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Samuel David Morgan

24th September 1994- 16th January 2020

At the end of December 2019 our son Sam was unwell with a continuous cough and feeling generally run down. He went to see the doctor who believed it was a virus but Sam was still feeling unwell in January. On the 9th of January 2020 Sam had a ‘Financial Advisor’ exam that he was unable to attend due to still being off-colour so he went back to the doctors for a check-up and a doctor’s paper for the exam board.

While he was with the doctor he asked for Citalopram, as he was feeling anxious due to the exam and a friend he knew was taking it and had suggested it might help. Sam was a graduate and had sat many exams. During the eight minute consultation the doctor checked his chest, gave him a sick paper for the exam board and some advice about anxiety. He also gave him Citalopram and told him he might feel worse before he felt better.

Sam started taking the Citalopram and on the seventh day he took his own life. Sam had no history of depression or self-harming.

This was a shock to everyone who knew him. He had a loving family, a long term girlfriend, good friends, a job, money in the bank etc. We believe that the antidepressant Citalopram caused Sam’s death as this was so unlike him. We now know that suicide in the initial stage of taking SRRI antidepressants is a known side effect of this medication, unfortunately this doesn’t seem to be well publicised.

This medication is widely used and doctors are expected to tell patients the side effects and be careful in the prescribing of them – particularly to people under the age of twenty five. They are also meant to monitor patients closely in the first few weeks. Sam had no warning other than that ‘you might feel worse before feeling better’ and he had no monitoring.-When the doctor was asked at the inquest why Sam didn’t have a follow up appointment he said that he had no worries about him as he was a pleasant, talkative man. He didn’t want to give him the medication and thought lifestyle changes would be better option but gave it to him anyway.

We have asked Government and the MHRA that patients be told clearly that this medication could make them suicidal and careful monitoring should be mandatory. The patient leaflet should be clearer and that the suicide warning should be on the box. We feel that if this had been the case when Sam was prescribed them he would be alive today. We also feel that patients have the right to know what they are taking and the serious risks associated with them.

The MHRA, British and Welsh government have responded saying that all doctors know the side effects and should follow NICE guidelines when prescribing this medication. They also said that the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) was user tested and fit for purpose. They answered that ‘on the box warnings’ don’t work and basically there was no need to change the current practice.

We never thought that this would happen to our Son and finding out that the suicide side effect was well known and accepted was frightening and has been known for decades. The Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) was about 4,000 words long, written on see-through paper in a tiny font. It appears that the patient leaflet was user tested nearly 20 years ago when it was about 1000 words but not since- even though most of the increase is side effects! We have asked about the ‘on the box warnings’ as they are on cigarette packets and some medication such as ‘Co-codamol’ amongst others. It is only now that the PIL is to be reviewed by the MHRA after much correspondence.

More research is needed into the efficacy and side effects of this medication as it was originally designed for patients with moderate to severe depression-not as a sticking plaster for the slightly anxious as it is now also being used for. The benefits must surely have to outweigh the risks?

We are seriously concerned that little is being done about this medication. We have not asked that anyone stop using it, just that people are given full facts when doing so. We have nothing to gain from chasing this as we have lost our son. However if someone in power had challenged the prescribing of such potentially dangerous medication, then maybe we wouldn’t have to live this empty, sad life without our dear Son.
Ian and Tania Morgan
Sam’s parents

Click here to read more accounts of stolen lives.

Sam

Sam took his life 7 days after taking citalopram

Sam

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