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 LASA TABLETS

medication errors Drug Name With Tall Man
Confused With Drug Name With Tall Man Letters Confused With
Letters
STORAGE LABELING USING AMLOdipine FELOdipine ARIPIprazole ESOMEprazole – PANTOprazole -
TALLMAN LETTERING
calcium LACTATE calcium CARBONATE RABEprazole
Tall Man lettering (or Tallman lettering) is the practice
CARBAmazepine CHLORPROmazine ATORVAstatin ROSUVAstatin – PRAVAstatin-
of writing part of a medicines name in upper case
letters to help distinguish sound- alike, look-alike CLOXAcillin AMOXYcillin – PENIcillin V SIMVAstatin
medications from one another to avoid medication
errors. ERYTHROmycin CLARIthromycin - CLINDAmycin CARVEDIlol BISOPROlol
FRUsemide ACETAZOlamide
CELEcoxib ETEROcoxib
We recommend the use of Tallman Lettering on glibenclaMIDE gliclaZIDE
wards/clinics medication storage labelling. Example of COzaar* HYzaar*
tallman lettering : metFORMIN - metoPROLOL. lovaSTATIN loraTADINE
cycloSPORIN CycloSERIN
metFORMIN metoPROLOL
GOOD PRESCRIBING PRACTICE
metFORMIN metroNIDAZOLE DOXAZOsin ALFUZOsin
1.   Write legibly. Write clearly whether on an
inpatient order or on a prescription. METOprolol ATENOlol – LABETAlol - PROPRAnolol DUTAsteride FINAsteride
METHYLdopa CARBIdopa
DULoxetine FLUoxetine
2. Prescription should clearly specify name of neuroBIOn * neuroNTIn *
medication, dosage form, dose and complete entaCAPONE enteCAVIR
direction for use. PERINdopril ENALApril – CAPtopril

PRAzosin TERAzosin ITRAconazole FLUconazole-VORIconazole

3. Communicate clearly. Take your time in
pronouncing the drug name whenever an oral FLUNArizine CINNArizine LAMIvudine STAvudine-TELVIvudine -
order has to be made. Ask that the recipient of ZIDOvudine
CARBAmazepine CHLORPROmazine
the oral communication repeat the medication
name and dose. Verbal orders should be limited CLOTRIMAzole CO-TRIMOXAzole LOsartan IRBEsartan- TELMIsartan -
to emergency situations only.
VALsartan
ALPRAzolam LORAzepam
READ & CHECK LABELS LEVOcetrizine CETrizine
CLONAzepam LORAzepam - DIAzepam
1. Emphasize the need to read labels rather than LEVETIRAcetam PIRAcetam
relying on visual recognition and location. ARIPIprazole ESOMEprazole – PANTOprazole -
Mycophenolate MOFETIL Mycophenolate SODIUM
2. Check actual medicines against medication labels RABEprazole
and against the prescriptions. MIRTAzapine OLANzapine- QUETIApine
ATORVAstatin ROSUVAstatin – PRAVAstatin-
SITAgliptin VILDA gliptin
SIMVAstatin
TENOfovir ADEfovir
CARVEDIlol BISOPROlol

CELEcoxib ETEROcoxib TENOfovir TENOfovir / FTC (Tenvir EM)

 LOOK ALIKE MEDICATION LOOK ALIKE MEDICATION
LASA injections
Drug Name With Tall Inj. Hyoscine
Confused With
Man Letters Butylbromide
cefOTAXime CefTAZIDime 20 mg/ml
cefTAZIDime CefOTAXime,
cefTRIAXone
cefTRIAXone CeFAZolin

DOBUTamine DOPamine Inj. Voriconazole 200 mg Inj. Sulperazon 1 g

Inj. Fluconazole 2 mg/ml

DOPamine DOBUTamine Inj. Ranitidine

50 mg/2 ml
PANcuronium ROcuronium

ROcuronium PANcuronium

Inj.
LOOK-ALIKE MEDICATION Prochlorperazine
Mesylate
12.5 mg/ml
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 Inj. Potassium Dihydrogen Inj. Magnesium Sulfate Inj. Calcium Gluconate
25 mg/ml 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:

Drug Information Centre

Inj. Streptomycn 1g Inj. Hydrocortisone 100 mg Inj. Cefuroxime 1.5 g Inj. Cefuroxime 750 mg Inj. Cefotaxime 1g Hospital Queen Elizabeth