Hepatitis C can go undetected for as long as 20 years, all the while damaging the liver. While there is no cure, drugs can often halt the infection's progress. Hurting Handwriting By Dr. Javaid Iqbal Not long ago, a doctor wrote a prescription for a drug called Isordil for a patient with heart disease. But to the pharmacist, the doctor's scrawl looked like Plendil, a blood pressure medication. The patient got the wrong drug, suffered a heart attack and died.
Doctors are notorious for their sloppy handwriting.
And that's annoying. But when drugs have names that are similar, it can be a recipe for disaster. Check any prescription your doctor writes and make sure it's legible. And ask your doc to note the diagnosis on the form. That way when the pharmacist reads Prilosec for heartburn, it'll be clear the prescription's not for Prozac.