What is Citalopram? The anti-depressant linked to Thomas Kingston’s death

On Tuesday a coroner ruled Thomas Kingston, son in law of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent died from a shotgun wound after suffering an adverse effect to medication prescribed by his doctor.

Thomas Kingston, husband of Lady Gabriella Kingston died from a head injury and a gun was found near his body on February 25 at his parents’ home in the Cotswolds.

Recording a narrative conclusion, Katy Skerrett, senior coroner for Gloucestershire, said: “Mr Kingston took his own life using a shotgun which caused a severe traumatic wound to the head.

“The evidence of his wife, family and business partner all supports his lack of suicidal intent. He was suffering adverse effects of medication he had recently been prescribed.”

At the time Mr Kingston had been taking the common anti-depressant Citalopram at the time of his death and just prior had been prescribed Sertraline.

During his inquest, Lady Gabriella, 43, said people need to be warned about the effects of medications used to treat mental health conditions or more people could die.

The inquest findings come after The Independent revealed medicines regulator the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has launched a review of the 30 most common anti-depressants following concerns raised by families over the side effects of the drugs.

This review will include citalopram.

Citalopram, also known by its trade name as Cipramil, is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) anti-depressant. The drug is used to treat low mood depression and also sometimes for panic attacks.

Sertraline is another type of SSRI, known by its trade name as Lustral, and is also used to treat depression, and sometimes panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

SSRIs mainly work by blocking the reuptake of serotonin into the nerve cell that released it. This means that the serotonin acts for longer on your brain and body.

SSRIs are the most commonly prescribed type of anti-depressant in the UK. According to an analysis of prescribing in the UK between 2015 and 2019 Citalopram was the most commonly prescribed anti-depressant accounting for 71 million doses over 5 years.

Over the same period there were 64 million doses of Sertraline were prescribed.

According to the NHS it usually takes four to six weeks for the drug to take effect.

SSRI’s common or very common side effects can include tiredness, anxiety, feeling nervous, dry mouth, dizziness, impaired concentration, fever, memory loss, and sleep disorders.

Uncommon side effects can also include alopecia, hallucination, mania, movement disorders, photosensitivity reaction and suicidal behaviours.

In May The Independent revealed the MHRA will look into the effectiveness of the current warnings, on 30 different anti-depressants including Prozac, called Fluoxetine as well as lithium and citalopram.

The review comes as the most recent NHS data from March 2023 to December 2023 shows that 331,000 patients between the ages of 10 and 19 were prescribed an antidepressant during that time – up from 240,000 during the same period in 2015-16.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

For services local to you, the national mental health database – Hub of Hope – allows you to enter your postcode to search for organisations and charities who offer mental health advice and support in your area.