I’m Kristina Gehrki from Virginia and this is my daughter, Natalie.

Natalie’s life was stolen first by Prozac and later by sertraline. (Zoloft) She died of prescripticide at age 19.

She was an intelligent, witty, gentle person who loved animals and cared deeply about the world at large.

When Natalie was nine, the school district recommended Natalie enter a “gifted and talented” program to meet her intellectual needs. She excelled academically, but experienced some anxiety. We made the tragic mistake of taking Natalie to a psychiatrist who quickly prescribed Prozac. The doctor said Natalie was not depressed, and she prescribed Prozac for “OCD-like symptoms.”

This led us down a destructive path in which several doctors prescribed drugs Natalie did not need. They caused serotonin toxicity and akathisia, but doctors repeatedly failed to recognize that Natalie’s torturous symptoms were actually signs of adverse drug reactions.

When she was a teenager, another doctor prescribed Sertraline. In 2013 Natalie’s doctor increased the Sertraline dose to 200mg, over the phone without ever seeing Natalie. Natalie died two days later from violent, self-sustained injury. But she did not die by her own hand. Her death was precipitated by medical negligence and ignorant prescribing practices. Natalie was already suffering from akathisia and serotonin toxicity at the time her doctor increased the toxin (Sertraline).

Natalie, who died during her first year of college, is dearly missed.