A fresh warning has been issued to northern Europeans in Spain after a Dutch tourist was left hospitalised upon returning from her holiday in the country.
The 37-year-old is alleged to have developed a life-threatening infection after taking Nolotil, a brand of metamizol that is the most-used painkiller in Spain.
Cristina Garcia del Campo has been investigating the drug for years following a string of related British deaths.
She wrote in a warning online: ‘A 37-year old Dutch lady came to Spain on holiday this summer, was given Nolotil (Metamizol) at a chemist and without a prescription for a backache.
‘When she got back to Netherlands, she went to have her nails done. The following day, her finger became red and very swollen, with a life-threatening infection – Nolotil had destroyed her white cells.
‘She’s had sepsis, agranulocytosis caused by Nolotil, has been in hospital for the last couple of weeks, fighting for her life and now has gangrene and could end up having her finger amputated.’
Cristina added: ‘I wonder how many people have come to Spain over the years, then gone back to their countries and have died or nearly died because of this killer-painkiller without even knowing about it!’
After years of campaigning by Cristina, Spain’s medical authorities ordered hospitals and doctors to issue warnings to Brits and other northern Europeans before administering them Nolotil.
The medication, which is banned in 40 countries worldwide, can, in some cases, lead to sepsis and organ failure, by depleting a patient’s white blood cells.
For a yet unknown genetic reason, people from northern Europe, such as the UK and Ireland, are more at risk from the drug.
