A Kiwi mother has died from liver failure in the UK after unintentionally overdosing by drinking too much of the cold and flu remedy Lemsip.
New Zealand-born Joan Ita Bergin, 58, based in Lancashire in the north of England, had been suffering from a cough and a bad chest for a week in December of 2021.
During this time, she'd been drinking to help with her sickness, the Daily Mail reported.
On Christmas Day, her son Matthew called an ambulance after seeing his mother's condition deteriorate and was taken to a local hospital.
Bergin had been vomiting coffee-coloured mucus and tests showed she had "significantly elevated" liver enzymes and low oxygen levels.
Her condition continued deteriorating and was transferred to the intensive care unit, where she was diagnosed with liver failure.
After consultation with liver specialists, they advised her no additional treatment options were available and she died at 3:25pm on January 7.
An inquest into her death was held at UK's Preston Coroner's Court this week, which heard Bergin had also drunk excessively, the Daily Mail reported.
The Kiwi mother was generally in good health but would drink three to four cans of cider each day before work and up to 10 cans at weekends while not eating much, her son Matthew said in a statement.
"She rarely ate much, one full meal per week, and otherwise she would snack on things such as marmalade on toast," Assistant Coroner Kate Bisset said of Matthew's testimony.
"She drank plenty of water but had on occasions fainted due to lack of food."
Bergin was drinking a sachet of Lemsip every four hours and told doctors she had taken more than the recommended amount of paracetamol at times, the inquest heard.
Each sachet contains 1000mg of paracetamol, with Lemsip NZ saying people should take no more than four sachets in 24 hours.
Consultant Patrick Horgan said Bergin had significantly elevated liver enzymes and was diagnosed with a liver injury due to an unintentional paracetamol overdose.
The coroner concluded Bergin died of "multiple organ failure caused by an unintentional paracetamol overdose."
A spokeswoman for Reckitt, the company that makes Lemsip, provided a statement to the Mail they were "very saddened to hear about Joan Bergin's case".
"We send our deepest sympathies to her family," the spokeswoman said. "At Reckitt, consumer safety is our top priority.
"As with any medication, we would remind consumers and their caregivers to carefully read and follow the instructions provided on the packaging and patient information leaflet of all our medicinal products.
"If our consumers have any additional concerns, we recommend that they speak to their healthcare professional."
