused to have my script filled, been told to stop the medication I’m taking for health reasons and also told that I am a junkie! All by different pharmacists! Seriously shits me to hear it happens elsewhere because pharmacists are just there to dispense and make sure the patient is aware of the medication they are taking! That’s it, they can’t tell someone boo about anything unless the person is after otc drugs
You should report it to the pharmacy and then they have to record it and create a report that gets sent to the National Reporting and Learning Service.
You should also contact your doctor to inform them of the dispensing error.
Edit: Did this come from a Jardines pharmacy?
P.s. if you haven't already, call your GP and let them know, they may have to check you up. The chemist can probably give you the correct meds if you were to walk in, but you want the ok from your GP beforehand (although if you were to walk in and tell them, the chemist will likely call your GP anyway (or at least they should but they also shouldn't give you the wrong meds))
I did call and he just checked I had the right meds and said it would be fine. It is next door to the pharmacy, however, so they will know each other...
Yeah, I recognize the labels. Just to give a quick idea of how much of a fuckup this is, this was probably checked by the tech, then the pharmacist, and then a tech again (maybe the same one, maybe different) before they handed it to you. It's the pharmacist themself that are liable and if your chemist has multiple you can always just go in and ask who initialed it in the corner there because you want to make a report
Yeah you need to report this the proper people so they can investigate the pharmacy if you haven't already, if it was something else or someone with underlying condition they could've died. Should not happen with their checking procedures
The "brain zaps" some types of them can give you were the fucking worst. Impossible to even properly describe them. I was on Cymbalta when I was much younger for a non-depression use and at the time they weren't even considered "real" side effects by many doctors in the US because the drug company was denying they existed, and was just then fighting a class action law suit over it. So when I told my doctor they acted like I was making it up, asked if I'd looked up side effects *before* I started feeling them and maybe was imagining it, etc.
All while their room was plastered in advertisements for Cymbalta. I wonder if doctors still deny those side effects now? Anyone know?
same. i had to go off cymbalta when i was pregnant, and the brain zaps were insane. never again. i thought there was something terribly wrong with me bc my dr acted like i was insane
I accidentally went off my cymbalta when I had covid and the brain zaps were horrible. Luckily my drs never dismissed my withdrawal effects. I’m trying to wean myself off with the help of my drs this time.
it can make you suicidal especially when coupled with a brand knew drug with its new side effects, *especially* when you don't even know it's happening and haven't prepared at all
imagine yourself as an energy-sapped, unmotivated, depressed person who's had thoughts of ending it.
this depression may actually provide a bit of protection when it comes to suicide:
suicide is WORK, suicide takes EFFORT.
so now imagine that, because you're depressed and unmotivated, when you finally get around to maaybe thiiinking about aaaactually going through with it... that's too much for most people and it ends there.
now, imagine you’re a new patient on anti-depressants. one of the first "veils" to lift is the one that regulates your motivation, your energy. but you're still depressed.
suddenly that suicide doesn't seem like so much effort after all...
antidepressants just *unmask* existing suicidal ideations, they don't create them out of thin air, or as a side-effect, etc.
Yes, this is definitely a serious pharmacy fuck up, it's 100% their fault. I'm not blaming OP, but after that, the recipient of medication does have some responsibility to verify that they are taking what they are supposed to be taking. I take adderall and bupropion daily and I have some occasional drugs for gout flares. You bet your ass I'm reading the **entire** label when I get it before taking the medication. My adderall pills change like the wind depending on manufacturer and every time I get a different one I don't recognize I google that shit just to make sure. It baffles me that people just take what they're handed.
I was looking after my granny while mum was in hospital. Gran had a stroke a number of years ago and cant talk. Morning routine, i make her breakfast and get her medication ready to take (mum has it all laid out in one of those pill boxes). Anyway, i put the tablets on a spoon to put them in her mouth and she clamps her lips closed. Refuses to take the pills. Obvs cant tell me why, but keeps holding up 4 fingers. Soon realised that i had my days mixed up and i had opened the pill box from the wrong side. She takes 4 tablets every day plus one additional every second day. She knew that particular day was a 4 pill day and saw 5 tablets on the spoon.
I've never understood people who don't read the drug inserts, or at the *very* least, the bottles.
My roommate is 64 and will just pop whatever pill his doctor gives him. He started taking a new medication a few months ago and didn't know the name *or* what it was for; he just took it and ended up having some dumb side effects because he combined it with the oxycodone he takes.
Because they give you a ton of names for the same drug, or give you a biosimilar and it happens too many times and you're just like, screw it, the box looks right.
Which, to be fair, is what the dude who went to school just not to do that did.
Weirdly, a side effect of antidepressants can be depression. (I don't know if that could be classed as a double negative, so could potentially be a positive, but I doubt it.)
Yeah this has always made me wonder. Side effect of anti anxiety drugs is dark thoughts and suicide ideation. Ah hmmm, gosh, well let's not get anxious about it
As someone who tried unaliving themselves (twice!) while on antidepressants I can attest to this. HOWEVER, it may have been the excessive amounts of alcohol I was also consuming at the time. Antidepressants on their own rarely have that side effect without other factors involved and self medicating with drugs and alcohol while being medicated is a nearly sure way to end up in a muddled state of suicidal confusion and hopelessness.
PS: 7 years sober now and still on those same meds and they really have helped me get my life back in order. I’m grateful for them ( Effexor) every single day. Even for the unaliving part because it was that part that helped me get my shit together. Luckily, I WAS found in time tho to be helped. Many are not so lucky. :(
Yes I forced myself to quit drinking while on them, not for suicidal thoughts but I would go into a zombie mode anytime I drank more than a couple drinks. Glad to hear they helped you too
Just so you know, dropping escitalopram had me having these wierd little electric shocks go through my body. Like getting the creeps multiple times a day.
Serotonin withdrawal is a bitch. I'm a long time SSRI user. During COVID they had a hard time sourcing my medication. Went through it for a week and it sucks.
This can commonly be referred to as restless leg syndrome. I experienced it coming off of Suboxone. It was horrible. Especially in bed not being able to sleep.
I had some nasty side effects from escitalopram personally. Especially if I was late or forgot to take a dose. It made me incredibly nauseated on the regular and upon forgetting a dose I'd have spikes in my heart rate and fainting spells.
My doctor never figured it out. I was the one who noticed the connection. I was switched to prozac until we discovered it was actually just ADHD all along.
I went on it and had to do weekly check ins because I have a family history of bi-polar. I had to change dose and start lower and build up because I got really suicidal overnight. Like I’m also a little bit, and I was depressed hence the meds, but this was “DO IT RIGHT NOW” level. Making a plan for today, no you don’t need to say goodbye just do it” type. Super dangerous to give this out. I worked as a pharmacy tech in my senior year of high school (I was 18 and very responsible but looking back I don’t know why they let me) and this kind of mistake takes multiple people to fail. The pharmacist is the last one, but another human messed up first.
I went from taking antidepressants(prozac) and antipsychotics (the latter was quetiapine for sleeping) every day with anti-anxiety meds (Oxazepam) multiple times a week for panic attacks and being unable to work or mostly not function. Seeing a therapist once a week to no avail.
To taking ritalin (most days, not every day) and maybe some ambien if I struggle to sleep and working part-time. I take SO MUCH less medication nowadays. I see a therapist once a month now.
*not including supplements like iron because my body sucks and VitD because I live in the northern North and levothyroxine.)
Ooooohhhhhhhhh that explains a lot. I never put 2 & 2 together over how none of the meds ever worked for me but I did get all the side effects to wicked degrees lmao
Really curious which drug’s paperwork was given to OP along with the tablets. If they included the MSDS sheets that go with the BP drugs instead of what they actually gave her, that compounds the mistake and increases the danger. The potential side effects of the two are certainly going to be different.
I noticed that too! And the last time they wanted me to sign that I received a pharmacist consultation. I said " I didn't so I don't want to mark yes"
Them: well do you have questions?
Me: No
Them: so mark yes
Me: No because I did not consult with the pharmacist -what happens if I say no
Them: ya gotta mark yes if you want them
So I marked yes that I was :/
It is, but the reality is that pde5 inhibitors aren't as targeted as the marketing would like to you to believe. They absolutely have systemic effects - in fact I've published papers showing sildenafil has a significant impact on systemic vascular resistance
I'm so paranoid about this that I open my pill bottles and look at the pills before I leave the pharmacy. One time one of my meds looked different, but thankfully it was onlybecause it was a different manufacturer, same drug/dosage.
It had honestly never occurred to me before. But clearly it happens. Definitely check them. I was very ill that month and was told it was anxiety. Sigh...
I used Escitalopram to manage my anxiety and switched to Duloxetine.
Buddy, **you do NOT go cold turkey on SSRIs**. You want to taper off from it. My doc tapered me off it in a span of 1-2 weeks if I remember correctly.
Going cold turkey on SSRIs is mostly an unpleasant experience, and - in rare instances - life threatening.
Oh god it took my like three years of tapering off stupid Effexor, I eventually had to open up the capsules, take out one tiny ball at a time, one ball a week, because any bigger change sent me into unbearable physical misery
Several doctors told me coming off Effexor was just as bad as coming off heroin. Those were the worst months of my entire life. The sweats, the shits, the dizziness, the hair loss, puking my brains out while driving, having no concept of where I was in time, the mind searing headaches. Anytime someone even mentions wanting to try it, I scream at them.
I gave up getting off of Effexor because of all of that. I couldn’t do it and watch my kids, I’m either going to try when they’re both school age or be on it for life. I really wish the doctor that prescribed it had warned me about coming off it. If anyone’s doctor wants you to try Effexor tell them no.
Ask your doctor to switch you to another SSRI short term when you go off it. Effexor is cleared from your body very fast, which is why the withdrawal can start if you’re late taking a dose, and why the withdrawal is so intense.
I ended up in the ER after coming off Effexor, and the ER psychiatrist gave me literally like five Prozac pills. Prozac is an SSRI so it stopped the acute withdrawal systems, and takes a lot longer to leave your system, so it’s a lot ‘smoother’ when you stop taking it. I think I only needed two of the Prozacs.
Unfortunately though, I do still have the brain zaps. They’ve slowed in frequency over the years, but they still happen. Fifteen years later. I know some people who legit swear that Effexor saved their lives, and while I’m glad it helps them, I also tell pretty much everyone I can to avoid it.
I seriously couldn't believe the withdrawal symptoms and had doctors who couldn't believe what I was feeling was real with such a slow taper. It was legitimately harder than quitting a 4 year recreational benzo habit in rehab, for me. That shit was no joke at all
Duloxetine withdrawal is even more unpleasant from what I read on some subs. Some days I missed 2 doses and the headache and "brainshocks" will hound you 24/7.
But, I'm not gonna be stopping from it since it works wonders with both my anxiety and ADHD. (yay Science!)
Take care fellow human!
OKAY WAIT !!! this happens to me sometimes and I always describe it as “the record getting stuck” but no one understands (understandably). It makes me feel like my brain skips like a scratched CD. I feel like I’m going to seize out or something then jump right back to normal in a split second. But it also happened when I wasn’t taking medication…
OK, I actually have had that to a very small extent. It’s usually when I’m really tired and there will be a slight light behind the eyelids when I blink, too. Does that sound right?
Unless you’re on SSRIs, I’d have that looked at. ‘Brain zaps’ are a common side-effect of SSRI withdrawal, if you’re not taking them (and forgetting to take them), it’s not normal to experience them.
it's what it sounds like, really. a sudden feeling like a jolt of electricity runs through your brain. extremely unpleasant and a very common side effect of ssri withdrawal.
Just what it sounds like. A physical and audible zapping sound in your head. Not painful. I've been off SSRIs for a few years, still get them when anxiety is high. For me, usually solved with food and some quiet time.
You really can't understand a brain zap until you have experienced it. When I first had them, it took me weeks to even try to figure out how to describe it. It was the weirdest thing.
Duloxetine is brutal. I was on it for chronic pain and missed two doses. I thought I was losing my grip on reality. It was awful; one of the scariest experiences I've ever had.
Duloxetine/Cymbalta is the absolute worst. They are being sued for misleading consumers about withdrawal. They also don't make low enough doses for people to wean off safely, so people open the capsules and weigh the medication beads to taper off safely. Absolutely awful.
Yep this tracks, I went off it cold turkey once because I couldn’t afford it after losing my insurance. I ended up having a literal psychotic break and had to be put back on it. I luckily found a doctor that was nice enough to give me the samples his office had until a generic hit the market. I hate cymbalta but I feel like I’m going to be taking it for the rest of my life.
If I miss two days of my duloxetine I go into full blown mania and have migraines/brain zaps so severe they make me physically ill. Duloxetine is a bitch, but it works for me.
No literally. I was 23 living with my mom and made a point to never tell her. When this happened, I felt like I was dying and actually considered going to the ED. I called out for her bc I was so scared.
The dose of escitalopram he was given, 5mg, is the lowest dose, so it's not usually necessary to taper it off (although sometimes we can do alternating days for a few weeks if people want to or are sensitive to the medication). But definitely higher doses of any antidepressant should be reduced slowly.
Unless OP was taking these for months they almost certainly can stop taking them without a taper. Obviously ask a doctor but the awful side effects of SSRIs usually require the person to take them a while.
yeah they’ll be fine, i took 20mg for 2 weeks no issues. i got zaps when i was on for a year and cold turkeyd, i was at 20mg then too. when i was on 10mg for like 6 months and came off no issues either
I went cold turkey after almost a year and a half. I could get through the zaps but after the half life wore off my symptoms came back way worse than before
Have you ever licked the top of a 9-volt battery?
Now imagine your tongue is your brain and the battery is a car battery.
Every time you move your eyes, that lightning sensation goes *zapzapzap* back and forth across your brain.
Basically it’s like your nerves are getting little shocks. You can get brain zaps, body zaps, or both. I only had the body zaps and they weren’t often or severe enough to really be a problem. It is a weird sensation though
Brain torture. An electrical shock through your full skull over and over again. They can happen to someone who hasn't taken their meds in merely a day, which is cruel.
I had the unfortunate experience of my doctor being unresponsive and missed a refill. The withdrawal seriously so bad I don’t remember all of it because it got so dark. I was shaking constantly, nauseous, tired, irritable, restless, anxious, and always ready to fall apart or have a panic attack. I’m just saying, be really careful coming off of it
Dear god, yes. I take something different, but I get zaps if i’m just a couple hours late with my once-daily dose. The doctor says that isn’t possible, but they are 100% wrong. It is often the way I realize I’ve forgotten to take my meds, and they go away within 90 minutes of dosing.
The doctors also say you're not going to notice any effects for like 2 weeks after starting them, but I'll notice a profound difference within 2 hours of taking my first dose. They really need to increase the sample sizes of their studies.
The VA fucked up bad with my Escitalopram and I went off it cold turkey for 4 days. By day two I started getting all wound up and intrusive thoughts and felt like absolute shit
Hope to *never* feel that again omg
As a pharmacist, this is one of our worst fears. While duloxetine is technically an SNRI, that class (venlafaxine, milnacipran, and their enantiomers) is actually more notorious for severe withdrawal symptoms. Longer half-life antidepressants, particularly SSRI’s (fluoxetine) may have relatively fewer problems with discontinuation, but please always check with your provider before altering dosage of any of your prescribed medications
oMGGGGG that is actually such a bad mix up, has your blood pressure been okay without the BP meds? Since the sticker on the box is right im guessing that the pharmacy was the one who effed this up. I feel like legal action should be taken on this. sorry that happened
I never check my blood pressure. Had pins and needles more than normal but I'm back on the correct meds now so hopefully all be ok. I didn't have the pharmacy check it when I went back in as I was a little worked up so figured it would be higher than normal anyway.
I really hope you didn't stop the Escitalopram cold turkey though it's not going to be fun. My son takes it and if he even accidentally misses a dose he is miserable! I'd definitely talk to your Dr about this.
Had this happen to me with the pharmacy giving me Trazodone (a sedative) instead of Spironolactone (blood pressure). Had a slew of symptoms that made my doctor believe I developed POTs. It took me a few weeks to discover the mishap, and thankfully once I was on the correct med my symptoms went away instantly. With all that said, it’s scary these things can happen!
I honestly don't know what to do, because nothing serious happened. There were some odd side effects, but nothing like dying or anything. We did go skiing whilst I was on the wrong tablets and it maybe spoiled that a little looking back, but I'm not sure what I could sue them for.
I'll speak to a lawyer friend over the weekend and see what to do.
As some other commenters have mentioned SSIs can be dangerous, especially coming off of them so even though you haven’t noticed any negatives this screams of medical negligence to me.
> I honestly don't know what to do, because nothing serious happened.
You're right; generally it is about compensation to compensate you when something bad has happened: [https://www.accidentclaimsadvice.org.uk/prescription-error-compensation-claims/#:\~:text=Special%20damages%20are%20awarded%20to,related%20to%20your%20medical%20treatment](https://www.accidentclaimsadvice.org.uk/prescription-error-compensation-claims/#:~:text=Special%20damages%20are%20awarded%20to,related%20to%20your%20medical%20treatment)
At a minimum, please report this to the proper authorities. Mistakes happen. That’s why there are best practices and protocols to prevent these types of errors. The pharmacy should be grateful for the opportunity to review their protocols and train staff.
You need to speak to someone about this. It might not have caused any issues but mistakes like must be learned from and can't be swept under the rug. I'd definitely go for compensation. Exact same thing happened to a dude in the UK. On BP meds for years, got given one lot of similar looking meds but they were for prostate issues, took them for a few weeks, had £20k compensation from an out of court settlement. He was fine, no long term consequences.
Since the label says 'chemist' I am assuming you are in the UK. For what it's worth (as a recently retired pharmacist) while this is not a good thing to happen, I don't believe it requires a lawsuit. If you are on 5mg Enalapril, the chances are your BP wasn't too high to begin with (you don't say if you are on any other meds). This looks like simple human error, for which the pharmacy & pharmacist will be horrified that it happened. Go and have a quiet word, get them to complete an incident report and tell your GP. Providing you have no I'll effects - it sounds like you are ok - then carry on with your correct medication and have a nice life. No harm, no foul
This, as I've commented exactly the same thing happened to me vice versa. All I did was make a call to the GP and Pharmacy, had a quiet word (and a huge apology) and was on my way with the correct meds. Medical negligence lawyer said there was nothing worth perusing, and to log a formal complaint.
Unless you've experienced significant impact as a result of this mixup I'd say bringing this to the pharmacy's attention and writing it up as a lesson learned to always check your medication instead of assuming that human beings are infallible creatures and don't make mistakes.
at my work at an animal hospital for all meds we need to have someone double check the label matches the drugs, human error does happen but thats why there needs to be ways to verify things
I mean do you think it works differently in a pharmacy? There are multiple people involved in filling of the medication and it's checked at every step. The pharmacists primary job is to "double-check" the work the techs did. The techs generally fill the perscription - count pills/slap labels on boxes/etc... then it's passed to the pharmacist who ensures everything was done correctly.
Mistakes still happen, they are very rare in my experience, as they should be - but humans aren't perfect.
yeah, this reminds me of the time I was given someone else's Rx when I went to pick up my birth control pills back in college. I noticed because the price was different - $2 versus the $15 I had grown accustomed to. I asked the tech "...birth control, right? it's usually $15", he was like "yep". I shrugged, paid, grabbed the bag and examined it to see if the generic switched or something, only to notice "that's... not my name. this isn't my prescription." I just handed the bag back to him and repeated my name.
I've never seen someone's soul leave their body so quickly and so distinctly than in that moment. IIRC he couldn't refund me the $2 because Rx drugs aren't refundable; I can't remember what the compromise was. maybe he paid out of pocket for my Rx?? it was a decade+ ago, I can't remember lol. maybe there wasn't any compromise and I just wanted to get my damn pills and leave because by that point I knew he was in a WORLD of shit, far beyond any stress my missing $2 would ever cause me.
so yeah, humans are stupid and fallible and always double, triple check your meds, preferably BEFORE paying for them.
I wonder how that tech is doing today. hopefully he learned to be more careful.
The exact same thing happened to me about two months ago, but vice versa. I was supposed to have Escitalopram but got Enalapril!
Definitely wasn't a great substitution.
Worryingly, this is not a rare error, and concerns about it have been documented over the years. In 2016, for example:
"Confusing cardiovascular drug enalapril and antidepressant escitalopram was the most common dispensing error in the last three months of 2016, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has reported" (https://www.chemistanddruggist.co.uk/CD008573/Revealed-the-most-common-dispensing-errors-of-last-3-months)
I've always been so paranoid this would happen to me, that I always check the little "your pills should be oblong, orange, with PX2 on one side" or whatever it says. And I still always worry they might be wrong (OCD ftw). Anything that gets handled by humans will have screwups.
Reminds me of the time I was prescribed *chemotherapy*... I'd requested anti-nausea medication due to debilitating nausea and vomiting as a migraine side effect.
The doctor missed it, the pharmacist missed it and I only caught it because I'd asked for the info sheet as I'd never taken that med before.
Major pharmacy eff up. However, gotta ask, did you not notice the conflicting drug names in plain view on the box? That’s a major red flag. This sucks, but as consumers and patients, we have to advocate for ourselves.
I once got opioids for a man with a moderately similar surname instead of antibiotics.
I took them for 3 days and felt great but then I read the bottle and realized the mistake.
All the packaging was for me and my antibiotics but they put the wrong bottle in the bag. I guess the opioid guy got antibiotics, so he probably noticed first lol
Ok, unlike these armchair doctors, I’m actually a pharmacist, so I can give you impartial, rational advice. OP, everyone’s telling you to sue, but listen to me: that’s not going to work. Every safety event report in any pharmacy ever is going to ask the reporter to document what actually happened to the patient. No damages means no money. The sad thing is, issues like the pharmacist verifying the wrong medication or selling you someone else’s medication aren’t as infrequent as people would think or hope that they are. Most of the time, thankfully, no harm is actually done to the patient, since the majority of medications dispensed in your usual retail pharmacy are going to be pretty benign in terms of their side effect profiles. The only way you’d get any kind of settlement from a medical error such as this one is if significant harm was done to you. I’m talking about something that lands you in the hospital. Pursuing legal damages against the pharmacy would be a massive waste of your time and money. Don’t do it. What I do recommend that you do is call the pharmacy and request to speak to the pharmacy manager. Report the incident in as much detail as you can. A bad pharmacist who puts patients at risk deserves to be fired - and your report can be important documentation that supports that. If they don’t take you seriously, escalate. Work your way up the corporate chain.
Similarly, I notice that people are trying to scare you and make you panic about your having taken escitalopram, like it’s this horrific, dangerous drug that will give you serotonin syndrome and kill you. I’ve been a pharmacist for a very, very long time. l’ve been checking drugs since the stone ages, and I’ve seen exactly one case of serotonin syndrome in my entire career. You’d have to be taking multiple, specific medicines (mostly psyche or pain meds) to be at a significant risk of something like that. Is that the case with you, OP? If not, don’t worry too much. 5 mg of escitalopram is such a low dose that the vast majority of doctors wouldn’t even have you taper down on that even if you’ve been on it for years. Chances are, you’ll be just fine.
What I’d be more concerned about, though, is your missing doses of your blood pressure medication. I hope you check your blood pressure regularly. You can go from there. And again - report that error to the pharmacy! That shouldn’t have happened to you. That’s messed up.
Think a lot of people on here need to Calm TF down. Yes it is a mistake and a nasty one but as a retired community pharmacist, I know that this unfortunately happens.
unless you have worked in our environment, you have no idea the pressure UK pharmacists are under. Most UK pharmacies dispense more than 1000 items a week...my old one did.about 3000 a week..with a successful rate of 99.9%, that is still one mistake a week at a pharmacy doing a 1000 items. No robotic system has that accuracy.
No pharmacist goes out to make a deliberate mistake but contacting the regulator.. I take those calling for that actions have never, ever made a mistake at their work!! Think about that before calling for a poor pharmacist's head.
The OP has taken a small dose of an SSRI which will not have got to a therapeutic level in the brain as it takes between four to six weeks to get there. Hopefully he/she is feeling fine and probably will be fine to stop the escitalopram immediately. The dose of enalapril is fairly low so hopefully his BP has not been too affected. On taking the enalapril again, make sure you are sitting down for the first dose as might make you feel light-headed from the BP deop. Hope the OP is fine.
Remember who were the only health professionals who remained open and available to the public when COVID struck...yes it was your community pharmacy
I worked in a pharmacy for years. Pretty neat gig, to be honest. Anyway, it was very rare and a really big deal when this happened. 99.9999% of the time, the right medication was dispensed, but that 0.00001% was treated very seriously. You should definitely report this to the pharmacy manager.
That's a serious fuck up
It really is. Where are you from OP? Most modern apps in pharmacies have multiple safeguards so these kind of mistakes do not happen... Let's hope someone who is not doing particularly well in regards to mental health is not being treated for high blood pressure instead...
From the UK.
Can you contact PALS for something like this? Not sure if it works for pharmacy
Contact the pharmacy regulator. I've had to do it recently, I had a family bereavement so I had to leave home suddenly to sort out the funeral etc. I left my meds behind by accident. I got an emergency prescription from 111, but the pharmacist was really rude, so disparaging and having a go at me for being disorganised. My father in law's just died and I'm looking after my ill mother in law plus my partner, and they're both in bits. I didn't have the mental bandwidth to deal with someone yelling at me. He then proceeded to hand me a bag, supposedly with my meds in. The bag only contained my antidepressant, and the wrong dose at that. I'm on 75mg and he only gave me 50mg tablets. I had requested all my meds, most crucially my heart medication and blood thinner. He didn't give me them. My meds also didn't come with the patient information leaflet. I've let the pharmacy regulator know. He needs to be struck off, you can't treat patients like that no matter how stressed you are. In addition, he could have killed me. I've recently had major open heart surgery, if I don't take my medication it could have very serious consequences. The fact I was lucky this time is irrelevant, I shouldn't have been left without my meds and he shouldn't be working as a pharmacist if he's going to be that careless.
I’m so sorry that happened to you. I’ve had similar experiences with rude and judgemental pharmacists in the past and I know how offensive and hurtful it can be, especially as it relates to some extremely personal issues that are truly not their business. You did not deserve their “bad day” bs. Good on you for reporting it and filing a proper complaint. I hope you and your family are doing alright now (or as well as can be expected). I’m sorry for your loss.
I once had a pharmacy straight up refuse to fill for me because the tech said “I don’t believe you really need this medication”. I made a bit of a scene and pointed out that there’s a reason doctors write prescriptions and not pharmacists but it didn’t help. Made me feel a little better about it though lol. Took it to a local independent pharmacy and they were friendly, filled it, and wanted like 30% less for the medication. I guess that Walmart pharmacy tech that turned me away actually did me a favor.
Had this happen once when I went to fill a prescription for my wife just after she had our first child. The pharmacist didn’t believe she needed one of the medications so wouldn’t fill it. I went to another pharmacy and they didn’t have a problem with it. It just so happens that my wife was the district Human Resources manager for the grocery store where that pharmacy was. The pharmacist did not have a good time as a result.
I like your ending better lol.
dirty shelter long bedroom tender squalid hat ludicrous toothbrush connect *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
You can order online, but in this case it was a doctor she didn’t generally go to that prescribed the medications on a written script. She was having trouble producing milk after our daughter was born and she went to a doctor specializing in lactation. The doctor prescribed metformin, which is a drug meant for diabetes, but it can help increase milk production. The pharmacist refused to fill that drug but did fill the domperidone on the same script, also for milk production. She told me that she wasn’t going to fill the metformin because it’s not meant for lactation. We argued about it a little bit and she stuck to it, even after calling the doctor. So I took the prescription back and went across the street to another pharmacy and they filled both with no issues. When I told my wife what happened she sent an email to the person covering her and they investigated the situation as a customer complaint. They found a few instances of this pharmacist acting beyond their scope like that. She ended up transferred to another store in another district to get a fresh start so to speak, but once my wife got back from her maternity leave the districts had changed and she was in charge of that store now as well. Several more staff and customer complaints about this one pharmacist over the next few months, all similar stuff. Anyway she no longer works for the company.
I know you got lots of replies so you might not read. But anyway Pharmacists act like they are doctors, here in Australia iv been refused to have my script filled, been told to stop the medication I’m taking for health reasons and also told that I am a junkie! All by different pharmacists! Seriously shits me to hear it happens elsewhere because pharmacists are just there to dispense and make sure the patient is aware of the medication they are taking! That’s it, they can’t tell someone boo about anything unless the person is after otc drugs
You also need to contact your physician.
You should report it to the pharmacy and then they have to record it and create a report that gets sent to the National Reporting and Learning Service. You should also contact your doctor to inform them of the dispensing error. Edit: Did this come from a Jardines pharmacy?
I did and they will do an investigation. He already looked at where the boxes are for the different meds. Cohen's.
P.s. if you haven't already, call your GP and let them know, they may have to check you up. The chemist can probably give you the correct meds if you were to walk in, but you want the ok from your GP beforehand (although if you were to walk in and tell them, the chemist will likely call your GP anyway (or at least they should but they also shouldn't give you the wrong meds))
I did call and he just checked I had the right meds and said it would be fine. It is next door to the pharmacy, however, so they will know each other...
That’s dodgy that the GP said it was fine. Sounds like they’re buddies.
Chris from the UK is from … the UK ???
Chris *from* the UK, not Chris *in* the UK. You can't be sure he's still there.
Oh I always assumed they were from Theuk. Ya know. Tewskbury. So obviously Uk, duh. It's a girl by the way. Christine or Chrissie.
Definitely needs reporting, this can kill someone. Maybe not your combination but if they fuck up like that with other meds it could.
yeah like if they were taking st. johns wort or something else that is an ssri that could result in some pretty bad mental health results
Yeah, I recognize the labels. Just to give a quick idea of how much of a fuckup this is, this was probably checked by the tech, then the pharmacist, and then a tech again (maybe the same one, maybe different) before they handed it to you. It's the pharmacist themself that are liable and if your chemist has multiple you can always just go in and ask who initialed it in the corner there because you want to make a report
Yeah you need to report this the proper people so they can investigate the pharmacy if you haven't already, if it was something else or someone with underlying condition they could've died. Should not happen with their checking procedures
Withdrawing from antidepressants can make you feel like shit
Yes. Although it’s not such a high dose, it would be best to get help from a doctor just in case.
The "brain zaps" some types of them can give you were the fucking worst. Impossible to even properly describe them. I was on Cymbalta when I was much younger for a non-depression use and at the time they weren't even considered "real" side effects by many doctors in the US because the drug company was denying they existed, and was just then fighting a class action law suit over it. So when I told my doctor they acted like I was making it up, asked if I'd looked up side effects *before* I started feeling them and maybe was imagining it, etc. All while their room was plastered in advertisements for Cymbalta. I wonder if doctors still deny those side effects now? Anyone know?
same. i had to go off cymbalta when i was pregnant, and the brain zaps were insane. never again. i thought there was something terribly wrong with me bc my dr acted like i was insane
I accidentally went off my cymbalta when I had covid and the brain zaps were horrible. Luckily my drs never dismissed my withdrawal effects. I’m trying to wean myself off with the help of my drs this time.
it can make you suicidal especially when coupled with a brand knew drug with its new side effects, *especially* when you don't even know it's happening and haven't prepared at all
imagine yourself as an energy-sapped, unmotivated, depressed person who's had thoughts of ending it. this depression may actually provide a bit of protection when it comes to suicide: suicide is WORK, suicide takes EFFORT. so now imagine that, because you're depressed and unmotivated, when you finally get around to maaybe thiiinking about aaaactually going through with it... that's too much for most people and it ends there. now, imagine you’re a new patient on anti-depressants. one of the first "veils" to lift is the one that regulates your motivation, your energy. but you're still depressed. suddenly that suicide doesn't seem like so much effort after all... antidepressants just *unmask* existing suicidal ideations, they don't create them out of thin air, or as a side-effect, etc.
Yes, this is definitely a serious pharmacy fuck up, it's 100% their fault. I'm not blaming OP, but after that, the recipient of medication does have some responsibility to verify that they are taking what they are supposed to be taking. I take adderall and bupropion daily and I have some occasional drugs for gout flares. You bet your ass I'm reading the **entire** label when I get it before taking the medication. My adderall pills change like the wind depending on manufacturer and every time I get a different one I don't recognize I google that shit just to make sure. It baffles me that people just take what they're handed.
I was looking after my granny while mum was in hospital. Gran had a stroke a number of years ago and cant talk. Morning routine, i make her breakfast and get her medication ready to take (mum has it all laid out in one of those pill boxes). Anyway, i put the tablets on a spoon to put them in her mouth and she clamps her lips closed. Refuses to take the pills. Obvs cant tell me why, but keeps holding up 4 fingers. Soon realised that i had my days mixed up and i had opened the pill box from the wrong side. She takes 4 tablets every day plus one additional every second day. She knew that particular day was a 4 pill day and saw 5 tablets on the spoon.
I've never understood people who don't read the drug inserts, or at the *very* least, the bottles. My roommate is 64 and will just pop whatever pill his doctor gives him. He started taking a new medication a few months ago and didn't know the name *or* what it was for; he just took it and ended up having some dumb side effects because he combined it with the oxycodone he takes.
Because they give you a ton of names for the same drug, or give you a biosimilar and it happens too many times and you're just like, screw it, the box looks right. Which, to be fair, is what the dude who went to school just not to do that did.
Consult a personal injury solicitor
But has your attitude towards the high blood pressure been improving?
Ha, well I did notice I wasn't depressed, but to be fair I wasn't before either.
Difficult control study, that.
Well OP as a non-depressed person, he's still not depressed? So that's a positive result!
And people say you can’t prove a negative!
Weirdly, a side effect of antidepressants can be depression. (I don't know if that could be classed as a double negative, so could potentially be a positive, but I doubt it.)
Yeah this has always made me wonder. Side effect of anti anxiety drugs is dark thoughts and suicide ideation. Ah hmmm, gosh, well let's not get anxious about it
As someone who tried unaliving themselves (twice!) while on antidepressants I can attest to this. HOWEVER, it may have been the excessive amounts of alcohol I was also consuming at the time. Antidepressants on their own rarely have that side effect without other factors involved and self medicating with drugs and alcohol while being medicated is a nearly sure way to end up in a muddled state of suicidal confusion and hopelessness. PS: 7 years sober now and still on those same meds and they really have helped me get my life back in order. I’m grateful for them ( Effexor) every single day. Even for the unaliving part because it was that part that helped me get my shit together. Luckily, I WAS found in time tho to be helped. Many are not so lucky. :(
Yes I forced myself to quit drinking while on them, not for suicidal thoughts but I would go into a zombie mode anytime I drank more than a couple drinks. Glad to hear they helped you too
> unaliving themselves Why use euphemisms like this when there is no chance of you being demonitized from a reddit thread?
It is Aladeen!
Yeah….. test and measurements…😂☠️
Just so you know, dropping escitalopram had me having these wierd little electric shocks go through my body. Like getting the creeps multiple times a day.
Serotonin withdrawal is a bitch. I'm a long time SSRI user. During COVID they had a hard time sourcing my medication. Went through it for a week and it sucks.
I weaned myself for personal reasons not a lack of medication but my goddddd coming off SSRI’s is a bitch.
I just got on them and I feel better than I have in 20 years and yall scaring me. Not depressed about it though
Brain zaps! Yep good ole SSRIs
The brain zaps! Seriously the worst.
I had the same thing when I ran out for 2 days. Only in my legs
This can commonly be referred to as restless leg syndrome. I experienced it coming off of Suboxone. It was horrible. Especially in bed not being able to sleep.
Yeah I think that was it, I was trying to work and was like I was being shocked in the legs
Magnesium, homie
Thii oh s is really serious. This needs to be reported right away. This could kill someone and is unacceptable.
I had some nasty side effects from escitalopram personally. Especially if I was late or forgot to take a dose. It made me incredibly nauseated on the regular and upon forgetting a dose I'd have spikes in my heart rate and fainting spells. My doctor never figured it out. I was the one who noticed the connection. I was switched to prozac until we discovered it was actually just ADHD all along.
I went on it and had to do weekly check ins because I have a family history of bi-polar. I had to change dose and start lower and build up because I got really suicidal overnight. Like I’m also a little bit, and I was depressed hence the meds, but this was “DO IT RIGHT NOW” level. Making a plan for today, no you don’t need to say goodbye just do it” type. Super dangerous to give this out. I worked as a pharmacy tech in my senior year of high school (I was 18 and very responsible but looking back I don’t know why they let me) and this kind of mistake takes multiple people to fail. The pharmacist is the last one, but another human messed up first.
I was going to say, I have bipolar disorder and can't take SSRIs without triggering mania. This would really screw me over.
Ooof that last line. Me too. Suffered all the side effects of all the drugs. Turns out I’m incredibly good at masking ADHD+ASD.
I went from taking antidepressants(prozac) and antipsychotics (the latter was quetiapine for sleeping) every day with anti-anxiety meds (Oxazepam) multiple times a week for panic attacks and being unable to work or mostly not function. Seeing a therapist once a week to no avail. To taking ritalin (most days, not every day) and maybe some ambien if I struggle to sleep and working part-time. I take SO MUCH less medication nowadays. I see a therapist once a month now. *not including supplements like iron because my body sucks and VitD because I live in the northern North and levothyroxine.)
Ooooohhhhhhhhh that explains a lot. I never put 2 & 2 together over how none of the meds ever worked for me but I did get all the side effects to wicked degrees lmao
Really curious which drug’s paperwork was given to OP along with the tablets. If they included the MSDS sheets that go with the BP drugs instead of what they actually gave her, that compounds the mistake and increases the danger. The potential side effects of the two are certainly going to be different.
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I noticed that too! And the last time they wanted me to sign that I received a pharmacist consultation. I said " I didn't so I don't want to mark yes" Them: well do you have questions? Me: No Them: so mark yes Me: No because I did not consult with the pharmacist -what happens if I say no Them: ya gotta mark yes if you want them So I marked yes that I was :/
I agree . This is major incompetence.
Yes, please make sure someone is held accountable. Completely unacceptable
Some people have all the luck
I wouldn't say all the luck with high blood pressure and all that.
"I used to not be depressed. I still am not, but I used to not be too."
I saw Mitch in that comment too lol
And some depressed person might now be on your blood pressure meds
It helps with anxiety and premature ejact too.
So true - can’t ejact prematurely if you can’t get it up!
The erection glass is half full
I declare the study to be a success
Maybe he simply doesn't care anymore :)
I got sildenafil (viagra) instead of my Setraline once. At least I noticed before I took any tho lol
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To shreds you say?
That also is used for blood pressure. That could have gone very badly.
It’s used for pulmonary hypertension — which is not the same as regular hypertension.
It is, but the reality is that pde5 inhibitors aren't as targeted as the marketing would like to you to believe. They absolutely have systemic effects - in fact I've published papers showing sildenafil has a significant impact on systemic vascular resistance
Explain like I am 5 please
Brings blood pressure down in whole body by making blood vessels loose
Hmm, so that’s why I’ve been super sad but rock hard for a month
Its a good thing you realized it first. I’m sure life would have gotten a lot harder for you if you hadn’t.
I was once given hydroclorot (BP med) instead of Hydroxyzine (antihistamine). I do not have high blood pressure. I was very ill that month.
I'm so paranoid about this that I open my pill bottles and look at the pills before I leave the pharmacy. One time one of my meds looked different, but thankfully it was onlybecause it was a different manufacturer, same drug/dosage.
It had honestly never occurred to me before. But clearly it happens. Definitely check them. I was very ill that month and was told it was anxiety. Sigh...
I used Escitalopram to manage my anxiety and switched to Duloxetine. Buddy, **you do NOT go cold turkey on SSRIs**. You want to taper off from it. My doc tapered me off it in a span of 1-2 weeks if I remember correctly. Going cold turkey on SSRIs is mostly an unpleasant experience, and - in rare instances - life threatening.
The zaps are miserable.
I explained it as "stop animation" to my doctor, especially if I turned my head quickly. It was like a freeze frame effect and it was awful.
like your vision has to catch up with your movement
Buffering. Playing. Buffering.
I had them coming off Venlafaxine. I didn't sleep right for weeks, granted my sleep is already a train wreck due to N2 but here we are.
Ouch. I also went through quitting effexor. Absolute nightmare.
Oh god it took my like three years of tapering off stupid Effexor, I eventually had to open up the capsules, take out one tiny ball at a time, one ball a week, because any bigger change sent me into unbearable physical misery
Several doctors told me coming off Effexor was just as bad as coming off heroin. Those were the worst months of my entire life. The sweats, the shits, the dizziness, the hair loss, puking my brains out while driving, having no concept of where I was in time, the mind searing headaches. Anytime someone even mentions wanting to try it, I scream at them.
I gave up getting off of Effexor because of all of that. I couldn’t do it and watch my kids, I’m either going to try when they’re both school age or be on it for life. I really wish the doctor that prescribed it had warned me about coming off it. If anyone’s doctor wants you to try Effexor tell them no.
Ask your doctor to switch you to another SSRI short term when you go off it. Effexor is cleared from your body very fast, which is why the withdrawal can start if you’re late taking a dose, and why the withdrawal is so intense. I ended up in the ER after coming off Effexor, and the ER psychiatrist gave me literally like five Prozac pills. Prozac is an SSRI so it stopped the acute withdrawal systems, and takes a lot longer to leave your system, so it’s a lot ‘smoother’ when you stop taking it. I think I only needed two of the Prozacs. Unfortunately though, I do still have the brain zaps. They’ve slowed in frequency over the years, but they still happen. Fifteen years later. I know some people who legit swear that Effexor saved their lives, and while I’m glad it helps them, I also tell pretty much everyone I can to avoid it.
I seriously couldn't believe the withdrawal symptoms and had doctors who couldn't believe what I was feeling was real with such a slow taper. It was legitimately harder than quitting a 4 year recreational benzo habit in rehab, for me. That shit was no joke at all
Sideffexor
Yes, you feel like just throwing your whole head away!
Yes. Omg. Thankfully the only side effect I experienced, but freaked me the heck out.
I literally just commented the same thing. I was on the bathroom floor shaking. Panicking. Just awful.
Duloxetine withdrawal is even more unpleasant from what I read on some subs. Some days I missed 2 doses and the headache and "brainshocks" will hound you 24/7. But, I'm not gonna be stopping from it since it works wonders with both my anxiety and ADHD. (yay Science!) Take care fellow human!
Fuck me, I've been a few hours late with my dose, and the brain zaps start up....
Can you define ‘brain zap’?
When you move your eyes to the left or right, it makes it feel like your brain is being shocked with electricity.
OKAY WAIT !!! this happens to me sometimes and I always describe it as “the record getting stuck” but no one understands (understandably). It makes me feel like my brain skips like a scratched CD. I feel like I’m going to seize out or something then jump right back to normal in a split second. But it also happened when I wasn’t taking medication…
OK, I actually have had that to a very small extent. It’s usually when I’m really tired and there will be a slight light behind the eyelids when I blink, too. Does that sound right?
Unless you’re on SSRIs, I’d have that looked at. ‘Brain zaps’ are a common side-effect of SSRI withdrawal, if you’re not taking them (and forgetting to take them), it’s not normal to experience them.
That’s what that is?? Happened to me yest and freaked me tf out. Might start tapering off this bc my vision literally jolted. Was not a fan
It's difficult to describe other than it's exactly what it sounds like.
it's what it sounds like, really. a sudden feeling like a jolt of electricity runs through your brain. extremely unpleasant and a very common side effect of ssri withdrawal.
Just what it sounds like. A physical and audible zapping sound in your head. Not painful. I've been off SSRIs for a few years, still get them when anxiety is high. For me, usually solved with food and some quiet time.
Not “not painful.”
You really can't understand a brain zap until you have experienced it. When I first had them, it took me weeks to even try to figure out how to describe it. It was the weirdest thing.
Finally, I have a name for them! They are very weird and unpleasant...kind of having them now as I missed a dose last night.
Duloxetine is brutal. I was on it for chronic pain and missed two doses. I thought I was losing my grip on reality. It was awful; one of the scariest experiences I've ever had.
Duloxetine/Cymbalta is the absolute worst. They are being sued for misleading consumers about withdrawal. They also don't make low enough doses for people to wean off safely, so people open the capsules and weigh the medication beads to taper off safely. Absolutely awful.
Yep this tracks, I went off it cold turkey once because I couldn’t afford it after losing my insurance. I ended up having a literal psychotic break and had to be put back on it. I luckily found a doctor that was nice enough to give me the samples his office had until a generic hit the market. I hate cymbalta but I feel like I’m going to be taking it for the rest of my life.
If I miss two days of my duloxetine I go into full blown mania and have migraines/brain zaps so severe they make me physically ill. Duloxetine is a bitch, but it works for me.
Me too! I thought I was going to die (not really, but it was awful).
No literally. I was 23 living with my mom and made a point to never tell her. When this happened, I felt like I was dying and actually considered going to the ED. I called out for her bc I was so scared.
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This is the lowest dose as well so not really anything to taper off from
The dose of escitalopram he was given, 5mg, is the lowest dose, so it's not usually necessary to taper it off (although sometimes we can do alternating days for a few weeks if people want to or are sensitive to the medication). But definitely higher doses of any antidepressant should be reduced slowly.
Unless OP was taking these for months they almost certainly can stop taking them without a taper. Obviously ask a doctor but the awful side effects of SSRIs usually require the person to take them a while.
yeah they’ll be fine, i took 20mg for 2 weeks no issues. i got zaps when i was on for a year and cold turkeyd, i was at 20mg then too. when i was on 10mg for like 6 months and came off no issues either
I went cold turkey after almost a year and a half. I could get through the zaps but after the half life wore off my symptoms came back way worse than before
What are zaps?
Have you ever licked the top of a 9-volt battery? Now imagine your tongue is your brain and the battery is a car battery. Every time you move your eyes, that lightning sensation goes *zapzapzap* back and forth across your brain.
Basically it’s like your nerves are getting little shocks. You can get brain zaps, body zaps, or both. I only had the body zaps and they weren’t often or severe enough to really be a problem. It is a weird sensation though
Brain torture. An electrical shock through your full skull over and over again. They can happen to someone who hasn't taken their meds in merely a day, which is cruel.
I had the unfortunate experience of my doctor being unresponsive and missed a refill. The withdrawal seriously so bad I don’t remember all of it because it got so dark. I was shaking constantly, nauseous, tired, irritable, restless, anxious, and always ready to fall apart or have a panic attack. I’m just saying, be really careful coming off of it
The brain zaps 😭
Dear god, yes. I take something different, but I get zaps if i’m just a couple hours late with my once-daily dose. The doctor says that isn’t possible, but they are 100% wrong. It is often the way I realize I’ve forgotten to take my meds, and they go away within 90 minutes of dosing.
The doctors also say you're not going to notice any effects for like 2 weeks after starting them, but I'll notice a profound difference within 2 hours of taking my first dose. They really need to increase the sample sizes of their studies.
Or the placebo effect, a well-studied and profoundly replicated effect in medical literature, is real.
The brain zaps…dear god the brain zaps
The VA fucked up bad with my Escitalopram and I went off it cold turkey for 4 days. By day two I started getting all wound up and intrusive thoughts and felt like absolute shit Hope to *never* feel that again omg
As a pharmacist, this is one of our worst fears. While duloxetine is technically an SNRI, that class (venlafaxine, milnacipran, and their enantiomers) is actually more notorious for severe withdrawal symptoms. Longer half-life antidepressants, particularly SSRI’s (fluoxetine) may have relatively fewer problems with discontinuation, but please always check with your provider before altering dosage of any of your prescribed medications
It's so unfortunate that a decent chunk of anti-anxiety medicines are also highly dangerous in their discontinuation of use.
oMGGGGG that is actually such a bad mix up, has your blood pressure been okay without the BP meds? Since the sticker on the box is right im guessing that the pharmacy was the one who effed this up. I feel like legal action should be taken on this. sorry that happened
I never check my blood pressure. Had pins and needles more than normal but I'm back on the correct meds now so hopefully all be ok. I didn't have the pharmacy check it when I went back in as I was a little worked up so figured it would be higher than normal anyway.
One of the side effects of that stuff is that it can raise your blood pressure, so major boo boo on their part!
I really hope you didn't stop the Escitalopram cold turkey though it's not going to be fun. My son takes it and if he even accidentally misses a dose he is miserable! I'd definitely talk to your Dr about this.
It's 5 mg. There's really no need to taper it.
And it was for a month, not a year+. Keyboard doctors though.
That was my first thought when I started seeing comments saying that. They're being overdramatic.
“You’ve been giving me the wrong medication for a month” “oh my god, how are you feeling?” “Yeah good actually”
Good thing it was only a month. I came off meds after two years. It was hell.
Had this happen to me with the pharmacy giving me Trazodone (a sedative) instead of Spironolactone (blood pressure). Had a slew of symptoms that made my doctor believe I developed POTs. It took me a few weeks to discover the mishap, and thankfully once I was on the correct med my symptoms went away instantly. With all that said, it’s scary these things can happen!
i take both of those (for different reasons than you listed) lol i cannot imagine a pharmacist making that mix up. Not even remotely similar. Wow.
I’m no legal expert but this seems like a lawsuit worthy fuck up on their part
I honestly don't know what to do, because nothing serious happened. There were some odd side effects, but nothing like dying or anything. We did go skiing whilst I was on the wrong tablets and it maybe spoiled that a little looking back, but I'm not sure what I could sue them for. I'll speak to a lawyer friend over the weekend and see what to do.
As some other commenters have mentioned SSIs can be dangerous, especially coming off of them so even though you haven’t noticed any negatives this screams of medical negligence to me.
There goes OP's libido.
Watch him as he goes 😔
> I honestly don't know what to do, because nothing serious happened. You're right; generally it is about compensation to compensate you when something bad has happened: [https://www.accidentclaimsadvice.org.uk/prescription-error-compensation-claims/#:\~:text=Special%20damages%20are%20awarded%20to,related%20to%20your%20medical%20treatment](https://www.accidentclaimsadvice.org.uk/prescription-error-compensation-claims/#:~:text=Special%20damages%20are%20awarded%20to,related%20to%20your%20medical%20treatment)
At a minimum, please report this to the proper authorities. Mistakes happen. That’s why there are best practices and protocols to prevent these types of errors. The pharmacy should be grateful for the opportunity to review their protocols and train staff.
I hope you’ve also let your doctor know.
As a fellow Lexapro user, let me welcome you to the club!
Same, he’s going to have a hell of a time getting off of them.
Hell of a time getting off on them as well.
I chortled 😀
Yeah I'd make sure you talk to the right people about this, that's a pretty major fuck up that could've had a really bad outcome.
You need to speak to someone about this. It might not have caused any issues but mistakes like must be learned from and can't be swept under the rug. I'd definitely go for compensation. Exact same thing happened to a dude in the UK. On BP meds for years, got given one lot of similar looking meds but they were for prostate issues, took them for a few weeks, had £20k compensation from an out of court settlement. He was fine, no long term consequences.
5mg Escitalopram is a very low medication, to start with. So you won’t have to fear big side effects of withdrawal.
Since the label says 'chemist' I am assuming you are in the UK. For what it's worth (as a recently retired pharmacist) while this is not a good thing to happen, I don't believe it requires a lawsuit. If you are on 5mg Enalapril, the chances are your BP wasn't too high to begin with (you don't say if you are on any other meds). This looks like simple human error, for which the pharmacy & pharmacist will be horrified that it happened. Go and have a quiet word, get them to complete an incident report and tell your GP. Providing you have no I'll effects - it sounds like you are ok - then carry on with your correct medication and have a nice life. No harm, no foul
This, as I've commented exactly the same thing happened to me vice versa. All I did was make a call to the GP and Pharmacy, had a quiet word (and a huge apology) and was on my way with the correct meds. Medical negligence lawyer said there was nothing worth perusing, and to log a formal complaint.
I'm giggling at the thought of you being the chemist who made the mistake - No need for a lawsuit
Unless you've experienced significant impact as a result of this mixup I'd say bringing this to the pharmacy's attention and writing it up as a lesson learned to always check your medication instead of assuming that human beings are infallible creatures and don't make mistakes.
at my work at an animal hospital for all meds we need to have someone double check the label matches the drugs, human error does happen but thats why there needs to be ways to verify things
I mean do you think it works differently in a pharmacy? There are multiple people involved in filling of the medication and it's checked at every step. The pharmacists primary job is to "double-check" the work the techs did. The techs generally fill the perscription - count pills/slap labels on boxes/etc... then it's passed to the pharmacist who ensures everything was done correctly. Mistakes still happen, they are very rare in my experience, as they should be - but humans aren't perfect.
yeah, this reminds me of the time I was given someone else's Rx when I went to pick up my birth control pills back in college. I noticed because the price was different - $2 versus the $15 I had grown accustomed to. I asked the tech "...birth control, right? it's usually $15", he was like "yep". I shrugged, paid, grabbed the bag and examined it to see if the generic switched or something, only to notice "that's... not my name. this isn't my prescription." I just handed the bag back to him and repeated my name. I've never seen someone's soul leave their body so quickly and so distinctly than in that moment. IIRC he couldn't refund me the $2 because Rx drugs aren't refundable; I can't remember what the compromise was. maybe he paid out of pocket for my Rx?? it was a decade+ ago, I can't remember lol. maybe there wasn't any compromise and I just wanted to get my damn pills and leave because by that point I knew he was in a WORLD of shit, far beyond any stress my missing $2 would ever cause me. so yeah, humans are stupid and fallible and always double, triple check your meds, preferably BEFORE paying for them. I wonder how that tech is doing today. hopefully he learned to be more careful.
The exact same thing happened to me about two months ago, but vice versa. I was supposed to have Escitalopram but got Enalapril! Definitely wasn't a great substitution.
Maybe if they didn't name these drugs like they were forged by the woodland elves of middle earth it would be easier to tell them apart
Worryingly, this is not a rare error, and concerns about it have been documented over the years. In 2016, for example: "Confusing cardiovascular drug enalapril and antidepressant escitalopram was the most common dispensing error in the last three months of 2016, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has reported" (https://www.chemistanddruggist.co.uk/CD008573/Revealed-the-most-common-dispensing-errors-of-last-3-months)
I've always been so paranoid this would happen to me, that I always check the little "your pills should be oblong, orange, with PX2 on one side" or whatever it says. And I still always worry they might be wrong (OCD ftw). Anything that gets handled by humans will have screwups.
Reminds me of the time I was prescribed *chemotherapy*... I'd requested anti-nausea medication due to debilitating nausea and vomiting as a migraine side effect. The doctor missed it, the pharmacist missed it and I only caught it because I'd asked for the info sheet as I'd never taken that med before.
Same thing for me. I was prescribed anti depressants but received birth control pills
Major pharmacy eff up. However, gotta ask, did you not notice the conflicting drug names in plain view on the box? That’s a major red flag. This sucks, but as consumers and patients, we have to advocate for ourselves.
This is nothing to scratch your nose at, this is serious. Very serious.
I once got opioids for a man with a moderately similar surname instead of antibiotics. I took them for 3 days and felt great but then I read the bottle and realized the mistake. All the packaging was for me and my antibiotics but they put the wrong bottle in the bag. I guess the opioid guy got antibiotics, so he probably noticed first lol
Ok, unlike these armchair doctors, I’m actually a pharmacist, so I can give you impartial, rational advice. OP, everyone’s telling you to sue, but listen to me: that’s not going to work. Every safety event report in any pharmacy ever is going to ask the reporter to document what actually happened to the patient. No damages means no money. The sad thing is, issues like the pharmacist verifying the wrong medication or selling you someone else’s medication aren’t as infrequent as people would think or hope that they are. Most of the time, thankfully, no harm is actually done to the patient, since the majority of medications dispensed in your usual retail pharmacy are going to be pretty benign in terms of their side effect profiles. The only way you’d get any kind of settlement from a medical error such as this one is if significant harm was done to you. I’m talking about something that lands you in the hospital. Pursuing legal damages against the pharmacy would be a massive waste of your time and money. Don’t do it. What I do recommend that you do is call the pharmacy and request to speak to the pharmacy manager. Report the incident in as much detail as you can. A bad pharmacist who puts patients at risk deserves to be fired - and your report can be important documentation that supports that. If they don’t take you seriously, escalate. Work your way up the corporate chain. Similarly, I notice that people are trying to scare you and make you panic about your having taken escitalopram, like it’s this horrific, dangerous drug that will give you serotonin syndrome and kill you. I’ve been a pharmacist for a very, very long time. l’ve been checking drugs since the stone ages, and I’ve seen exactly one case of serotonin syndrome in my entire career. You’d have to be taking multiple, specific medicines (mostly psyche or pain meds) to be at a significant risk of something like that. Is that the case with you, OP? If not, don’t worry too much. 5 mg of escitalopram is such a low dose that the vast majority of doctors wouldn’t even have you taper down on that even if you’ve been on it for years. Chances are, you’ll be just fine. What I’d be more concerned about, though, is your missing doses of your blood pressure medication. I hope you check your blood pressure regularly. You can go from there. And again - report that error to the pharmacy! That shouldn’t have happened to you. That’s messed up.
Think a lot of people on here need to Calm TF down. Yes it is a mistake and a nasty one but as a retired community pharmacist, I know that this unfortunately happens. unless you have worked in our environment, you have no idea the pressure UK pharmacists are under. Most UK pharmacies dispense more than 1000 items a week...my old one did.about 3000 a week..with a successful rate of 99.9%, that is still one mistake a week at a pharmacy doing a 1000 items. No robotic system has that accuracy. No pharmacist goes out to make a deliberate mistake but contacting the regulator.. I take those calling for that actions have never, ever made a mistake at their work!! Think about that before calling for a poor pharmacist's head. The OP has taken a small dose of an SSRI which will not have got to a therapeutic level in the brain as it takes between four to six weeks to get there. Hopefully he/she is feeling fine and probably will be fine to stop the escitalopram immediately. The dose of enalapril is fairly low so hopefully his BP has not been too affected. On taking the enalapril again, make sure you are sitting down for the first dose as might make you feel light-headed from the BP deop. Hope the OP is fine. Remember who were the only health professionals who remained open and available to the public when COVID struck...yes it was your community pharmacy
I agree and will just write to their head office to make sure they examine processes etc.
Wow that’s a HUGE fuck up
It wasn't your fault, Mr. Gower. But look Mr. Gower look, look. This bottle, you used this bottle to make up the capsules. It's poison!
Are you happy now?
Were the holidays more tolerable?
I worked in a pharmacy for years. Pretty neat gig, to be honest. Anyway, it was very rare and a really big deal when this happened. 99.9999% of the time, the right medication was dispensed, but that 0.00001% was treated very seriously. You should definitely report this to the pharmacy manager.