Grandmother, 55, died after taking common drug sertraline....see more 👇

 

A grandmother died after taking a commonly prescribed antidepressant, an inquest heard. Grace Uludag, from Gravesend, Kent, was taking sertraline, a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI), at the time of her death on November 11.

The day before, the 55-year-old had reported dizziness and shortness of breath to her GP and was told to call an ambulance. She died the next day after falling at home and suffering a cardiac arrest. In February, the NHS issued a warning of a potentially lethal side effect of sertraline called serotonin syndrome, which occurs when levels of serotonin become too high.

The warning came after a major study into types of antidepressant medication by academics at King’s College London and the University of Oxford. The study found that certain antidepressants cause a fluctuation in weight, heart rate, and cholesterol levels within the first eight weeks of starting treatment.

The research examined more than 58,000 people and 30 different types of common antidepressants, including sertraline, citalopram, escitalopram, and fluoxetine. Researchers found that certain drugs led to participants seeing their heart rate increase by as much as 21 beats per minute and gaining 2kg in weight.

Scientists reiterated that treatment guidelines should be updated to reflect differences in physiological risk but that the choice of antidepressant should be made on an individual basis.

At an inquest into the death of retail assistant Grace Uludag, assistant coroner Venessa Holt explained toxicology tests were carried out and the results indicated sertraline at a potentially fatal level. It was recorded as 1.94 milligrams of sertraline per litre of blood which suggested an overdose.

The toxicologist noted that a concentration of sertraline above 1.5 milligrams per litre of blood is known to be a contributing factor in death. A statement read on behalf of the family explained that there was never any indication their mum was suicidal, and she had never expressed any wish to die.

“She lived for her family and grandchildren, who brought her joy and miss her,” it read. It explained that the family made sure she took her medication, and everyone knew what was needed on each day by using a dosette box to organise what she took and when.

During the inquest, her daughter had questions for the coroner as to how an overdose could have occurred. “She [Grace] wanted to feel better. She did not expect all of this,” she said. “My concern, was it the dose, was it too high? I am very confused on why that happened.”

The court heard how Grace was feeling dizzy and struggling to breathe the day before her death and had called her GP surgery who advised her to ring 999. The family explained Grace was often reluctant to go to A&E due to long waiting times, which put her in significant discomfort.