25yr old woman dies of paracetamol overdose after self-medicating with Lemsip, cough medicine and pills for her cold

A fitness instructor died after overdosing on Lemsip and paracetamol to treat a cold, an inquest has heard. Donna Bishop, 25, downed a daily cocktail of over-the-counter medication when she fell ill.

The mother-of-one was diagnosed with a chest infection by her GP five days before she died, and was prescribed antibiotics. But she continued to self-medicate and swallowed pills washed down with hot Lemsip drinks and cough medicine. Her health rapidly deteriorated and she died from liver failure caused by a paracetamol overdose.

The inquest at Worcestershire Coroner’s Court in Stourport-on-Severn heard how Donna had travelled to Scotland to visit her friend Siobhan Dunn. She had been suffering from a cold for two weeks before her death and Miss Dunn said Donna was taking ‘high’ amounts of over-the-counter drugs and she had been sick several times. This would lead her to take more medication in the belief she needed a top-up dose after vomiting. After travelling back to her home in Warndon Villages, Worcester, she saw her GP who prescribed antibiotics.

Later she went to Worcestershire Royal Hospital complaining of mouth ulcers and having difficulty in swallowing. A doctor prescribed co-codamol and a throat spray but the next day her sister Kerrie Bishop visited her and found her forgetful, with a yellow jaundiced complexion and unsteady on her feet. She took her to A&E but Donna left because the wait was too long. Hours later she returned when her condition worsened and she was eventually seen by Dr Curtis Fasey and a senior registrar, who told her they would have to carry out tests to reveal the cause of her jaundice. But Donna left the hospital before she had any more tests.

She was later admitted to hospital and given a bed on the gynaecological ward. Staff said she was ‘fidgety’ and suffering hallucinations. According to nurse practitioner Andrew Eggleton, Donna denied taking paracetamol but she died later that day. A pathologist report concluded her death was due to liver failure caused by a paracetamol overdose. Worcestershire coroner Geraint Williams recorded a narrative verdict of 'non-dependant abuse of paracetamol' and said there was no evidence that she intentionally harmed herself. He said: 'Miss Bishop became unwell and was self-medicating with paracetamol.


'We heard from her mother who said she was a bubbly happy girl and a loving mother. 'She was a girl who liked to socialise and live life to the full. She told me Miss Bishop was always positive. 'There was no suggestion she was contemplating serious self harm. 'She was sadly never going to survive. She did not go properly to hospital but by the time she did it was too late.' Speaking after the inquest, Donna's distraught mother Nicky Worton, 46, said: 'I gave her a box of paracetamol to take to Scotland.

'It is horrible to think that could have contributed to her health. It was such a shock. 'It all happened so fast. I was with her and she seemed to have a bit of a cold but nothing more than that. 'Then all of a sudden we are in hospital with her because she has liver failure. It's just so sad. 'I am glad they recorded the verdict as an accident. There is no way she would ever try to hurt herself.' Nicky is now raising awareness on the dangers of taking too many over-the-counter drugs. 

She said: 'Thousands of young people take these drugs and are not aware of the proper dosage. 'I don't want any other families to go through what we have. 'Ultimately I want to highlight the issue that all these drugs can be dangerous and that young people need the proper guidelines on how much to take.'