Story Photos
 Photo Judy Vander Maten Keith Sabey, 63, of Longview, sits in his attorney's office on Thursday. He says the Longview Wal-Mart filled his prescription for testosterone with estrogen. |
Man mistakenly takes estrogen
Friday, August 13, 2004 7:29 AM PDT
By Tony Lystra
Printable version
E-mail this articleA 63-year-old Longview man says a local Wal-Mart pharmacist mistakenly gave him estrogen, causing him to develop heart problems, breast tissue and shrinking genitalia.
Keith Sabey, a retired electrician, said he hired an attorney this month after the company admitted its mistake and agreed to pay for his medication, then reneged.
"I'm going to make it as hot for them as I can because I feel I've been taken for a ride and I've certainly been hurt," Sabey said Thursday. "I would like them to learn the lesson that they can't do this to people and get away with it."
Sabey's attorney, John Barlow, of the Longview firm Walstead Mertsching, said he has not yet decided whether to sue the Bentonville, Ark., company.
"That depends on whether Wal-Mart is going to come clean or not," he said.
In the short term, Barlow said he is trying to determine whether the mix-up caused any permanent damage and trying to get medication for Sabey, who has no medical insurance.
A Wal-Mart representative said Thursday that the company has "been working very closely" with Sabey to "try and get this resolved,"
The case has attracted the attention of the national press. "Good Morning America's" Diane Sawyer was expected to interview Sabey via a live satellite feed this morning, but a hurricane encroaching on the Florida coast preempted his story. Sabey said producers told him "Good Morning America" may still run a short segment, cobbled together from a local affiliate's footage, about his case.
In April, Sabey saw a doctor because he was feeling listless, he said. After blood tests showed his body was not producing testosterone, a hormone produced naturally in the bodies of men, Sabey's doctor prescribed testosterone injections known as Delatestryl, he said.
Sabey said he bought his first round of injections at a Safeway pharmacy and began injecting the drug once every two weeks. His condition improved, he said. A short time later, he learned that he could get the drug cheaper at the Wal-Mart on Ocean Beach Highway and filled his next prescription there.
However, Sabey said that Wal-Mart gave him the wrong prescription: Delestrogen. He said he didn't notice the mistake and began injecting the estrogen-based product.
Estrogen, a hormone naturally produced in women's bodies, was exactly the opposite of what Sabey needed, Barlow said.
"This guy's supposed to be getting more masculine," he said. Instead, "he was seeing more and more of his feminine side."
Sabey said his body spiraled out of control shortly after he began taking the estrogen.
"My blood pressure went up out of sight," Sabey recalled. "My lipids and cholesterol jumped from normal levels to the top of the scale."
Sabey also said his genitals shrank. His doctor told him that he was developing breast tissue, he said. And he said he has suffered hot flashes, sleeplessness and angina. The condition, Sabey said, sent him racing to the emergency room on three different occasions.
"I was feeling like death's door was opening up for me," he said.
Sabey's doctor could not be reached Thursday evening.
In May, Sabey said, he checked the label on his medication and learned he'd been taking estrogen.
A Wal-Mart pharmacist admitted the error, Sabey said, and the company agreed to pay for his testosterone injections. Because of the error, Sabey has to take drugs to stabilize his blood pressure, cholesterol and lipids. Wal-Mart agreed to pay for those, too, he said.
However, a short time later, the company stopped paying for the drugs, Sabey said. He then hired Barlow, the attorney, he said.
"They made an agreement and they broke it for no good reason except that they don't want to spend the money," Sabey said.
Wal-Mart's General Liability Division sent a letter to Sabey dated July 26 asking him to fill out a release for his medical records. Wal-Mart spokesman Gus Whitcomb said Thursday that Sabey "simply cut off contact with us and the next thing we know he has retained an attorney."
"While we would have much preferred to solve this in a very amicable way, he has taken that away from us, and now we are going to have to proceed down the legal realm, if that's the way he chooses to pursue this."
Sabey said Thursday that his condition has improved some now that he is taking testosterone again. However, he said he has not slept in more than two days because of hot and cold flashes and angina.
"You just can't relax when you're hurting that way," he said.
Daily News reporter Eric Apalategui contributed to this story.
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