FDA Drug Safety Communication: Medication errors resulting from
confusion between risperidone (Risperdal) and ropinirole
(Requip) [06-13-2011] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) is alerting the public to medication error reports in
which patients were given risperidone (Risperdal) instead of
ropinirole (Requip) and vice versa. In some cases, patients who
took the wrong medication needed to be hospitalized. The FDA
determined that the factors contributing to the confusion
between the two products include: - Similarities of both the
brand (proprietary) and generic (established) names -
Similarities of the container labels and carton packaging -
Illegible handwriting on prescriptions - Overlapping product
characteristics, such as the drug strengths, dosage forms, and
dosing intervals. Facts about Risperidone and Ropinirole
Patients who take Requip, Risperdal, or their generic
equivalents are reminded to take note of the name and appearance
of their medication, know why they are taking it, and to ask que