Girl of 17 with a stomach ache is killed by overdose of paracetamol
A TEENAGE girl died after taking more than three times the recommended dose of paracetamol for a stomach ache, an inquest heard yesterday.
Georgia Littlewood, 17, took the painkillers before going to her boyfriend’s house.
But her condition then suddenly deteriorated and she was taken to hospital where doctors found she had severe liver damage.
They battled to save her but she died the next day, with tests showing she had 65 microgrammes of the medication on her blood. The recommended level for a dose is 20.
At an inquest her family condemned the ease with which teenagers could buy paracetamol without being aware of the dangers.
They said: ‘You can buy paracetamol at 19p a packet in supermarkets – yet you should only be able to buy it from a pharmacist who tells you of the dangers. You should not be able to go into the shop with no one giving any advice.’
The hearing in Huddersfield heard that on March 28 office clerk Geor- gia woke at 6.30am with stomach pain and called in sick to work.
But later her mother Joanne Littlewood received a text from her daughter saying she was going stay with her boyfriend Tom Keen.
They went out to get a milkshake and pizza and, although Georgia said she felt better, she was heard being sick in the bathroom at 2am. She was taken to her parents’ house where they rang an ambulance.
She told doctors she had taken paracetamol, but not with any intention of harming herself, and was transferred to a Leeds hospital.
Georgia was put down for an emergency liver transplant but she deteriorated, dying the next day.
Mrs Littlewood said: ‘I don’t think she would have known the correct doses for taking paracetamol and would have taken them for a headache. She would not have known the effect it would have had on her.’
It is not known how many tablets Georgia took but the maximum dose over 24 hours is eight.
The cause of death was acute liver toxicity. Recording a verdict of accidental death, assistant coroner Mary Burke said: ‘There are doses as identified in place for a reason. If everyone does not comply with that there can be tragic circumstances.’
‘Wouldn’t know the correct dose’