LOOK - ALIKE SOUND-AlIKE (LASA) MEDS
Look Alike Sound Alike (LASA) medications involve medications that are visually similar in physical appearance or packaging and names of medications that have spelling
similarities and/or similar phonetics. Confusing medication names and similar product packaging may lead to potentially harmful medication errors. To tackle this, HQE
Medication Safety Committee have identify and listed out LASA Medications for your references. Ward and clinics could make use of this list in order to prevent medication
errors that may arise from LASA Medications.
Strategies to avoid
medication errors
STORAGE LABELING USING
TALLMAN LETTERING
Tall Man lettering (or Tallman lettering) is the practice
of writing part of a medicines name in upper case
letters to help distinguish sound- alike, look-alike
medications from one another to avoid medication
errors.
We recommend the use of Tallman Lettering on
wards/clinics medication storage labelling. Example of
tallman lettering : metFORMIN - metoPROLOL.
GOOD PRESCRIBING PRACTICE
1.
Write legibly. Write clearly whether on an
inpatient order or on a prescription.
2.
Prescription should clearly specify name of
medication, dosage form, dose and complete
direction for use.
3.
Communicate clearly. Take your time in
pronouncing the drug name whenever an oral
order has to be made. Ask that the recipient of
the oral communication repeat the medication
name and dose. Verbal orders should be limited
to emergency situations only.
READ & CHECK LABELS
1.
2.
Emphasize the need to read labels rather than
relying on visual recognition and location.
Check actual medicines against medication labels
and against the prescriptions.
LASA TABLETS
Drug Name With Tall Man
Letters
Confused With
Drug Name With Tall Man Letters
Confused With
AMLOdipine
FELOdipine
ARIPIprazole
ESOMEprazole – PANTOprazole -
calcium LACTATE
calcium CARBONATE
CARBAmazepine
CHLORPROmazine
CLOXAcillin
AMOXYcillin – PENIcillin V
ERYTHROmycin
FRUsemide
CLARIthromycin - CLINDAmycin
ACETAZOlamide
glibenclaMIDE
gliclaZIDE
lovaSTATIN
loraTADINE
metFORMIN
metoPROLOL
metFORMIN
RABEprazole
ATORVAstatin
ROSUVAstatin – PRAVAstatinSIMVAstatin
CARVEDIlol
BISOPROlol
CELEcoxib
ETEROcoxib
COzaar*
HYzaar*
cycloSPORIN
CycloSERIN
metroNIDAZOLE
DOXAZOsin
ALFUZOsin
METOprolol
METHYLdopa
ATENOlol – LABETAlol - PROPRAnolol
CARBIdopa
DUTAsteride
FINAsteride
neuroBIOn *
neuroNTIn *
DULoxetine
FLUoxetine
PERINdopril
ENALApril – CAPtopril
entaCAPONE
enteCAVIR
PRAzosin
TERAzosin
ITRAconazole
FLUconazole-VORIconazole
FLUNArizine
CINNArizine
LAMIvudine
STAvudine-TELVIvudine -
CARBAmazepine
CHLORPROmazine
CLOTRIMAzole
CO-TRIMOXAzole
ALPRAzolam
LORAzepam
CLONAzepam
LORAzepam - DIAzepam
ARIPIprazole
ESOMEprazole – PANTOprazole RABEprazole
ATORVAstatin
ROSUVAstatin – PRAVAstatinSIMVAstatin
CARVEDIlol
BISOPROlol
CELEcoxib
ETEROcoxib
ZIDOvudine
LOsartan
IRBEsartan- TELMIsartan VALsartan
LEVOcetrizine
CETrizine
LEVETIRAcetam
PIRAcetam
Mycophenolate MOFETIL
Mycophenolate SODIUM
MIRTAzapine
OLANzapine- QUETIApine
SITAgliptin
VILDA gliptin
TENOfovir
ADEfovir
TENOfovir
TENOfovir / FTC (Tenvir EM)
LASA injections
Drug Name With Tall
Man Letters
cefOTAXime
cefTAZIDime
LOOK ALIKE MEDICATION
Inj. Hyoscine
Butylbromide
20 mg/ml
Confused With
CefTAZIDime
cefTRIAXone
CefOTAXime,
cefTRIAXone
CeFAZolin
DOBUTamine
DOPamine
DOPamine
DOBUTamine
PANcuronium
ROcuronium
ROcuronium
PANcuronium
LOOK ALIKE MEDICATION
Inj. Fluconazole 2 mg/ml
Inj. Voriconazole 200 mg
Inj. Sulperazon 1 g
Inj. Ranitidine
50 mg/2 ml
Inj.
Prochlorperazine
Mesylate
12.5 mg/ml
LOOK-ALIKE MEDICATION
Inj. Sodium Bicarbonate 8.4 %
Inj. Potassium Chloride 10 %
Inj. Adrenaline
Acid Tartarate
0.18 % w/v
Inj. Ampicillin 500 mg
Inj. Cloxacillin 500 mg
Inj. Fluphenazine
Decanoate
25 mg/ml
Inj. Potassium Dihydrogen Inj. Magnesium Sulfate Inj. Calcium Gluconate
Phosphate
Inj. Haloperidol
5 mg/ml
Inj. Penicillin G 5,000,000 iu
Inj. Cefazolin 1 g
Inj. Propofol 10 mg/ml
Inj. Etomidate 20 mg/10 ml
Prepared by:
Inj. Streptomycn 1g
Inj. Hydrocortisone 100 mg
Inj. Cefuroxime 1.5 g
Inj. Cefuroxime 750 mg
Inj. Cefotaxime 1g
Drug Information Centre
Hospital Queen Elizabeth