Father shares shocking picture of his daughter fighting for life in hospital after she took prescription drugs on a night out and was declared ‘dead for two minutes’
- Martin Cleary said his daughter Laura took drug normally used to treat epilepsy
- Mr Cleary posted images on Facebook of his daughter, 29, in intensive care
- She reacted badly to pregabalin, which is misused to induce feelings of euphoria
- He wrote online that he thought doctors were going to tell them she had died
Laura Cleary was ‘dead for two minutes’ after taking a drug normally used to treat epilepsy
A father has posted shocking pictures of his 29-year-old daughter fighting for life in hospital after she took prescription drugs on a night out.
Martin Cleary, 50, from Belfast, said his daughter Laura Cleary was ‘dead for two minutes’ as a result of taking a drug normally used to treat epilepsy.
He said she reacted badly to pregabalin, a drug which is misused recreationally to induce feelings of euphoria and can be bought for as little as £20 a strip.
Mr Cleary publicly posted images on Facebook of his daughter in intensive care as a warning about the ‘drug epidemic that’s engulfing this country’.
The father, who is married to Trisha, 49, said his daughter had been placed in an induced coma after taking pregabalin on April 12.
He wrote: ‘My daughter was taken to hospital last Friday night/Saturday morning after leaving a party with her partner. She took a bad reaction to whatever she took and ended up in intensive care in an induced coma.
Martin Cleary publicly posted images on Facebook of his daughter Laura in intensive care
The father said she had been placed in an induced coma after taking pregabalin on April 12
Miss Cleary, from Northern Ireland, was taken to hospital after leaving a party with her partner
‘We later found out that she had taken pregabalin, better known as buds or lyrica and can be readily bought for £20 a strip.’
He added: ‘When we got to the hospital the doctors were already working on her for the past half hour or so. When they eventually came out to speak to us they asked us to come into a small room and take a seat.
Martin Cleary said he thought doctors were going to tell him that his daughter had died
‘We thought we were going to be told that our daughter was dead, but thankfully they saved her. According to the doctor my daughter was dead for two minutes.
‘As a parent I felt as if I had let my daughter down by not being able to protect her from the drug epidemic that’s engulfing this country.
‘I know she’s an adult and has to make and standby her own decisions, but she’s still my child and no matter what age she is, it’s still my duty to protect her.’
He concluded: ‘So, next time when you’re out and you’re offered this stuff, take a good look at my daughter’s pictures and hopefully that’ll change your mind.
‘Remember, when you’re dead, you’re dead, and your family are left to rebuild their lives without you.’
Pregabalin is normally used to treat epilepsy and anxiety, but can also be used to treat nerve pain including diabetes and shingles.
Used recreationally, the drug can induce feelings of euphoria, relaxation and calm but it may require large does for this effect. Misuse of the drug has also been linked to heart failure.