Tragic younger lady died unintentionally from paracetamol toxicity after taking the drug for toothache following a deliberate overdose after relationship breakup
A heartbroken young woman who survived a deliberate paracetamol overdose after a relationship ended went on to die weeks later when she took the pain killer for toothache, an inquest heard.
Jessica Reynolds, 23, tried to kill herself in June last year after the painful split with her partner.
She didn’t seek medical intervention afterwards and struggled to get mental health support.
The following month Ms Reynolds, of Buxton, near Aylsham in Norfolk, started becoming increasingly unwell, with breathlessness, vomiting and confusion.
She thought she was having an allergic reaction and went to hospital with her mother but was found to have catastrophic liver failure.
Doctors confirmed it was caused by a toxic build-up of paracetamol in her body from the suicide attempt and subsequently using an ‘entire packet every two days’ because of dental pain.
Ms Reynolds was given dialysis and placed on an urgent transplant register but her organs began to shut down and she died days later.
Recording a narrative conclusion yesterday, coroner Robert Weyell said: ‘I do not conclude that she intended to take her own life.’
Jessica Reynolds, 23, tried to kill herself in June last year after the painful split with her partner
Ms Reynolds’s brother, Albert Snow, described his sister as a ‘loved and cherished person’ in a statement read to the court.
He said: ‘Jess was bright, funny, caring and creative. She faced challenges but fought through them and still managed to bring joy.
‘She was the best sibling anyone could ask for.’
The inquest in Norwich heard that Ms Reynolds had quit university after the trauma of her father’s death and moved back to the family home.
She began working as a receptionist and her mental health improved, with her later starting a relationship.
The couple split up, however, and she took the overdose last summer.
Her brother told the hearing at Norfolk Coroners Court: ‘She tried to get mental health support but struggled to find the help she needed.’
Ms Reynolds, who had a history of anxiety and depression and had previously had therapy, had a medical appointment the following month after complaining of swollen gums.
The following month Ms Reynolds started suffering from breathlessness, vomiting and confusion. Doctors found she had catastrophic liver failure caused by a build-up of paracetamol
She was given antibiotics after being diagnosed with gingivitis and told see a dentist for toothache.
But she quickly started to become unwell, with confusion, breathlessness and vomiting.
She attended Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital with her mother, where doctors at first thought she had sepsis.
But tests showed she was suffering liver failure as the result of paracetamol toxicity.
Ms Reynolds was urgently transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge where consultants were told about the previous overdose and the large amount of paracetamol she had been taking for the toothache.
She was admitted to intensive care where medication was given to counteract paracetamol poisoning and went on to have dialysis after her kidneys failed.
But her condition became increasingly desperate and she was placed on the urgent liver transplant list before her heart stopped in the early hours of July 25.
A post-mortem examination showed she had sustained massive liver damage consistent with paracetamol toxicity, with death caused by multi-organ failure.
Offering his condolences to Ms Reynolds’s relatives, Mr Weyell said she had been a ‘loved and valued member of a caring family’.
The Government introduced legislation in 1998 restricting over-the-counter pack sizes of paracetamol to a maximum 16 tablets – and a two-packet purchase limit.
But experts have warned accidental paracetamol overdosing privately – and of NHS patients by medical staff – remains a significant problem.
