Complain about a product or service

CVS Rx Errors - Wrong Dosage

CVS • Rx Errors   › Wrong Count   › Wrong Dosage   › Wrong Drug   › Wrong Count   › Wrong Identity • Rx Service • Minimum Rx Charge • Prices • An Insider's View --- News • CVS Sold Expired Food, Drugs, Connecticut Charges • California Prods CVS to Stop Selling Expired Products • CVS, Caremark Rx Agree to Merge • CVS In Merger Talks With Caremark • New York Fines CVS for Sweepstakes Violations • Extra Care Records Subject to Snooping • CVS Takes Measures to Block Counterfeit Drugs • CVS Settles Pennsylvania Suit

Stephen of Walpole MA (7/9/04):
My wife was given the wrong perscription for my son. The pills given to her were alomost double the dosage on the prescription from the doctor. Only when she was giving them to my son did she notice they were slightly different from the previous ones he had been taking. Upon closer review it was found that it was the wrong perscription. She returned them to CVS, they acknowledged the error, appologized and gave her the correct perscription for free. The results could have been quite negative if my wife wasn't so attentive.

Wendy of Rehoboth MA (3/15/04):
My daughter who was four years old had a prescription for zithromaz and the directions on the box told me to give her three teaspoonsful for four days. Well, it was supposed to be 3/4 of a teaspoon for four days. Luckily my daughter is okay but it could have been a lot worse. My daughter had a stomachache and put the family through a lot of unnecessary worring. the situation could have been fatal.

Christine of Houston (3/13/04):
CVS filled original Rx for Nexium 20mg. I took medicine for one month. I called for refill when the pharmacist called me back that same day and told me the previous Rx was filled for 20mg should have been 40mg. This is a very serious situation. I also take heart medication and I am very concerned about this pharmacy. My parents are seniors and take between 15-20 medications a day. If this happens to one of them it could be fatal.

One month into medication I was still having problems with my stomach. With wrong Rx now I know why.

Roseanna of Keyport NJ (3/4/04):
They filled my medicine wrong for 5 months, because they did not read that the doctor had increased the dosage, so it took them 5 months to finally do it right. I don't know if my pressure would have come down any lower. The reason I was annoyed was because, they dismisssed it so casually. My question was what if someone else got the wrong medicine and nobody noticed. It might have a lot more dangerous.

Patricia of Perdido Key FL (3/1/04):
Doubled my dosage of medication. Prescription read 20M, once a day. Label read 40M once a day and that was what was in the bottle (40M).

Did not notice as the pills were of the same color and did not notice that they were larger than what I was taking as we left on a cruise the following day. I continued to use the pills the whole month until my next refill was due. My medication was a generic lasix. What if it was of a more serious medication and what would of happened had it counter-acted with my other medications. I take this for high blood pressure along with thryoid and another blood pressure medication and I also have asthma and take medication for that too. I am also highly allergic to many different things. There is absolutely no excuse for a pharmicist to give out wrong medication or dosage.

Stacey of River Vale NJ (12/28/03):
I called in my usual monthly prescription of Singulair 10 mg. medication. It is a pill that is taken in the evening once a day for asthma. I have severe asthma so this along with other medications has been prescribed to me. My husband picked up my prescription due to my being ill. On Christmas Day I went to take my medicine and discovered after opening the bottle that the pills did not look correct. So I looked at the label and it was 5 mg of chewable (for pediatric patients) of the Singulair!

I took 2 of them so I could at least have my normal dose so I would not be wheezing or short of breath the next working day. I then called them the next morning, the apologized and said "Oh, bring it back we'll give you the RIGHT prescription!"

Thankfully it was not the wrong TYPE of medicine, however it does make me very nervous about getting medication there in the future.

Candace of Moncks Corner SC (9/11/03):
My doctor wrote my prescription for an antibiotic for a sinus infection. I was to take two tablets twice daily. The pharmacy incorrectly typed the directions saying take one tablet twice daily. After a few days of taking my medication, I was not feeling any better. Actually worse. I called my doctor's office only to find out I should have been taking my antibiotic two pills twice daily. Because of the pharmacy's error I was taking only one half of the dosage prescribed by my doctor.

I called the pharmacy and they confirmed an error had been made. Of course they apologized. I then returned to my doctor for a new prescription to start a new round of medication. My doctor said my infection had worsened because I wasn't getting the correct amount of antibiotic.

As a single Mother with no other income than my own, I had to work while feeling awful due to the symptoms of my sinus infection. I drive 60 miles per day to work. This long drive, working and taking care of my son on top of the discomfort of a sinus infection which continued to worsen due to the pharmacy's error made my life miserable. I was unable to care for my son as well as I normally do because I felt so bad. It scares me to think they could just as easily have given me the wrong medication.

Report Your Experience
If you've had a bad experience -- or a good one -- with a consumer product or service, we'd like to hear about it. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are considered for publication on our site. Knowledge is power! Help spread the word. File your consumer report now.

Follow us on Twitter.