Drugs combination warning following nurse's death

The dangers of a combination of certain heart drugs and antidepressant medication have been highlighted by a coroner.

Thirty-four-year old nurse Chloe Burgess died suddenly at her home in September 2024.

Following an inquest into her death, Hampshire coroner Nicholas Walker has issued a Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) report over the combination of drugs amitriptyline, paroxetine and ivabradine.

He said the risks of the drugs being used together were "not widely appreciated".

The inquest into Ms Burgess' death, held last month, heard she had been prescribed heart medication after a diagnosis of sinus tachycardia - a faster than normal heartbeat.

She had also been prescribed antidepressant medication.

In a report sent to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) and the Royal College of Physicians, Mr Walker said the potential danger of the combination of the drugs was "not well-known or appreciated" by those treating her.

She had been using the combination of drugs without concern for four years before she died, the inquest heard.

The coroner returned a narrative conclusion, recording that Ms Burgess died from natural causes contributed to by the effect of medication in combination.

His report said: "It is likely that the medication interacted with each other to raise the levels of amitriptyline in Chloe's blood."

His PFD report said this, combined with an episode of sleep apnoea - where breathing stops and starts during sleep - and her heart medication, had induced "sudden cardiac death".

He said the inquest had heard the combination of amitriptyline, paroxetine and ivabradine does not trigger an alert on the prescribing software used in primary care or by pharmacists.

"In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken," he said.

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