Taking Your Medicine Can Be Deadly

Accessible Prescription Labels Save Lives

By Christina Clift, The Memphis Center for Independent Living
For many people taking prescription medication can be challenging. This could be due to an inability to remember to take it as the doctor prescribed, an inability to swallow large pills, opening the bottle, distinguishing the medication or even being able to pay for it. For blind individuals taking prescription medication can be deadly due to inaccessible prescription labels and instructions.

The National Federation of the Blind Tennessee is working to require pharmacies to provide accessible prescription labels to any blind person who requests it. Pharmacies across the state would be required to develop a system to ensure equal access. This legislation (SB1859 HB1999) is sponsored by Senator Becky Massey and has been introduced in the Senate Health Committee. Unfortunately, the bill has met with opposition from pharmacists.

You might not be aware that the state of Tennessee operates pharmacies which are often located within health departments across the state. This legislation would not only apply to your local Walgreens or CVS, but also to the state institutions. As a result of the opposition, the NFBTN has agreed to amend the bill to say that the legislature shall require the Tennessee Pharmacy Board to create regulations and propagate rules for accessible prescription labels in Tennessee. These rules would be developed in another year or so.

“This legislation is important because it impacts the health and safety of blind Tennesseans each time they open and take medication from a bottle that they can not read the label,” said Calvin Poole. “I received a heavy box of medication in the mail and when I opened it up, I found medications prescribed for three other individuals. If I had not had the technology to read the labels, I would have taken medication that was not meant for me and that could have killed me.”

Throughout the years blind individuals have created their own systems of keeping their medications straight. They include marking the bottles in a unique way, remembering the shape of the pills, using pill organizers, creating braille labels, or relying upon others to ensure that they took the correct ones. 

These systems are not perfect but we all made do. One blind Tennessean said “One evening I thought I was taking my calcium supplement. The next morning I took my medication as normal which included taking my calcium supplement in the morning and evening. The next day I started to feel dizzy and light-headed. As it turned out I had mistakenly taken my blood pressure medication in place of my calcium.”

It is because of these stories and hundreds of untold ones that the passage of this legislation is important. You may contact your state representative and tell them your feelings. The NFBTN and disability community will not stop fighting until everyone has equal access to take their prescription medications safely, privately, and can read the labels.