Lisa's death was tragic accident (From Stourbridge News)

Lisa's death was tragic accident

12:20pm Friday 18th July 2008

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A 34-YEAR-OLD Wollescote woman died after taking a fatal mix of Nytol and depression tablets, an inquest heard.

Lisa Newey, of Birchgate, had suffered with depression since the death of her mother in December 1998 and was receiving treatment. She had also battled with drink in the past, although she hadn’t had a drink since September last year.

Dudley Coroners Court heard how Lisa, a pizza bar assistant manager, was generally happy in herself days before her death, after recently returning from a “wonderful holiday” in Egypt with her partner of ten years Clinton Foxall.

He said: “Lisa’s depression seemed to be under control and I had not seen her so happy as I did in the days before hand.”

The court was also told how Lisa had been having problems sleeping and had been taking over-the counter Nytol to help her sleep, as well as drinking lots of energy drinks, which “she would drink instead of tea and coffee”.

On the day of her death on February 7, Clinton had rung his girlfriend at 12pm, as he usually did each day to wake her for work.

He said: “On that day I rang her thirteen times and I knew something was wrong, I went home and found her.”

Postmortem results showed a low level of antihistamines from the Nytol in her system, which was thought to have reacted badly with her prescribed depression medication.

Black Country Coroner, Robin Balmain, said: “The medical cause of death is an overdose, but not an overdose in the sense of trying to harm herself.

“The levels of diphenhydramine from the Nytol are comparatively low albeit she took too many of them.

“There is no reason at all to believe she was trying to harm herself.

“She had taken a combination of things which had proved fatal.

“This highlights the dangers of taking medication that hasn’t been prescribed for you or taking additional things with prescribed medication.

“She was taking things to give her energy and other things to get her to sleep which had tragic consequences.”

He recorded a verdict of accidental death.

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