Woman Sues Boots After Alleged Stroke from Migraine Meds
Lawsuit Details Emerge
A 63-year-old woman, Sigrid O’Meara, has initiated legal proceedings against Boots Retail (Ireland) Ltd in the High Court. She alleges that medication she purchased at a Boots pharmacy caused a brain bleed and subsequent stroke. The suit claims improper dispensing and a failure to warn about interactions with her antidepressant.
O’Meara, from Longford, says she took the medication after waking with a headache on March 26th, 2020. She had bought the pills from a Longford Boots branch the prior October. She contends that the medication was inappropriately sold to her.
Health Complications and Allegations
The court heard that after taking the medication, O’Meara felt dizzy, collapsed, and required ambulance transport to a hospital. A scan revealed a brain bleed, leading to transfer to a Dublin hospital.
After a month, she was discharged. At that point, doctors recorded severe left leg weakness and difficulties with her left arm, necessitating rehabilitation. O’Meara told the court that communication has become difficult for her, stating she texts everyone.
“I text everybody,”
—Sigrid O’Meara
She also confirmed that doctors have stated she will be unable to work, drive, or walk without needing to sit. The lawsuit further alleges that the migraine medication she needed was no longer available in Ireland and that a possible health hazard was supplied.
The suit alleges that the pharmacist failed to verify if her headaches had ever been diagnosed as migraines by a doctor, suggesting the medication should not have been dispensed. Boots refutes these claims, asserting the plaintiff’s responsibility to seek advice regarding her migraine history.
Boots claims that it was unaware of O’Meara’s concurrent medication, which could have negatively interacted with the supplied medicine. Boots maintains that O’Meara is the author of her own misfortune. This case remains ongoing. The Health Research Board reports a significant increase in stroke incidence over the past decade, particularly among women (HRB 2024).
