What’s the difference between the two bottles? Do they look the same at arm’s length? Without the aid of my eyeglasses, I can say they’re the same but the one on the left is used to treat depression while the one on the right is used to lower cholesterol and triglycerides.
Did you ever get confused with Diovan and Diprivan; diphenhydRAMINE and dimenhyDRINATE, HydrALAZINE and HydrOXIzine? The list goes on but one thing you’ll notice is that some of the letters are in tall man (mixed case) to reduce the risk of errors.
Here’s the link to 2016 version of FDA and ISMP Lists of Look-Alike Drug Names with Recommended Tall Man Letters to help draw attention to the dissimilarities in look-alike drug names. The list includes mostly generic-generic drug name pairs, although a few brand-brand or brand-generic name pairs are included.
https://www.ismp.org/tools/tallmanletters.pdf
Spend some time looking at this list. It help you save lives from inadvertent drug administration.
Examples:
FDA-Approved List of Generic Drug Names with Tall Man Letters
Drug Name with Tall Man Letters Confused With
acetaZOLAMIDE acetoHEXAMIDE
acetoHEXAMIDE acetaZOLAMIDE
buPROPion busPIRone
busPIRone buPROPion
chlorproMAZINE chlorproPAMIDE
chlorproPAMIDE chlorproMAZINE
clomiPHENE clomiPRAMINE
clomiPRAMINE clomiPHENE
cycloSERINE cycloSPORINE
cycloSPORINE cycloSERINE
DAUNOrubicin DOXOrubicin
dimenhyDRINATE diphenhydrAMINE
diphenhydrAMINE dimenhyDRINATE
DOBUTamine DOPamine
DOPamine DOBUTamine
DOXOrubicin DAUNOrubicin
glipiZIDE glyBURIDE
glyBURIDE glipiZIDE
hydrALAZINE hydrOXYzine –
HYDROmorphone HYDROmorphone
hydrOXYzine hydrALAZINE
medroxyPROGESTERone methylPREDNISolone
niCARdipine NIFEdipine
NIFEdipine niCARdipine
prednisoLONE predniSONE
predniSONE prednisoLONE
risperiDONE rOPINIRole
rOPINIRole risperiDONE
sulfADIAZINE sulfiSOXAZOLE
sulfiSOXAZOLE sulfADIAZINE
TOLAZamide TOLBUTamide
TOLBUTamide TOLAZamide
vinBLAStine vinCRIStine
vinCRIStine vinBLAStine
Contact a Houston Nurse Attorney Today for Legal Guidance
If you or have been approached by the BON for disciplinary action due to errors of mistaken medication or any other actions, contact The Law Firm of Yong J. An and speak to a Houston Nurse Attorney directly at (832) 428-5679, call or text 24/7.
