Wrong Pills Shipped to Online Drug Buyers

Consumers who thought they were purchasing sleep aids, antidepressants and other drugs over the Internet instead were shipped a powerful antipsychotic, sending some unwitting victims to the emergency room, federal health officials warned yesterday.

The Food and Drug Administration said a number of consumers took the schizophrenia drug haloperidol after ordering other pills, including Ambien, a sleep aid, and the anxiety medications Xanax and Ativan. Others thought they were getting the antidepressant Lexapro.

Preliminary analysis of the pills, packaged in plain plastic bags and mailed in envelopes bearing Greek postmarks, suggest they contain haloperidol. The FDA said it had reports of several consumers who took the pills seeking emergency medical treatment for symptoms such as difficulty breathing, muscle spasms and muscle stiffness.

The FDA used the occasion to remind consumers of the possible dangers of buying prescription drugs online.

The FDA posted images of the suspect pills and their packages on its Web site -- http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/photos/haloperidol.html-- to help consumers identify any suspect product they may have received.

Consumers who were sent haloperidol apparently had ordered drugs through a variety of commercial Web sites. The FDA said it was investigating.