A BARROW bride-to-be suffering with pneumonia died from a drug overdose after she was ‘distressed’ her GP was reducing her medication, an inquest heard. 

54-year-old Karen Henderson was discovered by her partner Andrew Brown on February 1 at her address on Anson Street. 

Coroner Robert Cohen concluded that she died from pneumonia and multi-drug toxicity from tramadol and pregabalin. She was also suffering from emphysema, which Mr Cohen acknowledged as a contributing factor to her death.

Ms Henderson first became known to mental-health specialists from Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust after an incident in 2020. She had called Cumbria Police after a domestic altercation.

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The court heard in a statement provided by the trust: "Karen had reported that she was suffering mental health problems and expressed that she didn't want to be here anymore."

When the police visited, the altercation between Ms Henderson and her partner was resolved and they left. 

Afterwards she was given anti-psychotic medication to resolve her hallucinations. 

The court heard that during a visit from the home-based treatment team on January 26 she ‘reported that her GP was reducing her medication and she was unable to cope and she would hurt someone.’

The trust said in their statement: "It was reported that Karen was slurring her words, she was distressed due to her GP reducing her diazepam prescription.

"She was advised about the dangers of long-term diazepam usage. Karen said she was considering buying diazepam on the street."

Ms Henderson told the team that she had been dismissed from her surgery after an altercation related to her medication being reduced. 

The coroner said that Liverpool House Surgery had submitted a letter confirming that Ms Henderson was registered as a patient there. He summarised the letter as being consistent with the information already provided. 

Ms Henderson was unemployed at the time of her death, but she had previously worked at the Round House in Barrow and she had children during her twenties. 

Mr Brown said: "We made each other happy, we went out socialising with friends. Karen and I got engaged in 2019 and planned to get married in the future."

The coroner gave his condolences to Mr Brown.