Confusion about Drug Names

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Abstract
A 77-year-old woman with chronic renal failure, glaucoma, and a history of mild dementia was hospitalized for evaluation and treatment of volume excess, metabolic acidosis, electrolyte abnormalities, and changes in mental status. Her usual medications included acetazolamide (250 mg daily) for treatment of glaucoma. After admission, the patient experienced increased lethargy, and on the morning of the third hospital day she was unresponsive. A blood glucose measurement at that time revealed a value of less than 20 mg per deciliter. One hundred milliliters of 50 percent dextrose was administered, and the patient was given a constant infusion of 10 percent dextrose, which resulted in the resolution of her hypoglycemia. The patient remained comatose throughout the remainder of her hospital stay, however, and died on the 14th hospital day. Investigation into the cause of the hypoglycemia revealed that she had received 250 mg of acetohexamide daily for two days, instead of the acetazolamide that had been prescribed.

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