Heavy smoker, 29, died after quitting cigarettes on holiday
A medical mix-up has resulted in grave consequences for a 29-year-old lad from Worcester.
While on holiday with his family in the North Yorkshire town of Scarborough last October, Jack Burton tragically lost his life, having quit smoking cigarettes just three days prior.
Diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, Jack's community psychiatrist prescribed him higher doses (525mg each night) of the antipsychotic known as Clozapine, due to the addictive tobacco product's lessening of its effects.
Jack's decision to go cold turkey on the cigs proved fatal though, as this medication turned toxic in his system without the smoking combination.
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525mg of clozapine is considered severely dangerous to anyone who doesn't smoke, risking seizures amongst other things.
Worcestershire-based coroner Deborah Larkin has concluded that Jack deciding to give up smoking inadvertently caused a deadly increase of his Clozapine blood levels.
"He died while on holiday in North Yorkshire and the results of the post-mortem and toxicology indicate his death was due to Clozapine toxicity," Larkin wrote in a prevention of future deaths report.
"His sister confirmed that Jack was a heavy smoker and was taking 525mg Clozapine nightly as prescribed, which is the correct dose when he is smoking, however whilst they have been on holiday he did not smoke.
"If he had stopped or reduced his smoking he should have informed his psychiatrist to reduce the amount of Clozapine he was taking, as this could cause seizures."
Hindsight has never been so devastating, while it's still unclear whether or not Jack had ever come forward with questions about his medication, should he follow through with quitting smoking.
"There were inconsistent accounts provided to me by two consultant psychiatrists, about the relevance of reduction in smoking, rather than cessation of smoking, attributable to there being no guidance available to doctors on this issue," Larkin added.
"The evidence revealed that there is no guidance on any standardised practice available to practitioners relating to asking questions and recording answers given when discussing possible symptoms of side effects of the medication.
"Practitioners can therefore make no record if no information is provided, which does not indicate whether questions were asked."
What to know when taking Clozapine
The medication, commonly used to treat schizophrenia, works by changing the activity of certain natural substances in the brain.
Common side effects, per MedlinePlus, include:
- Drowsiness
- Dizziness, feeling unsteady, or having trouble keeping your balance
- Increased salivation
- Dry mouth
- Restlessness
- Headaches
Clozapine can cause seizures, and it's strongly advised for users to not drive, drink alcohol, operate machinery, swim, or climb. It's also advised for people being prescribed Clozapine to disclose their tobacco intake to their doctors, and to let them know if they plan on quitting or lowering their usage.
Dan Seddon