I live with my boyfriend and his 3 kids. One of the kids has asthma; his mom gave us his Flovent which I was faithfully giving him each night as she instructed. When the dad and I went to pick up the refill I noticed the dose was 44mcg and the inhaler she gave us was 110mcg. I had only given him a few doses becuase I pulled the canister out to see the exp date and it was over 6 years old! After I learned it was expired I did not give him any doses.
Turns out she gave us one of her expired inhalers she had lying around her truck. I was just sick over the fact that I had given a few doses of an expired inhaler and the wrong dose. I have since told her all orders from the Doctor for this child must be seen in writing since I refuse to take a verbal order from her.
Yesterday I cleaned out our medicine cabinet, you would not believe the crap I found in there. Meds from when I was 6. LOL
My mom keeps everything, and I threw almost everything away. And the reason I cleaned was because my sister said that whatever she took made her feel funny when I looked at what she took it was over a year old.
i think you need to also think about your relationship with your boyfriend's children's mother. assuming that you and your boyfriend are in each other's lives for awhile, this woman is going to be a part of your life as well. it's in everyone's best interests if you get along with her, and "refusing to take a verbal order" from her isn't the best way to get along. perhaps your boyfriend, not you should be in charge of his children's medications.
i do my best to get along with this woman. as for not taking a verbal from her i won't. when i give her medications for the kids i also give her the info from the pharmacy that goes over the medication and when it should be given. my boyfriend trusts me with his kids and we both want what is best for the kids. the mom comes and goes in their lives and we never know when she will appear. . . so it is difficult to have any relationship with her. i do agree that getting along with her would be best. . . but you don't know this woman. . .
Meds from dead people. . . LOL did you ever watch the Showtime series "Dead Like Me"? one of the charaters was always looking for meds from the dead people. . .
I live with my boyfriend and his 3 kids. One of the kids has asthma; his mom gave us his Flovent which I was faithfully giving him each night as she instructed. When the dad and I went to pick up the refill I noticed the dose was 44mcg and the inhaler she gave us was 110mcg. I had only given him a few doses becuase I pulled the canister out to see the exp date and it was over 6 years old! After I learned it was expired I did not give him any doses.
Turns out she gave us one of her expired inhalers she had lying around her truck. I was just sick over the fact that I had given a few doses of an expired inhaler and the wrong dose. I have since told her all orders from the Doctor for this child must be seen in writing since I refuse to take a verbal order from her.
Has anyone else had this happen?
I think this is overkill and an honest mistake.
Tell her that the next time she sends the inhaler over, it needs to be in the box from the pharmacy, which should have a RECENT date on it as well as the verified dosage.
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
It used to be that expiration dates were real, and for unstable medications. Sometimes things actually expired in 7 years, and that's what they put on the bottle or box. I'm not sure if it was consumer demand or companies making the determination that if they simply put an expiration date of a year or less on most OTC stuff people will need to buy it more often!!
I had a friend who was a doctor and a pilot - when she and her group went to Mexico/Central America they brought "expired" abx and other drugs with them.
To aspenleaf I see it's been over a year since your original post - I hope things are getting better. If she found her son's inhaler by finding an expired one in her truck that was the wrong dose I think I might want to make sure he has all his meds and maybe some spares when he goes to stay with her. As someone who went through undertreated asthma as a kid I can tell you it's a real b1tch and very scary. Best wishes to all!
Meds from dead people. . . LOL did you ever watch the Showtime series "Dead Like Me"? one of the charaters was always looking for meds from the dead people. . .
No, I've never seen it. One of my best friends is an office nurse, and her patients' families bring her their loved ones meds after they die all the time. I don't know if her doc is killing off his patients at a higher than average rate, but I don't think a week goes by without grocery bags of meds being dropped off, lol. She gives the narcs to another doc we know who takes them with him on his mission trips to Haiti, and the Dom Republic, but keeps most of the rest for her needy patients (and friends).
I am post hysterectomy, and take premarin. I have good insurance, but it is still very expensive. This spring a lady died and her husband brought all her meds, which included about a 2 year supply of premarin. Why a dying woman picked up a 2 year supply remains a mystery (denial?) but I hit the motherload, lol. I don't care if they expire, I'm taking every last one and blessing her memory every morning (well actually, I never met her, but you get my drift)...
people will need to buy it more often!!
chicookie, BSN, RN
985 Posts
Yesterday I cleaned out our medicine cabinet, you would not believe the crap I found in there. Meds from when I was 6. LOL
My mom keeps everything, and I threw almost everything away. And the reason I cleaned was because my sister said that whatever she took made her feel funny when I looked at what she took it was over a year old.