A Mother’s Instinct, A Dangerous Mix-Up
A Boca Raton mother is sounding the alarm after what was meant to be a routine treatment for her baby’s acid reflux spiraled into a medical emergency. Laynie Hasan says her 3-month-old son, Shadi, was prescribed medication by his pediatrician earlier this year. But not long after starting the treatment, she noticed alarming changes in his behavior. “He was just, like, really tired, fussy, like he just wasn’t himself at all,” Hasan told reporters in a local interview. “He started vomiting. I knew something was wrong.” Despite initially trusting the prescription, Hasan said her maternal instincts kicked in when Shadi’s symptoms worsened. After days of concern, she turned to an online support network — a Facebook group for mothers — to get a second opinion. What she discovered next was startling.
The Wrong Dose — or the Wrong Drug?
Hasan claims other parents in the group flagged a potential issue with the medication dosage or type. Their experiences sounded eerily similar to what she was seeing in Shadi. Alarmed, she rushed him to the hospital. Doctors later confirmed the infant was suffering from an adverse reaction to the medication — the result, Hasan alleges, of a pharmacy or prescription error that caused her child to be given the wrong dosage or possibly the wrong drug altogether. Shadi recovered after being monitored and treated in the hospital, but Hasan says the episode has left her shaken — and determined to raise awareness.
Pediatric Prescription Errors Are Not Rare
According to a study published in Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, more than 200,000 children in the U.S. experience prescription errors each year. Infants under the age of 1 are especially vulnerable due to their small size and developing systems, making even minor dosage deviations potentially life-threatening.
What Parents Can Do to Stay Safe
Experts recommend that parents take several precautions when filling prescriptions for young children:
Double-check the label: Make sure the drug name, dosage, and instructions match what the doctor prescribed.
Ask the pharmacist: Confirm how the medication should be measured and administered, especially for liquid drugs.
Trust your instincts: If something feels off — behaviorally or physically — call your pediatrician immediately.
Use reputable pharmacies: Especially for pediatric medications, accuracy is everything. Avoid places with a high rate of turnover or staffing issues.
Hasan says she followed all the standard protocols and still ended up in a terrifying situation — a reminder that systemic checks aren’t always enough.
Aftermath and Accountability
It’s unclear whether the error originated from the prescribing doctor or the pharmacy. Hasan did not name the pharmacy involved, and it’s not known whether any disciplinary or legal actions are being pursued. South Florida Media reached out to local health authorities and the Florida Department of Health, but as of publication, no formal investigation has been announced. Shadi has since made a full recovery, but Hasan’s message to other parents is clear: “Don’t second-guess yourself. If something doesn’t feel right, speak up — even if the doctor says otherwise.”
A Larger Health System Problem?
This incident in Boca Raton isn’t an isolated one. The U.S. healthcare system logs thousands of pediatric medication-related adverse events annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Yet underreporting and lack of accountability continue to obscure the full scope of the issue. With Florida’s rapidly growing population — and the strain that puts on pediatricians and pharmacies alike — patient advocates are calling for more robust systems to verify pediatric prescriptions before they reach the family’s hands. For now, parents like Laynie Hasan are filling in the gaps — one Facebook post at a time.
