Prescription drugs are proliferating, and manufacturers appear to be running out of distinctive names.
Result: a lot of took- or sound-alike names, which can lead to disastrous prescribing errors. A U.S. Food and Drug Administration study found that 16 percent of more than 400 fatal medication errors occurred when patients were given the wrong drugs, often because of name confusion. The best defense? Be vigilant. Here are some potential mix-ups to watch out for:
Sarafem (for PMS relief)
Serophene (for infertility)
Zyrtec (for allergy symptoms)
Zyprexa (for schizophrenia)
Chlorpromazine (for anxiety)
Chlorpropamide (for diabetes)
Levoxine (for low thyroid)
Lanoxin (for heart failure)
Prozac (for depression)
Prilosec (for ulcers)
COPYRIGHT 2002 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group
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