Lawsuit alleges Walgreen's gave teen wrong medication

HOUSTON - A Houston man is suing Walgreen's Corp. after a pharmacist allegedly gave him the wrong medication, according to recent court documents.

James Edward Briggs launched the litigation in Harris County District Court on May 20.

Walgreen's removed the case to the Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas on June 20.

Briggs says he was 17 on May 24, 2011, when he began to take medicine for two days.

The plaintiff believed the medication was the antibiotic prednisone which was supposed to treat poison ivy-induced rashes and hives. However, the defendant issued him indomethacin and hydrocodone instead, the suit says.

According to Briggs, he suffered from chest pains, shortness of breath, dizziness, excessive sleepiness, rapid heartbeat, heavy nosebleeds and vomiting, prompting his mother to take him to the emergency room at St. Luke's Hospital.

Doctors diagnosed and treated him for "accidental overdose."

Shortly after his release from the hospital, the suit states, the complainant came down with a 101-degree fever while attending summer school classes on June 8, 2011.

Diagnosed with pneumonia, he remained hospitalized for three days.

The suit further asserts that the plaintiff developed a fear of taking medicine because of the subject event and had started seeing a psychologist with Family Services of Greater Houston.

It adds the ordeal caused him to miss required summer school days for which he had to repeat his junior year of high school.

Consequently, Briggs seeks unspecified monetary damages and a jury trial.

He is represented by attorney Shannon L. Keaton of The Keaton Law Firm, PLLC in Houston.

Case No. 4:13-CV-1796