When your doctor writes you a prescription, it can be hard just to pronounce the drug name, let alone know the difference between that drug and others that sound like it.
Nearly 1,500 common drugs have already been confused with another drug for one reason or another.
That’s why several organizations are launching online resources to help you know which drugs are most prone to mix-ups.
Consider these scenarios.
You have a troublesome ulcer, so your doctor prescribes Zantac. But the faxed prescription is a little smudged, so your pharmacist gives you Zyrtec, a drug for allergies.
Or, your doctor prescribes Celebrex for your arthritis, but the busy pharmacist grabs the bottle of Celexa, an antidepressant, off the shelf.
Since you made sure to confirm the name of your new prescription drug with your doctor and look it up on US Pharmacopeia’s website, you know to check if you’ve gotten the right drug. Lo and behold, you find that you have the wrong medicine, and the pharmacy quickly fixes the error.
In the fall of 2008, you’ll have another resource when the nonprofit Institute for Safe Medication Practices and the online health service iGuard.org launch a website that sends you email alerts about drug-name confusion.