Tragic joiner died from overdose of drug prescribed for fall pain
A JOINER died from a prescription medication overdose given to him after a fall, an inquest has heard.
Richard Lathbury, 28, suffered the accident in October 2019 and was left experiencing serious pain.
His inquest at Derby Coroner’s Court heard it was so severe doctors prescribed morphine. He was also prescribed pregabalin because he was suffering from anxiety and insomnia.
The court heard that nine months after his prescriptions for these drugs began, Mr Lathbury died at his home in Midway Road, Swadlincote on August 3, last year.
A post-mortem examination determined his medical cause of death was from morphine and pregabalin toxicity.
Sabyta Kaushal, assistant coroner for Derby and Derbyshire, said doctors had decided it was “safer” to prescribe further doses of the drugs rather than stop him from using them.
In her narrative conclusion, she wrote that he had been prescribed “regular doses of both morphine and pregabalin over a nine-month period” by his GP due to chronic pain following a fall.
The coroner said: “Opioids have a sedative effect and taken in excess have depressant effects on the cardiorespiratory centres in the brain leading to death from cardiorespiratory arrest.
“Sadly, that regular use of pregabalin and morphine over the nine-month period resulted in Richard’s death on August 3, 2020, at his home address.”
In the hearing Miss Kaushal said that while there “could have been further considerations of a co-ordinated plan” within his GP surgery to treat him, she stopped short of ordering a prevention of future deaths report.
Dr Roger Follows, senior partner at Swadlincote Surgery, said: “Our thoughts are with Mr Lathbury’s family at this difficult time and we extend our condolences to them following his tragic death.
“We are working closely with NHS Derby and Derbyshire CCG, and NHS England, to collectively ensure that lessons identified are acted upon.
“This includes ongoing patient risk assessments and sharing information on drug toxicity.”