Recently, I picked up a prescription from my doctor’s office; I assumed it was written correctly as nothing in my records has changed from previous prescriptions. The pharmacist filled it but when I got home and opened the package, I discovered the dosage was dangerously high. Federal law prevented the druggist from taking back the unopened bottle, nor would my physician credit me with the office visit, even though her handwriting caused the problem. This $80 co-pay that I can ill-afford was entirely wasted. Is anyone accountable? — Shook-up Sarah

Dear Sarah: Obviously, your doctor hasn’t made the transition to the computer age that so many other medical practitioners have over the past couple of years. Because of prescription illegibility — I think medical schools must require a course entitled “How to Write Worse Than the Family Cat” — and other factors, thank goodness that lots of our docs are self-schooling themselves in order to save lives. I always stress to look carefully at a prescription before leaving the doctor’s office; if you can’t read it, then request it be rewritten so it’s legible. Only then are we certain that at our next stop, the pharmacist is more likely to fill the medication correctly before it comes in contact with our innards to help make us well of whatever ails us.

Your pharmacist isn’t necessarily blameless, either. He’s responsible for accurately filling prescriptions and ensuring that patients have enough information to effectively and safely use medications. Before a patient leaves the pharmacy with a medication, the pharmacist must be certain that he’s presented you with the right medication, correct dose, and directions for use, as well as information about how the drug works and the potential side effects. Moreover, this person must ensure that no medical reasons exist for a patient to avoid the medication. And here’s the issue that you experienced: Your pharmacist didn’t transcribe the doctor’s prescription accurately, didn’t interview and counsel you (I don’t think), and didn’t use his or her knowledge of the condition for which you were treated and the effects of the prescribed drug.

If the druggist believes that there is a problem with the prescription, he or she should call the prescribing doctor to review the ’script. All too often, we either don’t take the druggist up on the offer to go over all this information or we’re ignorant of the law that mandates this offer in the first place. ALERT! We always must be our own best advocate in all manner of medical care! Do use your pharmacist’s professional knowledge; he often may be aware of more up-to-date information than your doctor.

To finally answer your question about accountability, unfortunately no one is legally responsible; however, if truth be told, because your physician or nurse made the dosage error initially (which could have caused a horrific crisis had you not caught the blunder in time), then morally the practice should reimburse you the co-pay, in my opinion. In fact, even if the nurse wrote the prescription for her boss, the latter still has to sign it unless someone stamps the doctor’s signature. If “stamping” is the case, you’d better be positive the doctor actually wrote the prescription himself!

I’d make another attempt, face-to-face, with the person who wrote the ’script and, if she still refuses reimbursement, then I’d think seriously about finding another practitioner. After all, if this type of dire error isn’t acknowledged (none of us is infallible), then what’s to say something equally as bad won’t occur in the future? Worse, you might not catch the mistake in time…