The pharmacist had mixed 1,000 times the prescribed dosage, leading Jake to ingest 30 mg instead of his usual .03 mg, tests showed.
An 8-year-old boy died after a Colorado pharmacy gave him a dosage of medication 1,000 times higher than what he was prescribed, his mother said.
Jake Steinbrecher had taken Clonidine to treat hyperactivity for three years without incident, but something went wrong after he took his usual dosage last Halloween, his mother told Denver7.
“He immediately started having reactions to it,” Caroline Steinbrecher, told the television station.
Jake was taken to the hospital, where doctors said the child’s brain was swelling.
Tests allegedly revealed that the medication — which is used to treat high blood pressure as well as ADHD — consisted of a much higher dosage than Jake needed.
The pharmacist had mixed 1,000 times the prescribed dosage, leading Jake to ingest 30 mg instead of his usual.03 mg, tests reportedly showed.
“It wasn’t a mistake, it was a sentinel error,” Steinbrecher said.
Jake was released from the hospital, but earlier this month he had to be hospitalized again.
On June 8, he died. Loved ones believe his death was a direct result of the alleged mistake made by the pharmacy.
“Jake and his family suffered dearly during his initial hospitalization, but the family was unprepared for the long term consequences which included his sudden death by an autoimmune response believed to have been triggered by the [pharmacist’s] error,” the family said in a press release after Jake’s death.
“We lost our purpose,” Steinbrecher told Denver7.
The family and their attorney claim that the pharmacy involved, Good Day Pharmacy in Loveland, admitted to making a mistake in the dosage, but the pharmacist who allegedly made the mistake is still licensed to practice, Denver7 reported.
Jake’s mother believes she still works at the pharmacy and has not been disciplined.
“[She] still has her license [and] is allowed to make other prescriptions for other children,” Steinbrecher said.
Speaking out for the first time since her son’s death, the heartbroken mom said she wanted her son’s story to serve as a warning for other parents.
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“I know this is hard to watch. It was hard for us to make. My wish is, this helps everyone keep this from happening to their child or loved one!” she wrote on Facebook “For you Jake, we love you!”
Family has also created a memorial fund to honor the little boy who was remembered as “a happy, fun, sweet and loving child” who, above all, was a skilled dancer who had a passion for the art.
“He loved, absolutely loved, to dance. When brought to the emergency room, his only concern was missing dance practice,” his obituary read.
The Jake Steinbrecher Dance Fund was established in his honor to help other children have access to dance lessons they could not otherwise pay for.
The fund’s website notes it is for “those who have children who want to dance, but cannot afford classes, have the chance to fulfill their children’s dreams.”
“We want him to be remembered as a vibrant, talented dancer,” his mother told Denver7, “whose life was taken away by a pharmaceutical error.”
The Good Day Pharmacy has not responded to a request for comment from InsideEdition.com.
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