Pregnant woman given abortion pill by mistake

[ziggy]

I will now be more patient with the pharmacy when they reduntantly ask for all the information again even though I was just in the previous day. Poor young lady. Safeway is going to have to pay millions for this.

 

[Tuffy]

I feel the need to offer a bit of correction. Keep in mind that I am very pro-life. Methotrexate, the drug this woman was mistakenly given, is NOT an abortion pill. It is an oral chemotherapeutic agent. It is used to treat many cancers and even diseases like Crohn's disease. Chemotherapy targets rapidly dividing cells like cancer cells, or the lining of the stomach (crohn's). Well, a tiny embryo is comprised of very rapidly dividing cells. As a consequence, this drug given especially in EARLY pregnancy would have DEVASTATING consequences for the unborn child. That said, Methrotrexate is not and has not been used as an abortifacient pill. It IS used in cases of ectopic pregnancy to prevent rupture of the fallopian tubes. But in ectopic pregnancy, the child would not be viable, and in fact, the risk of fallopian tube rupture is a medical emergency that could have fatal consequences. All that said, the prescription was filled CORRECTLY for the patient who was supposed to be taking the Methotrexate. It was a 59 year old woman. Maybe she has Crohn's, or lymphoma, or leukemia. Who knows. But for darn sure her prescription should NEVER have been dispensed to the wrong patient. The 5 Rs of medication indicate that the drug should always be for the RIGHT patient, the RIGHT drug, the RIGHT dosage, the RIGHT route, the RIGHT time of day. So it was a royal screw up with the first R. Chances are the pharmacist did not dispense it, but rather an unlicensed technician, maybe someone making $7 bucks an hour who can't be bothered with such details. I hope and pray the woman and her baby are unharmed and that the person, who carelessly made the mistake, will find healing.
My original point, though, is that it is being sensationalized by saying "Pregnant woman given abortion pill" when that is not, in fact, what happened. She was given a chemotherapy drug which causes miscarriage. Funny how the media, usually so pro-Abortion, changes their tune when the child is "wanted."
ETA: There was a case a few years back of a married doctor whose lover/affair got pregnant. He wanted her to abort and she wouldn't. He then coaxed her to a romantic dinner he made for her, laced with...METHOTREXATE. She did lose her baby but he gave her buttloads of it.

Thank you, Mama-cita. This clears up some questions. Still unless it is something that is a refill, usually the pharmacist will ask if you have questions about your meds, right? The pharmacy tech will set it aside, and you have to wait for the pharmacist to give it to you.

Maybe that isn't normally done. I don't know. One thing I think is becoming very apparent is how important pharmacists are. If all we need are people to fill bottles and ring up our purchase, pharmacy techs are fine, but we need knowledgeable pharmacists, too.

 

[drip~drop]

I feel the need to offer a bit of correction. Keep in mind that I am very pro-life. Methotrexate, the drug this woman was mistakenly given, is NOT an abortion pill. It is an oral chemotherapeutic agent. It is used to treat many cancers and even diseases like Crohn's disease. Chemotherapy targets rapidly dividing cells like cancer cells, or the lining of the stomach (crohn's). Well, a tiny embryo is comprised of very rapidly dividing cells. As a consequence, this drug given especially in EARLY pregnancy would have DEVASTATING consequences for the unborn child. That said, Methrotrexate is not and has not been used as an abortifacient pill. It IS used in cases of ectopic pregnancy to prevent rupture of the fallopian tubes. But in ectopic pregnancy, the child would not be viable, and in fact, the risk of fallopian tube rupture is a medical emergency that could have fatal consequences. All that said, the prescription was filled CORRECTLY for the patient who was supposed to be taking the Methotrexate. It was a 59 year old woman. Maybe she has Crohn's, or lymphoma, or leukemia. Who knows. But for darn sure her prescription should NEVER have been dispensed to the wrong patient. The 5 Rs of medication indicate that the drug should always be for the RIGHT patient, the RIGHT drug, the RIGHT dosage, the RIGHT route, the RIGHT time of day. So it was a royal screw up with the first R. Chances are the pharmacist did not dispense it, but rather an unlicensed technician, maybe someone making $7 bucks an hour who can't be bothered with such details. I hope and pray the woman and her baby are unharmed and that the person, who carelessly made the mistake, will find healing.
My original point, though, is that it is being sensationalized by saying "Pregnant woman given abortion pill" when that is not, in fact, what happened. She was given a chemotherapy drug which causes miscarriage. Funny how the media, usually so pro-Abortion, changes their tune when the child is "wanted."
ETA: There was a case a few years back of a married doctor whose lover/affair got pregnant. He wanted her to abort and she wouldn't. He then coaxed her to a romantic dinner he made for her, laced with...METHOTREXATE. She did lose her baby but he gave her buttloads of it.

Thank you for making this clearer for me.

 

[T-Rex]

I think it is /was an off-use abortion pill, pre RU486.

 

[mitzi]

Methotrexate has another use...my elderly mom was prescribed a low dose, once weekly for her rheumatoid arthritis. It helps to prevent flareups. When cancer patients were given the drug for their cancer, those who also had RA, found that it also helped their arthritis. That is how the benefits to RA patients was discovered.

 

[foryourwine]

I was given a Methotrexate shot when I had an ectopic pregnancy..the doctor told me there was a 60% chance it would work. It didn't, my fallopian tube ruptured and I had to have emergency surgery. Prayers for this woman and her unborn baby.

 

[jjenny]

Presumably the meds came labeled with the name of the patient, and the name of the meds should have been on the bottle. I wonder why the patient didn't check what she was taking.

 

[kgeaux]

Presumably the meds came labeled with the name of the patient, and the name of the meds should have been on the bottle. I wonder why the patient didn't check what she was taking.

I'm not sure that she didn't read the label. There are three other women in my city with my exact name. And the pharmacy frequently will substitute a generic for a brand name. Maybe she thought she was getting a generic?

Regardless, she is probably going to lose a baby she really wanted, or have a child whose body has been impacted terribly by this drug. And Safeway put that drug into her hand.

We all need to learn to be proactive in situations like this. So many of us trust that our caregivers and pharmacists will never make a mistake that we don't even think to second guess what they do! (For instance, I know a woman who died in a local hospital because she was administered the wrong amount of a drug through her IV, and her husband is devastated that he didn't think to question the nurse as to what she was injecting into the line. He really wishes he had known to ask her to double check the dose. Hindsight is always so much clearer, isn't it?)

 

[jjenny]

I'm not sure that she didn't read the label. There are three other women in my city with my exact name. And the pharmacy frequently will substitute a generic for a brand name. Maybe she thought she was getting a generic?
...

That's just it. The woman whose medication this was, doesn't have the same name. Neither the first nor last names are the same, just similar.

 

[Garland]

I feel the need to offer a bit of correction. Keep in mind that I am very pro-life. Methotrexate, the drug this woman was mistakenly given, is NOT an abortion pill. It is an oral chemotherapeutic agent. It is used to treat many cancers and even diseases like Crohn's disease. Chemotherapy targets rapidly dividing cells like cancer cells, or the lining of the stomach (crohn's). Well, a tiny embryo is comprised of very rapidly dividing cells. As a consequence, this drug given especially in EARLY pregnancy would have DEVASTATING consequences for the unborn child. That said, Methrotrexate is not and has not been used as an abortifacient pill. It IS used in cases of ectopic pregnancy to prevent rupture of the fallopian tubes. But in ectopic pregnancy, the child would not be viable, and in fact, the risk of fallopian tube rupture is a medical emergency that could have fatal consequences. All that said, the prescription was filled CORRECTLY for the patient who was supposed to be taking the Methotrexate. It was a 59 year old woman. Maybe she has Crohn's, or lymphoma, or leukemia. Who knows. But for darn sure her prescription should NEVER have been dispensed to the wrong patient. The 5 Rs of medication indicate that the drug should always be for the RIGHT patient, the RIGHT drug, the RIGHT dosage, the RIGHT route, the RIGHT time of day. So it was a royal screw up with the first R. Chances are the pharmacist did not dispense it, but rather an unlicensed technician, maybe someone making $7 bucks an hour who can't be bothered with such details. I hope and pray the woman and her baby are unharmed and that the person, who carelessly made the mistake, will find healing.
My original point, though, is that it is being sensationalized by saying "Pregnant woman given abortion pill" when that is not, in fact, what happened. She was given a chemotherapy drug which causes miscarriage. Funny how the media, usually so pro-Abortion, changes their tune when the child is "wanted."
ETA: There was a case a few years back of a married doctor whose lover/affair got pregnant. He wanted her to abort and she wouldn't. He then coaxed her to a romantic dinner he made for her, laced with...METHOTREXATE. She did lose her baby but he gave her buttloads of it.

Well, that clears up everything. I can only hope that woman sues Safeway & wins.

Plus what was the case about the woman losing her baby because of the doctor? I have to google that up. It's very crazy of that doctor to do what he did.

 

[chloes1]

I have rhuematoid arthritis and I took mathotrexate weekly for years and in fact I took that medications for the first 8 WEEKS of my son's intrauterine life. I didn't know I was pregnant. I was also taking folic acid to keep my hair from falling out.

Once I learned I was pregnant I was given massive doses of folic acid for weeks after I found out. My son was born a little early for reasons unrelated to methotrexate (it's short hand name is MTX because it's so long), he was very healthy at 18.5 inches and 5 lbs 11 ozs at 36 weeks gestation. To say that I FREAKED when I discovered my pregnancy is putting it mildly... Folic acid is long known to counter act the effects of MTX. Hopefully her OB started her on that right away... but oh how scary for her!!

Miracles can happen when knowledgeable Dr's act quickly! I sure hope that happens for her.

 

[LMax]

http://www.kmov.com/news/health/Pre...ns-filled-harmful-prescription-118744729.html
LA PORTE, Texas—A couple from La Porte says a Walgreens incorrectly filled a prescription, an error that could affect their unborn child.

 

[angela]

Years ago I was working in a doctor's office when a patient called because she was concerned that she was having a reaction to her antibiotic. She said she was very sleepy, could barely hold her eyes open and didn't feel she was safe to be working(she was a school bus driver). After having her read me the prescription bottle it was discovered that she had actually been given a high dose of an antidepressant rather than an antibiotic. I called the pharmacy and spoke to a very frightened pharmacist. When I called the patient back, she said the pharmacist had contacted her and was on his way to deliver the correct medication to her home. She didnt seem upset but the fact that she had been driving a school bus with that in her system scared the heck out of me. That experience taught me to always triple check my prescriptions.

 

[belimom]

http://www.kmov.com/news/health/Pre...ns-filled-harmful-prescription-118744729.html
LA PORTE, Texas—A couple from La Porte says a Walgreens incorrectly filled a prescription, an error that could affect their unborn child.

Wow - another case?!? Prayers for these women, fathers, and babies...