Shoppers Drug Mart gave her the wrong medication. Months later, she landed in the ER – CBC
The case raises questions about safety checks, accountability
Apr 13, 2026
It should have been a routine pharmacy pickup.
Instead, Marissa Dawson says it turned into a months-long ordeal that ended in the emergency room — and exposed gaps in the system meant to keep patients safe.
The 35-year-old Moncton, N.B., mother of two was prescribed a new allergy medication in October 2024 to manage the itching from chronic eczema. She was supposed to receive hydroxyzine, an antihistamine. But what she picked up from a Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacy was hydralazine, which is used to lower blood pressure.
Instead of her allergies improving, she noticed she was often flushed, felt dizzy and struggled to breathe.
“I felt completely lethargic, and I was very faint,” she said.
