Please check your child's medication

As mentioned earlier, I will post about my experience where a clinic has given me the wrong medication for my girl.


Now, it is not my intention to name and shame the clinic, therefore I am not going to write the name of the doctor here.  This is a long time clinic and has opened for 20 over years.  I do not want to spoil their reputation just because of one human error.  I am just not happy with how this was handled.  Not happy at all.

Last Saturday, my girl had a bad case of stomach flu and was vomiting a lot.  Immediately I went to this clinic to get some medicine to at least stop the vomiting.  The doctor prescribed her with Colimix Syrup which is for colic and wind.  Immediately upon reaching home, I gave it to her.

The next dose was supposed to be at night.  And somehow, I kept looking at the bottle and found something weird about it.  When I looked closer, I saw that the label at the back is written as Antamin but the front label was written as Colimix.  As I am neither a pharmacist nor a doctor, I remembered correctly my girl was prescribed with Antamin during her last bout of flu.  So I took her previous medication and check the label and sure enough Antamin was written in front and label at the back as well and was prescribed for runny nose and allergy.

I decided not to give her the next dose and went to Google about Antamin unsure if it also acts the same as Colimix.  I also asked a doctor friend and was informed that Antamin is antihistamines.   Being logical, I somehow don't think antihistamines can treat colic or wind.  

Besides, my girl was still vomiting and has lots of wind in her stomach despite the first dose of medication.

The next day, I went back to the clinic to get the correct medicine and to ask them if they have given me the wrong medicine.  I wasn't angry or upset.  I just want her to stop vomiting and at least something to stop the wind.  So I asked the first person there, who is the admin/receptionist/cashier.  And this is how the conversation went:

Me: I came yesterday.  I think you have given me the wrong medication.
A/R/C: It wasn't me who gave you the medication.  <in a stern voice>
Me: Fine.  Then please ask who is the person who gave this medicine to me.
A/R/C:  Please wait.  
After a few minutes...
A/R/C: She is the doctor's sister who gave you the medicine.
Me: <thinking to myself, so what?  it's the same clinic you are working for right?>
After few minutes, the Nurse/Doctor's sister came with the correct medication and a guilty look.
N: This is the correct medicine.
Me:  Sure?  I already gave my girl 1 dose of that Antamin and it doesn't really remove the wind in her stomach.
N: <with a very guilty look and spoke softly> Yes, anyway, it's ok to take antihistamine too.

I just walked off with the medicine. I am not there to make a fuss or to throw tantrum.  I just want the correct medication for my girl and to ask if Antamin acts the same as Colimix which my brain is telling me a big NO. I just want my girl to get better, that's all.

And though I did get the correct medication, not a word of apology.  I am not expecting much, but a simple sorry is it so difficult to say?

And to the A/R/C who was super defensive.  Sure, you are not the one who gave me the medication.  You work in the clinic with the other people as a team right?  Your colleague gave the wrong medication and you can't even say nicely sorry, you will check and find out and so on?  Instead your first response is, "I AM NOT THE ONE WHO GAVE YOU THE MEDICATION."  What's with this attitude?  And you are the Admin/Receptionist.  Aren't you in charge of customer service as well?  I am appalled by this behaviour.  

My family asked me to bring this up with the doctor so that she is aware of it.  No thanks.  I am really not in the mood to create more fuss than I already have.  If you don't know what fuss it is when a child vomited all over in her carseat and therefore the seat cover is soiled all over and I was washing for a couple hours handling her puking and trying to feed her something as well and she was extremely clingy too.  I just desperately want her to be better.

So, as a warning to other parents, please, please, please, get the name of the medication and Google about it if need to.  Not all of us are pharmacist or nurses or doctors.  A wrong medication can be disastrous to young kids.  Thank God it is only antihistamines and not something strong, say antibiotics or something. 

Some doctors have the habit of checking the medication before giving it to the patients.  This doctor obviously trusted her sister to do her job and didn't check the medication at all.

So, this clinic doesn't have the correct SOP.  And if you are also one of the patients for this doctor, please please please check the name of the medication.  Ask the doctor what is the name if need to.  So that you can counter check when you receive the medicine.  

As for us, I am definitely not going back there.

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