Thomas Kingston's family calls for antidepressant prescription change

The parents of Thomas Kingston have warned about the side effects of antidepressants after he took his own life.

Mr Kingston died from a head injury in February last year at his parents' home in the Cotswolds. A gun was found near his body.

The 45-year-old had stopped taking his medication, which had been prescribed by a GP at the Royal Mews Surgery in the days leading up to his death.

His parents, Martin and Jill Kingston, are now calling for a change in how patients are prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) - a widely used type of antidepressant.

Martin Kingston told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he believes 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.

The couple want patients to sign a document confirming they've been told about the difficulties of going on and coming off the medication. This could include the patient being told that "it's an extreme case, but it could lead to suicide", Mrs Kingston says.

"We'd really like to see that a person, a spouse, a partner, a parent, a close friend, somebody, was going to walk with them through it. Maybe they should be at that signing time."

Recording a narrative conclusion at an inquest into his death in December, Katy Skerrett, senior coroner for Gloucestershire, said Thomas Kingston had taken his own life.

"The evidence of his wife, family and business partner all supports his lack of suicidal intent," she said at the inquest. "He was suffering adverse effects of medication he had recently been prescribed."

In a prevention of future deaths report, made in January, Ms Skerrett said action must be taken over the risk to patients prescribed SSRIs. She questioned whether there was adequate communication of the risks associated with such medication.

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Source: BBC News, 4 January 2025

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