Barnehurst woman warns people of 'brutal' lithium drug which led to long-term partner's death

Helen Wilkinson, 59, of Homer Close, says lithium, prescribed to her boyfriend David Self, by a psychiatrist 15 years ago to aid his bipolar disorder, led to his death in June last year.

The medication was prescribed at Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust’s Older Adult Psychology Service based in Emerton Close, Bexleyheath.

Helen Wilkinson​

Despite blood tests every three months, hospital staff never picked up on the damage the drug was doing to his body.

Ms Wilkinson, who met Mr Self 15 years ago, wants to raise awareness about the situation.

She told News Shopper: “People need to be aware of this brutal drug.

“I lost the love of my life and my best friend when David died. The death could’ve been avoided if proper care was put in place.

“He was on 1,800 milligrams of lithium a day. It was a psychiatrist who originally prescribed him the drug.

“How could staff not have known about the damage to his kidneys? They should’ve noticed it.”

The 50-year-old became unwell last summer and visited Darent Valley Hospital where he was told he needed a thyroid operation because of a rare side-effect of the drug.

Following the successful surgery, he returned to his Crayford home – but Ms Wilkinson noticed that he was “very weak” and “not my David”.

He was taken to the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) where fears of a stroke were quickly dismissed by staff on June 11 - but he was then rushed from A&E to the Intensive Care Unit.

Medics immediately extracted all the lithium from Mr Self’s body which they confirmed was damaging his kidneys.

David Self

After his recovery on June 26, he was placed on the Farnborough Ward – but died on the same day due to a blood clot in his lungs.

Ms Wilkinson said: “Had David survived, he would’ve had to start dialysis, a procedure that removes waste products from the blood. That shows how bad his kidneys had been damaged.

“If we knew the lithium was damaging his body, both myself and David’s family would’ve got this treated.

“David’s family let me have his ashes and when my time comes, we can be scattered together.”

A spokesman for King’s College NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the PRUH, said: “We are sorry to hear Ms Wilkinson is unhappy with the care her partner received.

“Following concerns raised by Ms Wilkinson, we investigated the case and provided a response detailing the care we provided.

“If Ms Wilkinson requires any further information, we would urge her to contact us directly.”

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust has been contacted for a comment.