Pharmacy Gives Woman Wrong Prescription With Fentanyl

78-year-old Betty Thomas says she unknowingly used fentanyl patches for nearly three weeks after a Publix pharmacist in Decatur allegedly gave her another customer’s prescription instead of her own medication. As the days went on, Thomas says she became increasingly ill. “I’m throwing up, I’m nauseous, I’m dizzy, I can’t go to the bathroom, I’m sick,” Thomas said. Thomas says her son eventually came to take her to the hospital.

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That’s when he realized she had been given a prescription for fentanyl patches intended for Betty Davis instead of her own medication. “My children just lost their father and then to turn around and have to go through losing their mom,” Thomas said. Unbeknownst to Thomas, she thought the patches were for her hormones. “We were all afraid we were going to lose you,” Deanna Thomas told her grandmother. Since then, Deanna Thomas says she has been communicating with Publix’s corporate office about what happened.

According to the family, Publix sent an email on July 7 offering Betty Thomas $4,000 to compensate her for the incident and cover her medical expenses. “It was straight up a slap in our face, and there was no remorse. It was, ‘You know, we’re giving you more than the $750 that’s standard,'” Deanna Thomas said.

11Alive’s Chase Houle reached out to Publix on Monday and again Tuesday morning requesting a statement about the family’s allegations but did not receive a response. Betty Thomas and her granddaughter say they have since turned the fentanyl patches over to a police department for proper disposal. As for her recovery, Thomas says it will take time.

Source: 11 Alive