Requip, Risperdal Warning Issued Over Possible Medication Mistakes

Due to a similar name and similar packaging, hundreds of people have confused the drugs Requip and Risperdal, leading to medication errors and patients being hospitalized, federal drug regulators warned this week. 

The FDA issued a drug safety warning on Monday, to alert the public and health care professionals about the potential risk of confusion over the Parkinson’s disease drug Requip and the antipsychotic medication Risperdal.

At least 226 medication error reports have been received by the FDA where someone mistook one drug for the other, 5 of which resulted in patients being hospitalized. In one case from outside of the U.S., a patient was given Risperdal for a month when they were supposed to be taking Requip. They died shortly after being switched to Requip, but it is unclear whether the medication error played a role in their death.

Risperdal (risperidone) is manufactured by Janssen, a division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen, which is a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. The atypical antipsychotic is approved by FDA for the treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and autism, but it is commonly used among elderly with dementia and sometimes as a form of chemical restraint in nursing homes.

Requip (ropinirole) is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline and available as a generic. It is used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease as well as Restless Leg Syndrome.

In addition to having similar brand names, the drugs also have similar generic names. However, the FDA says that confusion between the two drugs goes beyond name similarity. They also are both tablets, both taken daily or twice daily, and have similar dosage strengths.

Some Requip and Risperdal prescription errors came from unclear handwritten prescriptions, and the FDA also says it’s likely that the drugs are placed very close to each other on many pharmacy shelves.

Adverse events reported in connection with Requip and Risperdal drug errors include confusion, lethargy, ataxia, hallucinations, fatigue, dizziness, tingling, numbness and altered mental status.

The FDA is looking at a number of measures to prevent confusion between the two drugs, including changes to the labeling that makes it easier to distinguish one from the other. In the meantime, doctors are being warned to write prescriptions clearly and spell out the name prescribing over the telephone. Pharmacists are advised to separate these drugs from one another in their stores, and confirm the drug name when a prescription is unclear.

Patients are encouraged to check the name on the label of very medication bottle and make sure it is what they were prescribed. They should know the purpose and name of any drugs they are prescribed and ask questions if the pharmacist gives them something different than what they expected.