A MUM is urging Brits to be careful buying medicine on holiday – after she nearly died when an over-the-counter anti-sickness tablet left her acting “possessed”.
Keira Morrison had been unwell during her family holiday to Salou, Spain, and had been throwing up around 10 times a day.
Keira had been feeling unwell on her family holiday, throwing up around 10 times a day[/caption]
Her partner Liam went to a nearby pharmacy to get her some anti-sickness tablets, but she suffered an adverse reaction[/caption]
When Dioralyte didn’t improve the 29-year-old’s symptoms, her partner Liam Bridgeman, 33, went to a nearby pharmacy and bought her some anti-sickness tablets for 1.90 euro.
Metoclopramide is an anti-sickness medication that is only available on prescription in the UK, however it’s available over the counter in Spain.
After two days of taking the tablets, the former hairdresser’s jaw suddenly “locked” as they sat in their hotel room – and she soon lost control of her body.
A panicked Keira and Liam went to their hotel manager for help and once they showed him the tablets he offered to drive the couple to a nearby medical centre.
Here the mum-of-two deteriorated quickly and began to act “possessed” – losing control of her arms and legs and her eyes rolling back in her head.
She admits it was so bad she “thought it was the end”.
Staff put her on an IV drip while they ordered an ambulance to take her to hospital in Tarragona, where doctors manged to ease her symptoms with an injection.
It has since emerged that the recommended dosage is one 10mg tablet three times a day – but Keira claims the pharmacist had told her to take two of the tablets at once.
This meant she was taking twice the recommended dosage on each occasion.
She is now raising awareness about the terrifying experience online and about the potential risks of adverse reactions to common medications, particularly if more easily available with prescriptions when on holiday.
Keira, from Liverpool, Merseyside, said: “Liam said it was like I was possessed.
“I thought it was the end, I did. It was not a nice experience at all.
“It was like I wasn’t in my body, it was like someone had control over my body. That’s how I felt and I did feel like I was going to die.
“There were leaflets on the wall and when I was looking at the words, I couldn’t see the words. They were going blurry.
“I was pleading with them [the doctors] like, ‘please help me.’
“At the point before I had the injection my head was banging off the bed, my eyes were going to the back of my head and flickering. My legs and arms were flying everywhere.
It felt like I was having a seizure. I just wanted the feeling to stop
Keira Morrison
“It felt like I was having a seizure. I just wanted the feeling to stop, I’ve never experienced a feeling like that in my life. I was screaming, ‘please help me, please help me!’
“If I didn’t go to hospital when I did I probably would have thrown myself off the balcony because I wanted the feeling to stop that much. I was crying, screaming.”
Keira said one of the doctors in the hospital explained that she had a reaction to the tablets.
After spending a night in hospital Keira left the following day because she was due to fly home and she said she thinks she experienced a side effect called tardive dyskinesia.
According to Mind, this is a condition where your face, body or both make sudden, irregular and uncontrollable movements.
This is a known potential side effect of the medication and a 2014 report by the European Medicines Agency’s Committee on Medicinal Products for Human Use and recommended restricting the dose to “help minimise the risk of potentially serious neurological adverse effects”.
Keira with partner Liam[/caption]
Keira says if she ever goes away again she’ll make sure she’s got her own anti-sickness medication from the UK[/caption]
Since returning to the UK, she has been to her doctor to have an allergy test and to have her heart checked as she had been experiencing palpitations.
Keira said: “My doctor did say in the UK you’ve got to have a prescription to get that medication.
“You can’t get that over the counter here. You shouldn’t be selling that over the counter.
“It has scared us. We have another holiday booked and we are in talks of cancelling. We’re in shock and we can’t believe it happened.
“I’ll never ever buy anything over the counter again.
“If I ever do go away now I’ll make sure I’ve got my own anti-sickness medication from the UK and it was something I’d had before.
“I can’t describe the feeling, it was horrendous. I wouldn’t wish it on my own enemy.”
Accord, the manufacturer of the tablets, have been contacted for comment.
Safety measures when buying medicines abroad
IF medication needs to be acquired abroad, it’s recommended to purchase from licensed pharmacies in large cities and to verify that the medication contains the same active ingredient as the one typically taken.
Also:
- Whenever possible, obtain all required medications before travelling, as this avoids the risk of purchasing falsified medicines.
- Do not purchase medicines from street markets or unregulated online sources, as these are high-risk areas for counterfeit products.
- Discuss the need for medications abroad with your doctor or pharmacist, who can provide guidance on obtaining them safely and legally.
- Be cautious of misspellings or incorrect packaging, as these can be indicators of falsified medications.
- Some embassies can provide lists of reliable pharmacies in the country you are visiting.
- Be cautious when buying medicines online, as there is a high risk of purchasing counterfeit products.
