Five-Year-Old US Girl Dies Of Cough Medicine Overdose
April 17, 2012 by admin
Filed under News Stories
April 18, 2012
Telegraph
By Mark Hughes
“Too many people think over-the-counter drugs are safer than their prescription counterparts. Anything could be further from the truth.” –KTRN
Kimber Michelle Brown died on February 12 this year after taking the over-the-counter cough medicine to treat flu-like symptoms.
She had been staying with her grandmother, Linda Sheets, 59, at her home near Durango, in Colorado, although it was not clear whether she was administered the drug or had taken it herself.
A post-mortem showed that Kimber had just over twice the recommended limit of dextromethorphan – an over-the-counter drug found in cough and cold suppressants.
She also had higher-than-recommended levels of Cetirizine, another over-the-counter drug used to treat colds or allergy symptoms, according to Dr. Carol Huser, the coroner who conducted the autopsy.
In her report, obtained by the Durango Herald, Dr Huser wrote: “In my opinion, the combination of these drugs – which were the ingredients of the over-the-counter medications with which Kimber was being treated – caused her death.” Dr Huser said that it was possible the grandmother inaccurately measured the doses of medicine or that Kimber took further medicine after being given a correct dosage, adding that the medicines were kept on a counter within the girl’s reach.
