If you're one of the many people who use Trazadone or Tramadol -- or anyone else who uses prescription medication -- you just might want to check your pills.
The
is warning of an "alarming number" of reports that pharmacists mixed up the two drugs, leading to patients getting the wrong prescriptions. And it's just one example of a common mistake.
treats moderate to severe pain.
is used to treat depression, anxiety and insomnia. So swapping the two "can be very difficult for the patient," according a recent pharmacy board newsletter.
Three cases of the Tramadol-Trazadone switch have occurred in the last three months, and several other mixups involving drugs of similar appearance and name have occurred this year as well, board officials say.
There are hundreds of such "look-alike, sound-alike" drugs, as pharmacists call them. And even a few reports are worth noting because studies show most pharmacy errors go unnoticed or unreported, says Michael Millard, a pharmacy professor at
. That means for every mistake reported to the state board, there are likely many more.
Oregon was the first state to give consumers a tool to spot pharmacy errors. Look closely at your pill bottle label, and in very small print there is description of the medication, as well as an imprint code -- including a letter and number -- that is supposed to be stamped on the pills inside.
The imprint code is there "for that exact purpose: because there are sound-alikes that look-alike," says Millard. He says consumers should be aware that dispensing errors do happen, and if they feel strange, checking their prescription is smart. "Be aware, ask questions," he adds.
Pharmacists say they are under more pressure than ever, processing in some cases 400 or 500 prescriptions a day. It's easy to make a mistake, especially because drugs are stocked in alphabetical order.
The board recently reprimanded Steve Evans, a Corvallis pharmacist, for one of the Tramadol-Trazadone swaps. "It's just something that makes you sick to your stomach," he says. "You can do 500 things right in a day, and do one thing wrong and it's bad."
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can be found on the
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