A 28-year-old man from Ipswich with a diagnosed mental health condition died of an overdose on a mix of prescription medicines, an inquest has concluded.
Sheldon Page, 28, was found dead at his home in Birkfield Drive on September 21 2016 by his friend and lodger.
Mr Page had been found asleep on the sofa by his lodger between 1am and 2am that morning, before going to bed.
After still being found on the sofa at around midday by the same lodger, paramedics were called where Mr Page was confirmed to have died.
The inquest into his death was held at Beacon House in Ipswich this morning, where evidence was heard of Mr Page’s health history.
The inquest heard that he had seen his GP just two days before his death, where he had been prescribed medication as a painkiller after fracturing his ribs during a fall, which was causing pain on top of his history of back problems.
The inquest heard that Mr Page suffered from epileptic fits and seizures, and had been diagnosed with Dissocial Personality Disorder.
Evidence from Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, which carries out mental health services, was heard which confirmed he had first been referred to mental health providers in March 2013, and had regular visits with a community mental health nurse.
The evidence continued that he a history of self-harm and low mood, and also had problems with alcohol abuse.
The inquest heard that at the time of his last GP visit, he had been “upbeat” and “happy” and that he had been prescribed a painkiller to ease the pain of his fractured ribs, alongside his usual prescribed medication.
Concluding, assistant coroner Nigel Parsley said the evidence suggested Mr Page was a “lovable rogue” and that the evidence pointed to an overdose of mixed prescription medicines which contributed to an accidental death.
He said: “It is not 100% clear which drug killed Sheldon – when you look at the toxicology everything he took was within a therapeutic amount.”
He added: “What I am clear about is that it is a combination of those drugs on the level they were at that proved fatal for Sheldon.”
Mr Parsely added that despite the 28-year-old’s mental health history there was no evidence to suggest Mr Page intended to take his own life.
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