Deceased
Paul William Lowe
Demographics
42y, male
Date of death
2018-08-12
Finding date
2021-12-02
Cause of death
acute methadone intoxication
AI-generated summary
Paul William Lowe, a 42-year-old man with treatment-resistant epilepsy, schizophrenia, and long-standing opioid dependence, died from acute methadone intoxication on 12-13 August 2018. Evidence strongly indicates he injected his Sunday takeaway methadone dose, which was the immediate cause of death. Track marks on his arm and drug paraphernalia found in his bedroom support this conclusion. While his GP Dr Frank Reynolds had non-complied with methadone guidelines by prescribing four rather than two takeaway doses weekly, the coroner found this earlier breach could not have contributed to death, as the dose was corrected to two weekly before Lowe's death. Clinicians should be aware that methadone diversion and injection represent serious risks in opioid pharmacotherapy programs; regular urine screening and strict adherence to takeaway dose limits are essential safeguards.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes. Report an inaccuracy.
Specialties
Error types
Drugs involved
Clinical conditions
54y · Female·mixed drug toxicity (methadone and diazepam)
A 54-year-old woman with long-standing opioid use disorder died from mixed methadone and diazepam toxicity. She had tripled her methadone dose by injecting additional takeaway doses alongside her prescribed pharmacy dose…
51y · Female·Cannot be determined; likely mixed drug (including alcohol) toxicity or undeterm…
Margaret Joy O'Donnell, aged 51, died between 9-15 June 2018. The cause of death could not be determined due to decomposition, but toxicology revealed mixed drug toxicity including fatal levels of methadone and hydromorp…
44y · Male·intravenous injection of foreign debris (crushed tablets) associated with chroni…
Timothy Wellington, a 44-year-old man with longstanding opioid and polysubstance use disorder, died from acute pulmonary hypertension caused by intravenous injection of foreign debris (crushed tablets). He had been presc…
Source and disclaimer
This page reproduces or summarises information from publicly available findings published by Australian coroners' courts. Coronial is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any coronial court or government body.
Content may be incomplete, reformatted, or summarised. Some material may have been redacted or restricted by court order or privacy requirements. Always refer to the original court publication for the authoritative record.
Copyright in original materials remains with the relevant government jurisdiction. AI-generated summaries and tagging are for educational purposes only, may contain inaccuracies, and must not be treated as legal documents. We welcome feedback for correction — report an inaccuracy here.