B.C. mom picks up her son's ADHD medication, is given an opioid instead

4 week_ago 12

British Columbia

A parent connected Vancouver Island is informing radical to treble cheque their prescriptions after she was accidentally dispensed the almighty opioid hydromorphone alternatively of her son's regular ADHD medication.

Shoppers Drug Mart proprietor Loblaws says mistake was a lawsuit of 'human error'

Maryse Zeidler · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 05, 2025 2:53 PM EDT | Last Updated: June 5

A pistillate has her arms astir a young lad with the formation and the sunset successful the background.

Comox, B.C., nonmigratory Sarah Paquin, 31, says she inactive shudders to deliberation astir what could person happened to her nine-year-old lad had her hubby not noticed the medicine looked antithetic earlier helium gave it to him.

"It was terrifying," Paquin said, lasting successful her beforehand gait and playing with 1 of her 3 boys.

"One elemental small mistake similar that could person ended horribly."

WATCH | 9-year-old dispensed opioid successful pharmacy mix-up:

Pharmacy mix-up leaves kid with hydromorphone pills

A parent connected Vancouver Island is informing radical to cheque their prescriptions precise cautiously aft a adjacent telephone for their son. As Maryse Zeidler reports, she and her hubby recovered that their pharmacy accidentally dispensed the incorrect medication.

Paquin says she didn't deliberation excessively overmuch of it when she went to prime up her son Declan's medicine past week and the unit subordinate astatine her section Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacy didn't cheque her ID oregon instrumentality retired the medicine from the bag.

The adjacent day, her hubby was astir to springiness Declan his medicine erstwhile helium saw the pills were a antithetic colour and signifier than normal.

Her hubby looked astatine the vessel and noticed the medicine was for idiosyncratic else, and that it was for hydromorphone. Right distant helium returned the pills to the pharmacy.

"Immediately your caput goes to the worst lawsuit scenario," Paquin said.

"The results could person been catastrophic and it conscionable makes my bosom descend to deliberation astir what could person happened."

Hydromorphone is simply a almighty opioid that is 2 to 8 times stronger than morphine and is often utilized to dainty acute symptom oregon chronic crab pain.

According to the Mayo Clinic, it tin origin superior unwanted effects oregon fatal overdose successful children.

Human error

CBC News reached retired to Loblaws, the institution that owns Shoppers Drug Mart.

In a written statement, the institution said the incidental was a lawsuit of "human error" that ne'er should person happened.

A portion promenade motion with respective stores, including Shoppers Drug Mart, Subway and TD Canada Trust.

"We person controls successful spot to minimize risks similar this — where the diligent was handed the incorrect medicine container — and the subordinate volition reappraisal these with employees to debar a akin concern successful the future," the institution said.

Paquin says she has since heard from the pharmacist, who was precise apologetic. She says helium acknowledged that steps were missed and standards were dropped, and told her the worker who dispensed the medicine has been suspended pending an interior investigation.

Asking for accountability

Despite his reassurances, Paquin has filed a ailment with the College of Pharmacists of B.C.

"The pharmacy needs to instrumentality responsibility, beryllium held accountable for what happened," she said.

A pistillate with agelong brownish hairsbreadth sits extracurricular with 3 young boys and a bearded antheral with a toque on.

In an email, the assemblage told CBC News it takes these types of errors precise seriously.

"We person ineligible requirements successful the Health Professions Act bylaws successful spot to forestall these occurrences, including mandatory standards for medicine mentation to guarantee accuracy of the medicine merchandise and consultations for each prescriptions, to marque definite clients recognize their medication, however to instrumentality it properly, and code immoderate questions," the assemblage said.

As portion of pharmacists' consultation with clients, they are required to corroborate the person's identity, sanction and the spot and intent of the drug, it added.

In 2023-24, the assemblage says it received a full of 990 concerns done its intake process. Of those, 54 became ceremonial complaints and investigations, 16 of which were medicine related.

Paquin decided to stock her ordeal connected societal media, to pass others to cheque their medicine earlier taking it.

"It's scary that it happened to us, but I'm besides successful a mode benignant of thankful that it happened to america and we caught it due to the fact that it could person been fixed to idiosyncratic who didn't announcement and got hurt," she said.