As Pharmacists, it is our duty to ensure the safety of the patients by dispensing the right medicines. But no matter how devoted we are in giving out the correct drugs from the shelves, still there are times that we commit mistakes. Mistakes that can lead to serious devastating effects to patients which we don’t want to happen. There were instances that such mistakes lead to death.
There are so many drugs that are confused of other drugs. They can be look-alike or sound-alike. We must exert effort in dispensing medicines. We must not rely on our memories; bring the prescription with you as you look for the medicines. Read it as many times as possible to make sure that you didn’t mistake it with other drug. Confirm with the doctor if you are unsure of something. The following are just example of these confused drug names:
Dioval - Diovan
iodine - Lodine
lorazepam - clonazepam
Rapidex - Casodex
Lyrica - Lamictal
Zyrtec - Zyprexa
Rifater - Rifadin
Ritonavir - Retrovir
Viagra - Allegra
Xanax - Zantac
Xeloda - Xenical
Yasmin - Yaz
Zyvox - Zovirax
For more look-alikes, sound-alike drugs, here’s the a List of Confused Drug Names from Institute of Safe Medication Practices
They are really very confusing and can cause much damage if one is not careful.
ReplyDeleteI admire your brain for remembering all of these names and theirs function! Amazing..
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