A coroner has discovered that a retired cardiologist without a history of mental health issues committed suicide one week after taking an antibiotic with a rare relation to suicide.
A week after beginning a course of ciprofloxacin, Robert Stevenson, a renowned and experienced consultant cardiologist, committed suicide by hanging.
Antibiotic Potential Link to Tragic Suicide
Coroner Martin Fleming has warned about the antibiotic’s potential negative effects, which are frequently used in the medical field. According to The Ecologist, community pharmacists in the UK filled about a million ciprofloxacin prescriptions in 2020.
Just over a week after beginning the antibiotics, Mr. Stevenson went for a walk and messaged his wife to indicate that he had placed a letter under his pillow.
Mr. Stevenson had no prior history of mental health problems or despair. In a nearby wood, he was discovered hanging.
According to the inquiry, the message he left was uncharacteristically confusing and incoherent and included baseless suspicions that he might have Aids after using an online tester kit.
He had not been notified of a “possible rare link” between using the medicine and suicidal behavior in patients, according to testimony given at the inquiry, as this was against medical advice.
At the West Yorkshire Hospital Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, Dr. Stevenson worked as a consultant cardiologist and general practitioner before retiring in May 2022.
He had been referred to a urology department at that time so that a private consultant urologist might look into the possibility of prostate cancer.
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Prostate Inflammation Treatment Raises Questions
To aid with the inflammation of his prostate gland and prepare him for an exploratory biopsy, ciprofloxacin, an antibiotic used to treat a variety of bacterial infections, was recommended.
Just over a week after that, he went for his routine stroll without having previously given his family any reason to be worried about him, according to the inquest.
He was eventually discovered to have hanged himself after a thorough police and family investigation of the neighborhood.
About the antibiotic, which is recommended for serious diseases, Mr. Fleming issued a warning.
It is used to treat a variety of bacterial illnesses, such as conjunctivitis, eye infections, ear infections, chest infections, skin and bone infections, and sexually transmitted infections.
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