Pharmacy Error May Have Contributed to Boy's Death

A mother is claiming that a pharmacy’s dosing error led to the death of her 8-year-old son.

Jake Steinbrecher had been taking clonidine to control his hyperactivity for 3 years, but last Halloween, he immediately had a strange reaction to his usual medication. His mother, Caroline Steinbrecher, took him to the hospital, where doctors allegedly told the family that the medication caused brain swelling.

A test showed that the dosage Jake took was 1000 times the prescribed dosage, Denver7 reported. He allegedly took 30 mg instead of 0.03 mg.

After receiving treatment at the hospital, Jake left and was reportedly doing fine until earlier this month, when he needed to be readmitted. He died on June 8, 2016, and his autopsy report has not yet been released.

“We’ve lost our purpose,” Caroline told Denver7.

She blames a pharmacy in Loveland, and the family’s attorney stated that the pharmacy staff allegedly admitted to the mistake. The pharmacist who allegedly made the mistake is still licensed, according to an investigation by Denver7.

Jake’s mother told the news outlet that she was worried about the pharmacist continuing to dispense medications for children. She also called for more oversight of pharmacy compounding.

“People need to be aware of what is being given to their children,” Caroline told Denver7. “They trust doctors and they trust pharmacists to do the right thing for them and to keep their children safe, but these are all just people, and people make mistakes and errors, and that’s where more protection needs to be in place.”

Caroline said she wanted her son to be remembered as a “vibrant, talented dancer whose life was taken away by a pharmaceutical error.” She has since set up a memorial fund in honor of Jake to help children afford dance lessons.