A 27-YEAR-OLD dad died from pneumonia after taking too many prescription drugs, an inquest found.

Karl Marc Bowler, of Barrow, died on July 1 last year.

An inquest concluded that Mr Bowler died from broncopneumonia after taking a large amount of his prescription drugs, alongside other drugs, and then falling asleep and vomiting.

The hearing at Barrow Town Hall was told the vomit went into his airway and he developed pneumonia.

Mr Bowler was found by a support worker in his room in a supported accommodation unit of Furness Homeless Support Group, in Bath Street.

Assistant coroner, Mr Robert Chapman, was told Mr Bowler suffered with mental health problems, including bipolar and depression, and that he took the prescribed antipsychotic drug Olanzapine and also Pregabalin.

The inquest heard Mr Bowler also used other drugs. He had dabbled with cannabis as a teenager after having a difficult childhood.

Pathology and toxicology reports showed Mr Bowler had a high level of Olanzapine in his system and low levels of other drugs such as diazepam. It was said the combination of drugs would have sent him into a sleep.

The inquest heard from an ex-girlfriend, Chelsea Byrne.

Miss Byrne met up with Mr Bowler the day before he died. They had remained friends and she requested to see him as she was concerned about a message where Mr Bowler talked of wanting his life to be over.

Miss Byrne said Mr Bowler had been upset about a situation with a girlfriend. But she told the inquest that after they had met up she was no longer concerned as he was making plans for the following week.

Support worker, Wendy Phizacklea, who found Mr Bowler the following evening. She said he was a "complex individual" who had drugs issues, which made him very upset and he hated himself for doing it.

He had been given a final warning from the charity for his behaviour.

His sister Sherri Bowler said her brother could be "a lovely person", but his childhood was "very up and down". Miss Bowler said he was "all over the place" as result of his childhood".

Mr Chapman said that the cause of death was bronchopneumonia and concluded that is was a drugs related death. He said there was no real evidence of that he wanted to take his life.

Mr Chapman said: "He was only 27 and he clearly had a mixed-up life over those 27 years.

"Over the years he took a large amount of drugs, some prescription some non-prescription.

"He appears to have taken a large amount of Olanzapine, the drug prescribed to him.

"With the level of Olanzapine in his body and the other drugs he probably fell asleep. During the course of being asleep he vomited and this brought on the pneumonia from which he died."

After the inquest Miss Bowler, 23, of Barrow, said: "Karl was a lovely person, he doted on his daughter. He had lived for his daughter. He was kind, caring and loving."

But she said he had problems from his childhood and he was a lost person.