Your dad always warned you about the dangers of drugs. “Drugs kill,” he said. He didn’t mean those drugs, though, not the ones that were supposed to help him.
Unless you went to medical school, you are probably not an expert on what each drug can and cannot do, and what dosage you need. That is why you visit a doctor or a pharmacist when you need medicine.
When someone prescribes drugs these are some things they need to consider:
- Patient history: Just because a drug worked for your Uncle John, does not mean it was correct for your dad. Everyone is different. Dosage varies depending on weight and age. A medical professional prescribing a drug needs to consider any allergies a person has as well as any other medicines they are taking. Some drugs do not go together, and the combinative effect of two drugs containing the same ingredient can lead to an overdose.
- Proper labeling: Drugs need to be correctly labeled, and the person taking them must understand the instructions. If this did not happen, you might be able to prove negligence.
Pharmaceutical companies can be at fault too. Side effects of drugs are not always known or made clear when drugs enter the market. Medications can be sent out in incorrect doses or wrongly labeled from the factory, too.
If you think someone in your family died as a result of the drugs prescribed to them, seek legal advice to discover the available options. You may be able to claim for wrongful death.