Finding into death of Sharni Dee Connolly

37y · Female·Multiple drug toxicity

Sharni Dee Connolly, a 37-year-old registered nurse turned naturopath, died from multiple drug toxicity following a hamstring injury requiring opioid analgesia. She was prescribed excessive quantities of pregabalin (105mg daily versus 50mg directed) and clonazepam (3.2mg daily versus 1.5mg directed) by her GP, alongside tapentadol, tramadol, temazepam, and diazepam. Her husband observed increasing confusion and dazed appearance. On 20 October 2018, she was found unresponsive with respiratory depression, suffered hypoxic brain injury despite resuscitation, and was declared brain dead. The Coroner's Prevention Unit found pregabalin and clonazepam were prescribed in excess of therapeutic need, with concurrent CNS depressants increasing overdose risk. No systemic prevention opportunities were identified, though the SafeScript real-time prescription monitoring system, introduced after her death and excluding pregabalin, might have prevented this outcome.