A woman claims her son, who was prescribed anti-depressants, had been mistakenly taking a pain medication for nearly a month before the mishap was discovered.
Khara Vance filed a lawsuit Sept. 29 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against Walgreens and Bond Drug Company of Illinois.
In her complaint, Vance alleges her minor son, Jared Vance, was prescribed 50 milligrams of the anti-depressant Trazodone. However, when Khara Vance went to Walgreens to fill the prescription on Sept. 30, 2009, the pharmacy provided her with 50 milligrams of Tramadol, a pain medication, according to the complaint.
Khara Vance claims neither she nor her son discovered the mistake until Oct. 20, 2009 -- nearly one month after Khara Vance filled the prescription.
Because of his ingestion of the incorrect medication, Jared Vance suffered from elevated blood counts and nausea, the suit states. In addition, he experienced vomiting, depression, mood changes, sleep deprivation and injury to his internal organs and incurred medical costs, the complaint says. He also suffered from great pain, anguish and disability and lost his normal life, his mother claims.
Khara Vance blames Walgreens for causing her son's injuries, saying it negligently mistakenly labeled a prescription for Trazodone that was actually Tramadol, improperly filled the prescription, failed to establish procedures to ensure the accurate filling of all prescriptions and failed to check that the proper medications were dispensed, among other negligent acts.
In her 24-count complaint, Khara Vance seeks a judgment of more than $800,000, plus costs and an amount equal to the medical bills she incurred on behalf of her son.
Steven E. Katzman of Katzman and Associates in Belleville will be representing her.
St. Clair County Circuit Court case number: 11-L-555.
Pharmacy dispensed pain med instead of anti-depressant, suit claims
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