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The Nightmare of a Prescription Drug Recall

Yes, it is possible. You get a letter from your pharmacy that your prescription “may” have been filled with a drug that is now being recalled. The letter goes on to list which dosages and lot numbers were part of this recall. Of course, the dosage of your prescription is listed. The content of the letter is ominous: throw out this medication and get a new prescription. It also recommends calling your doctor with any questions. The phone number and email address of the manufacturer of the drug is also listed.

Does a letter like this scare you? It scared me. How would I know if my prescription was part of this recall?  Having experienced first-hand the everyday nightmare of the prescription drug world, I knew it was not going to be easy to determine if my prescription was part of this recall. There are no lot numbers on the bottle.  Why was the drug being recalled anyway?

My first call was to my doctor. The letter suggested I do this to determine what should be done. The drug, and its generic (which is what I had) was not an obscure prescription.  I scanned the letter and sent it to her.  She hadn’t heard about this recall. Given the lack of detail in the letter, she suggested a new prescription from a different pharmacy, one that would not use this drug company to fill the prescription. Sounded like the best alternative going forward, so I changed pharmacies.

But this didn’t tell me why there was a recall of the drug. Next stop: the company that produces this drug. There should be a place for individuals to contact for information, right?  After four calls, I found a live person who would talk to me about the recall. Her explanation was “an abundance of caution” with respect to the letter that was sent to people. What does that mean? What exactly was it that prompted the recall? Was there an adverse reaction among those who were taking this drug? What specific components of the prescription were the culprits? I could go on.

The only thing left was to try the pharmacy. Frankly, I was not optimistic. Large pharmacy chains are not known for their customer service. There are just too many prescriptions and too few pharmacies. Not a surprise that they couldn’t tell me exactly which lot I received.

The pills look different, and I am hopeful that this prescription is okay.  Who knows?