Woman, 21, died in her sleep while taking medication, inquest hears
Dental receptionist, 21, was found dead in her family home after taking medication to help her sleep, inquest hears
- Chloe Caton, 21, died in her sleep in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire
- Contact Samaritans for free on 116 123, email them at [email protected] or visit samaritans.org to find your nearest branch
A young woman battling depression and anxiety died after accidentally overdosing on sleeping medication, an inquest heard.
Chloe Caton, 21, died in her sleep while lying on a mattress at the foot of her mother’s bed in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, on June 1.
The dental receptionist had been staying with her mother Ami and her mother’s two grandchildren away from her usual home in nearby Kidsgrove.
An inquest held yesterday at Stoke Town Hall heard that Miss Caton had struggled with her mental health towards the end of her life.
In a statement, her mother said: ‘She was an ex-smoker and a vape smoker. She was suffering from a bad cough in the week before her death.
Chloe Caton, 21, died in her sleep while lying on a mattress at the foot of her mother’s bed in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, on June 1
The dental receptionist had been staying with her mother Ami and her mother’s two grandchildren at the time of her death
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‘She had mentioned heart flutters but didn’t get to tell her GP. She was blue and cold when I woke up.
‘My grandchildren’s mother called emergency services.’
Miss Caton was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
A post-mortem toxicology found she had four drugs in her system – pregabalin, tapentadol, diazepam and zopiclone – only the latter two of which had been prescribed.
Miss Caton’s GP stated that she was struggling to sleep and was worried about losing her job due to lack of sleep. As a result, she was prescribed zopiclone and diazepam.
She had also been referred to local mental health team after previously saying she had transient suicidal thoughts. Her GP, Dr Hannah Bradshaw, stated: ‘As a practice we’re deeply saddened to hear about her passing.’
The inquest heard Miss Caton was not prescribed two of the medications in her system. Her post-mortem gave her cause of death as zopaclone toxicity, with the other medications as contributory factors.
Concluding the inquest, North Staffordshire assistant coroner Daniel Howe said: ‘The cause of death was zopiclone toxicity.
‘She died at an address on Rothesay Avenue on June 1, 2023.’
Speaking at the time of her death, her mother said: ‘She was very bubbly. She was kind and caring and had the most infectious laugh on the planet.
‘She was not just my daughter, she was my best friend. We had our ups and downs, but she was my world.
‘She’s my world, my first born and my first girl.’
- Contact Samaritans for free on 116 123, email them at [email protected] or visit samaritans.org to find your nearest branch
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