How a Mixup at a Georgia Pharmacy Became Nearly Fatal For This 78-Year-Old Woman
For nearly three weeks, a 78-year-old woman believed she was doing exactly what her doctor prescribed. Instead, she says she was unknowingly placing fentanyl patches on her body – an opioid so powerful it has become synonymous with America’s overdose crisis.
By the time Betty Thomas realized something was terribly wrong, she had overdosed and was hospitalized, WXIA-TV reported. According to Thomas, the mistake wasn’t hers.
She alleges that a Publix pharmacy accidentally gave her the wrong prescription. Instead of her routine pickup, Thomas says she received fentanyl patches intended for someone else, wearing them for nearly 18 days before collapsing at home.
Thomas described her symptoms to WXIA-TV. “I’m throwing up, I’m nauseous, I’m dizzy, I can’t go to the bathroom, I’m sick,” she said.
Americans are constantly told to watch out for counterfeit pills, fentanyl-laced street drugs and illicit opioids. Far less attention is paid to what happens when the breakdown occurs inside the healthcare system itself, where patients are taught to trust that the medication handed across the pharmacy counter is exactly what their doctor prescribed.
In Thomas’ case, the prescription was written for another woman named Betty but with a different last name, Davis. After the mistake landed her in the hospital, Thomas said the outcome could have been much worse.
“My children just lost their father, and then to turn around and have to go through losing their mom,” she said.
For older adults, trust in the pharmaceutical system is foundational. According to AARP, 9 in 10 older adults rely on prescription medicines. Many manage multiple prescriptions, have caregivers or assume that the safety checks built into modern pharmacies are working as intended.
Thomas says she had no reason to suspect the medication she picked up wasn’t hers. Her granddaughter, Deanna Thomas, has since reached out to Publix about the near-death experience.
According to the family, Publix offered Thomas $4,000 in compensation. But for Deanna, the suggestion felt unjust.
“It was straight up a slap in our face, and there was no remorse. It was, ‘You know, we’re giving you more than the $750 that’s standard,’” Deanna told 11Alive. For Thomas, the consequences have been life-altering, raising questions about how such an alleged mix-up could occur and whether existing safeguards failed.
The case also underscores a broader reality: medication errors remain a persistent challenge across American healthcare. SingleCare Administrators reported that medication errors harm about 1.5 million people each year. While many are caught before patients are harmed, some aren’t–and when high-potency drugs like fentanyl are involved, the margin for error can disappear almost instantly.
For Thomas, what should have been a routine pharmacy pickup became a medical emergency.
And for millions of Americans who trust that the label on the prescription bag matches what’s inside, her story is an unsettling reminder that sometimes the greatest danger isn’t the drug everyone warns you about–it’s the one you never knew you were taking.
