Two separate inquests in the space of a month have ruled that the popular antidepressant citalopram, marketed as Cipramil in the UK and Celexa in the US, was deemed to be involved in the deaths of a 23 year-old woman and a 40 year-old man.
Both inquests named citalopram as the cause of death.
Katie was discovered dead in the bedroom of her shared student house in Leeds, the following day.
Recording a narrative verdict, West Yorkshire coroner David Hinchliff said: “A post mortem examination shows the cause of death to be citalopram toxicity. [SOURCE]
...and
Mr Boyle was handcuffed and taken from the property, and placed on a stretcher, the inquest heard. The cuffs were then removed.
But he was pronounced dead on arrival at the Royal Blackburn Hospital.
His blood alcohol level was four-and-three-quarters the legal driving limit and he had taken anti-depressants.
Home Office pathologist Dr Naomi Carter gave the cause of death as ‘acute alcohol toxicity enhanced by citalopram’ (an anti-depressant). [SOURCE]
Further reading on the side-effects of citalopram can be read on Leonie Fennell's blog. Her son, Shane, was prescribed citalopram and in the space of a few weeks he, uncharacteristically, lost his mind and killed a young man before killing himself.
Leonie has been at loggerheads with the Danish pharmaceutical company Lundbeck, who manufacture citalopram. Last year she, along with her husband Tony, met with Lundbeck officials in Denmark to discuss citalopram side-effects. An audio recording of that meeting can be heard HERE.
Citalopram has also been linked to birth defects which include:
Abdominal Birth Defects / Omphalocele
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Anal atresia (complete or partial closure of the anus)
Cardiac (heart) defects
Cleft lip and cleft palate
Clubfoot (one or both feet turn downward and inward)
Craniosynostosis (skull defect)
Limb Defects
Neural-tube defects (brain and spinal cord, spina bifida)
PPHN (Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn)
More of which can be read about HERE.
No comments: