United States veteran Edward Stalling went to doctors at Atlanta VA Medical Center looking for something to help with the lack of sleep he was experiencing due to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The help he got was a painful erection lasting weeks that left him hospitalized and drew unwanted attention from doctors and nurses at the VA hospital.

"One had mentioned that I should line up all the women," Stalling told CBS46 in regard to hospital staff who were making a spectacle of his condition. "I haven't had that many people who had seen it in my whole life, until I went to that hospital."

Stalling was prescribed Trazodone to treat his lack of sleep caused by PTSD. Trazodone is an antidepressant often prescribed to treat insomnia as well as depression and anxiety. According to the Weill Cornell Medical College James Buchanan Brady Foundation Department of Urology, Trazodone comes with an uncommon side effect of prolonged erection that occurs in one out of every 10,000 to 20,000 users.

"The Atlanta VA Medical Center places the highest priority on delivering quality care while respecting the privacy of Veterans," the VA said in a statement. "Our focus has always been to deliver this care in a professional, compassionate, and safe environment. When issues occur in our system, we conduct reviews to identify, correct, and work to prevent additional risk. It would be inappropriate to comment on this case without consent from the Veteran."

After being prescribed Trazadone in October, Stalling was hospitalized for 10 days in December and left with a nonfunctional sex organ and trouble urinating, his attorney Jonathan Johnson explained. Stalling and his attorney plan on suing the hospital for monetary damages after developing fibrosis in his penis.