UK teen dies of Internet pill overdose

The dangers of ordering medicines over the Internet have once again been thrust into the limelight, following the death of an 18-year-old man in the UK.

Nathan Lightfoot of Stone in Staffordshire ordered two tubs of pills from the website of a US-based company to help him cope with anxiety related to examinations, but died from what was later discovered as an overdose of the antihistamine drug diphenhydramine.   

Diphenhydramine is typically found in products used to treat hayfever, allergies and travel sickness, as well as insomnia. A post-mortem examination found that Lightfoot had 20.8mg/l of blood, while previous fatalities from diphenhydramine overdoses have been seen at levels of 8mg/l and above.