Sherwood Park woman shares story of prescription mistake at local pharmacy

CTV Edmonton: Prescription problem A Sherwood Park woman is sharing her story of what she calls a major mistake at a local pharmacy.

A woman in Sherwood Park says she was given the wrong instructions for a prescription she was given to help ease her anxiety before a dentist appointment, and took too much.

Steph Moiser admits she gets anxious when going to the dentist, and ahead of an appointment more than a week ago, her dentist prescribed anti-anxiety medication – 0.25 milligrams of Triazolam.

“The instructions were right on it,” Moiser said. “I didn’t think I needed to question what it’s going to do and the reactions.”

Moiser picked up the prescription at the Superstore pharmacy in Sherwood Park – and said a clerk finished her sale, and a pharmacist didn’t talk to her – the prescription called for Moiser to take four tablets, an hour before her treatment.

So, when it came time for her dental appointment, Moiser did as she was told, and took four tablets before going to her dentist’s office.

Not long after her dental appointment began, Moiser said her memory of the rest of the day becomes choppy – she doesn’t remember her friend giving her a ride home, or the rest of the night.

“After talking to [my friend] the next day, she said ‘You were completely normal’,” Moiser said. “And that’s what scares me the most is that I was completely conscious but have no recollection of anything.”

Moiser said she’s glad she stayed with her boyfriend that night; otherwise, she believes the evening could have taken a turn.

“If I would’ve been at home, something could’ve happened, I could’ve driven, and I could have done a million things,” Moiser said.

Pharmacy experts said amnesia is a known side-effect of an overdose on Triazolam, other side-effects include cardiac arrest, coma and seizures.

According to Moiser, the Superstore pharmacy employee said it was an input error that put four tablets into the system instead of 1, the company that owns Superstor, Loblaws, issued a statement saying “Matters of concern brought to our attention are taken seriously…following a review; we would communicate with our patients about our findings.”

The Alberta College of Pharmacists encourages patients to talk to their pharmacists directly to make sure they’re given the correct information.

“They do have a role and a right in participating in a discussion to make sure they are getting the correct medication,” Greg Eberhart with the Alberta College of Pharmacists said.

Pharmacies are required to track mistakes internally, but they don’t have to report incidents to the college.

However, for Moiser, she says her trust of the system has been compromised.

“No double check was done, how all these things got missed, that’s what makes me doubt the whole system,” Moiser said.

With files from Veronica Jubinville