4. “My drug-swapping could make you sick.”
Pharmacists will sometimes switch up a patient’s medication from one manufacturer’s make to another without ever asking permission. And most of the time, it’s fine. But there are times when this practice can be dangerous, particularly in the case of epilepsy patients and some people on thyroid or heart medication. “Most people can use any manufacturer’s version of a product without problems, but there’s a small but significant number of people that cannot,” says Sandy Finucane, vice president of legal and government affairs for the Maryland-based Epilepsy Foundation. “Unfortunately, we don’t know who those people are until after they’ve experienced the side effects.”
Many epilepsy patients in particular have spent years trying to find the right drug and the right dosage to control their seizures, Finucane says, and a drug from an unfamiliar manufacturer can lead to unexpected side effects including seizures, blurred or double vision, or severe headaches. “Because the consequences of having a seizure are so dramatic, we want to do everything we can to avoid this,” Finucane says. Her suggestion: All epilepsy patients should inform their pharmacist of their condition and ask to have their records indicate that switching from one manufacturer to another is prohibited. “And if any questions come up, tell the pharmacist to call your doctor directly,” she says.
Pharmacists will sometimes switch up a patient’s medication from one manufacturer’s make to another without ever asking permission. And most of the time, it’s fine. But there are times when this practice can be dangerous, particularly in the case of epilepsy patients and some people on thyroid or heart medication. “Most people can use any manufacturer’s version of a product without problems, but there’s a small but significant number of people that cannot,” says Sandy Finucane, vice president of legal and government affairs for the Maryland-based Epilepsy Foundation. “Unfortunately, we don’t know who those people are until after they’ve experienced the side effects.”
Many epilepsy patients in particular have spent years trying to find the right drug and the right dosage to control their seizures, Finucane says, and a drug from an unfamiliar manufacturer can lead to unexpected side effects including seizures, blurred or double vision, or severe headaches. “Because the consequences of having a seizure are so dramatic, we want to do everything we can to avoid this,” Finucane says. Her suggestion: All epilepsy patients should inform their pharmacist of their condition and ask to have their records indicate that switching from one manufacturer to another is prohibited. “And if any questions come up, tell the pharmacist to call your doctor directly,” she says.
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