March 31, 2015: SafeMedicationUse.ca Newsletter - Caution: Not All Medicines Are Taken Every Day
Although many medicines are taken every day, other medicines are taken less frequently. SafeMedicationUse.ca received a report about a mix-up between 2 medicines that were meant to be taken on different schedules. An older adult consumer was taking a medicine called atorvastatin to treat her high cholesterol. She was also taking another medicine, risedronate, for osteoporosis. The atorvastatin was to be taken once a day, and the risedronate was to be taken only once a week. The consumer confused the medicines and started taking the risedronate daily, thinking it was atorvastatin. This error was discovered at the pharmacy when the consumer requested a refill of the risedronate much earlier than expected. Read more...
