KFVS12 News & Weather Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Poplar BluffMother claims prescription mix-up sickened son

Mother claims prescription mix-up sickened son

By Laura Wibbenmeyer - bio | email

STE. GENEVIEVE, MO (KFVS) - A Ste. Genevieve mother claims a prescription mix-up almost took her eight-year-old son's life.

Lindsey Stephens says her son Preston takes two Ritalin pills a day to control his ADHD.  On Sunday, she opened Preston's new pill bottle and gave him one pill in the morning and one in the afternoon like always.  By Sunday evening, Stephens says she knew something was very wrong. 

"He puked twice and then he was lying on the floor sleeping again," she said.  "So, I said 'C'mon we're going to the E.R.'"

"It was like he wasn't even there, his body was but he wasn't."

A normally vibrant eight year old, now lied in a hospital bed almost lifeless.  After talking to the E.R. nurses, Stephens says she handed over Preston's prescription pills.  She says after the hospital ran the ID number on the pills the nurse told her "these are not Ritalin these are methadone." 

"I lost my mind when they told me there was methodone in his system," she said.  "I went nuts." 

Preston is now back at home but still being watched closely, because Stephens says they don't know about the possible long term effects yet. 

Heartland News contacted the pharmacy that fills Preston's prescription but they had no comment. 

The hospital could also not release any medical information, but they can confirm Preston was in the hospital from Sunday night thru Tuesday afternoon. 

Although this medication mix-up is not confirmed, Stephens says she knows what happened.

"I have to get it out there about what happened so people can realize the pharmacy can make a mistake. Check the medication, because I am going to be extra cautious now."

As for stephens, she says she's talking to her lawyer about what, if any, action she should take.

One local pharmacist says that prescription mix-ups are very rare.

Randy Morse manages the Target pharmacy in Cape Girardeau.

Morse says he goes through a very specific process when he fills a prescription, one designed to protect his customers.

A drug investigator Heartland News contacted for the story says a common generic version of Ritalin is a drug called Methylin, a similar spelling to the drug Methadone.

But it is not certain a pharmacy mistake is to blame for what happened to Lindsay Stephens' son.

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