{"id":806950,"date":"2026-10-18T21:56:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T21:56:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/806950\/"},"modified":"2026-10-18T21:56:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T21:56:12","slug":"warning-update-for-sertraline-citalopram-and-fluoxetine-after-number-of-deaths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/806950\/","title":{"rendered":"Warning update for sertraline, citalopram and fluoxetine after number of deaths"},"content":{"rendered":"

A coroner warned that action should be taken to prevent future deathsNeil Shaw<\/a> Assistant Editor (Money and Lifestyle)<\/p>\n

09:45, 18 Oct 2026Updated 16:14, 18 Oct 2026<\/p>\n

\"Lady<\/p>\n

Lady Gabriella Windsor and Thomas Kingston leave after marrying in St George’s Chapel <\/p>\n

Antidepressants are to come with more \u201cprominent\u201d warnings about risks of suicidal thoughts and behaviours, the medicines regulator has announced. It comes after it emerged that four prevention of future death reports concerning the prescribing of antidepressants, or their safety information, have been sent to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) since 2020.<\/p>\n

The prevention of future deaths report issued after the death of Thomas Kingston<\/a>, the husband of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent\u2019s daughter, Lady Gabriella Kingston, questioned whether there is \u201cadequate communication of the risks of suicide associated with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) medications\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mr Kingston died by suicide in 2024 when he was 45 years old. The inquest into his death at Gloucestershire Coroner\u2019s Court was told he had been given sertraline , a drug used to treat depression and mental health problems, and zopiclone, a sleeping tablet, by a GP at the Royal Mews Surgery, a practice at Buckingham Palace used by royal household staff, after complaining of trouble sleeping following stress at work.<\/p>\n

Welsh might have cured dementia by mistake, new dads dying at alarming rate, giant tortoise’s secrets for a long life, and what are the side-effects of weight-loss drugs? All this and more in our weird science newsletter<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Millions<\/p>\n

Millions take the pills every day in the UK<\/p>\n

Mr Kingston returned to the surgery saying the drugs were not making him feel better and his doctor moved him from sertraline to citalopram. Both of these drugs are SSRIs. In the days leading up to his death, Mr Kingston had stopped taking medication and toxicology tests showed caffeine and small amounts of zopiclone in his system.<\/p>\n

In her prevention of future deaths report, senior coroner for Gloucestershire, Katy Skerrett, said that Mr Kingston \u201chad recently been experiencing anxiety, but had not expressed any suicidal ideation\u201d. She wrote to the MHRA saying that matters of concern arising from the inquest include: \u201cWhether there is adequate communication of the risks of suicide associated with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) medications.\u201d<\/p>\n

She warned that action should be taken to prevent future deaths. Mr Kingston\u2019s parents, Martin and Jill Kingston, called for changes in how patients are prescribed SSRIs, saying that both the patient and the people close to them should be told more explicitly about the potential side effects of the medication, including what can happen if they stop taking it.<\/p>\n

The changes announced by the MHRA follow a review by the Commission on Human Medicines, which took place after patients and families raised concerns about how information is communicated in patient safety leaflets on suicidal thoughts and behaviours and sexual dysfunction that continues after treatment is stopped.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A box of Citalopram<\/p>\n

Patient information leaflets for antidepressants will be updated, including a new \u201cboxed warning\u201d with information on suicidal thoughts and behaviours, \u201cmaking information easier to find\u201d, the regulator said. A new patient safety card is expected to be included in or on the medicine box to reinforce safety messaging, MHRA added.<\/p>\n

And patient information leaflets for certain antidepressants will be updated to include the term \u201cPost SSRI Sexual Dysfunction\u201d to explain the risk of symptoms continuing after treatment. Meanwhile, an additional safety leaflet is being developed by the MHRA, which will be given to patients at their first appointment discussing antidepressants when it becomes available in 2027.<\/p>\n

Dr Alison Cave, MHRA\u2019s chief safety officer, said: \u201cPatients need clear and accessible information about the benefits and risks of medicines so they can make informed decisions. We are incredibly grateful for the valuable contributions of patients, families, clinicians and experts to this review.<\/p>\n

Benefits and risks<\/p>\n

\u201cThese measures will help ensure patients, carers and healthcare professionals can have more informed conversations about the benefits and risks associated with antidepressant medicines, and better support people throughout their treatment.<\/p>\n

\u201cAntidepressants are effective medicines for the treatment of depression and other conditions. When used appropriately and under clinical supervision, for the vast majority of individuals, the benefits outweigh the risks. The aim is not to discourage use, but to improve the prominence and clarity of the existing warnings.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s imperative that patients do not stop taking these medicines without first speaking to their healthcare professional.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier this week, health minister James Frith said that revised patient information leaflets and patient cards would be available online from October and hard copies will be in packs around three to six months later. He said in a written answer to Parliament that in the interim the MHRA is working to evaluate the feasibility for earlier access to hard copies via pharmacies.<\/p>\n

Asked about prevention of future death reports \u2013 which coroners write if they are concerned future deaths may occur \u2013 Mr Frith added: \u201cThe MHRA logs all Prevention of Future Deaths reports it receives and can confirm that since 2020, four reports concerning the prescribing of antidepressants, or their safety information have been sent to the MHRA.\u201d<\/p>\n

A new drug safety update has also been issued on the topic, which advises healthcare workers on the information to give to their patients, including what to tell them if they feel suicidal, and the potential for sexual dysfunction with some antidepressants.<\/p>\n

Patients should be told that \u201cthese are not new risks for these medicines, but it is important to be aware of them\u201d.<\/p>\n

And they should be advised: \u201cDo not stop taking your medicine without first speaking to your healthcare professional\u201d.<\/p>\n

When life is difficult, Samaritans are available day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A coroner warned that action should be taken to prevent future deathsNeil Shaw Assistant Editor (Money and Lifestyle)…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":806951,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[33685,59,102,12178,1906,229,8083,223,38796,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-806950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-buckingham-palace","tag-gb","tag-health","tag-inquests","tag-mental-health","tag-politics","tag-prescriptions","tag-royal-family","tag-the-medicines","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=806950"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806950\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/806951"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=806950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=806950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=806950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}