Three HIV-Positive Prison Inmates Hospitalized After Medics Administer Antidepressants Instead of Antiretrovirals
Medical staff at the Suffolk County, Mass., House of Correction yesterday mistakenly administered the antidepressant Elavil instead of the antiretroviral Viracept to five HIV-positive inmates, resulting in the hospitalization of three men, the Boston Herald reports. Two men fell unconscious and are currently listed in serious condition, a third suffered a seizure before being stabilized, and the other two did not experience any adverse reactions, Rick Lombardi, spokesperson for Sheriff Richard Rouse, said. The medics are employed by Correctional Medical Services of Dedham, Mass., which is eight months into a three-year contract with the sheriff's department to work at the Suffolk County facility. Lombardi said that the sheriff's department was investigating the incident, but that the mix-up was "apparently accidental," as both Elavil and Viracept "are similar in size, shape and color" (Sweet, Boston Herald, 9/24).
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