Mr S was prescribed folic acid. He attended his local pharmacy, they dispensed the medication and he began taking the tablets as instructed. Mr S began to feel unwell and he suffered with dizziness. This lasted for a week before he was found by a neighbour to be confused, slurring his words and sweating profusely. An ambulance was called. They identified that he had been issued with Gliclazide tablets labelled as folic acid. Gliclazide is a medicine used to treat type 2 diabetes. It lowers the blood sugar by increasing the amount of insulin in the body.
Mr S was admitted to hospital where he was diagnosed with hypoglycaemia due to a medication error. His blood glucose level was increased with IV glucose. Hypoglycaemia is a condition caused by a very low level of blood sugar (glucose), your body’s main energy source. If left untreated it can cause, weakness, blurred vision, difficulty concentrating, confusion, slurred speech, clumsiness, feeling sleepy, seizures, collapsing or passing out. Mr S remained in hospital for 3 weeks before being discharged.
Mr S instructed us to pursue a claim on his behalf and we obtained copies of his medical records. We wrote a letter of claim to the Defendant and damages were recovered in the sum of £2,000.