‘I feel like a cinderblock is on my chest’: Woman says pharmacy gave her the wrong dose of prescription
Anyone who takes medication for mental health knows that missing a dose can have concerning consequences. A woman's now-viral recent experience illustrates one of the possible outcomes.
The woman says when she picked up her antidepressants at the pharmacy, she was given the wrong dose. She only noticed when she started experiencing side effects.
In a TikTok posted on Sunday, Sam Doll (@sam_doll) says she ordered the correct dose of her medication online. But her pharmacy gave her a lower dose of her prescribed antidepressants—causing her to fall into a depressive episode.
Doll takes selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for depression. She says that she after four days of taking her medication at a decreased dose—unknown to her—she "could kinda feel something going wrong."
She then entered a "full depressive episode" and ended up telling her fiancé that she needed help.
"I feel like a cinderblock is on my chest," Doll says in her TikTok.
When she went to take the next dose of her medication, she noticed that she was taking 25mg pills; her normal dosage is 50mg.
"Check your labels," Doll says. "I've been ordering my meds like this forever. This has never happened to me."
On Wednesday, Doll's video had almost 500,000 views on TikTok. The Daily Dot reached out to her via Instagram.
@sam_d0ll should i sue the pharmacy for emotional damages to my fiance
♬ Clair de lune/Debussy - もつ
Some commenters on Doll's video said their pharmacies had also given them the wrong doses or versions of their medications without warning.
"My Wellbutrin started giving me bad headaches," a commenter wrote, referring to the antidepressant. "Turns out the pharmacy switched manufacturers. Same drug but made by diff people."
"I was given 100 Lamictal on a bottle labeled for 30," another commenter shared. Lamictal is a mood stabilizer and anti-seizure medication. "I mean great for me and my 3 month supply but… CVS needs more staff."
"Not surprised they didn’t tell you. They did this to my 11yo and he was having withdrawal symptoms," a commenter wrote. "So scary."
Other commenters provided insight into the pharmaceutical industry.
"I have worked pharm for 10 years. It is scary how much we as ppl just skip over reading labels," a commenter shared. "Please read your med labels and ask questions."
"Make sure to report it as a med error through ISMP," or the Institute for Safe Medicine Practices, another commenter advised. The Institute works to ensure patient safety and safe medication practices, and its website has a form that consumers can fill out to report medication errors.
After recovering from the scare, Doll kept her sense of humor about the situation.
"Should I sue the pharmacy," she joked, "for emotional damages to my fiancé?"
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