A 38-YEAR-old man who suffered from a debilitating disease took an overdose, an inquest heard.

But Herefordshire coroner, Mark Bricknell, ruled that John Cooper did not mean to take his own life and recorded an accidental death.

The inquest at Herefordshire Coroner's Court heard Mr Cooper of Bullingham Lane, Hereford was diagnosed with Takayasu Arteritis, a type of vasculitis, in 2010.

This led to him losing almost all of his sight.

His mum, Margaret Nelson, said in a statement that this was devastating for him and he had to have carers.

She said vasculitis was becoming debilitating and he had to take a lot of medication.

Mrs Nelson said her son had taken a number of overdoses in the past but had always been found in time.

She spoke to him around 10pm on January 25, and the following day at around 8.30am his carers found him on the floor after he had taken an overdose.

He was taken to Hereford County Hospital and on January 29, he asked for his ventilator to be taken out. He told a doctor he did not wish to be resuscitated and a 'do not resuscitate' form was filled out.

Mr Cooper, who was a dad of two, deteriorated quickly and died a couple of hours later.

A cause of death was recorded as fatal opiate poisoning combined with amitriptyline.

Mrs Nelson said she had no doubt Mr Cooper did not intend to take his own life.

She said if he had meant to kill himself he would have taken more than he had, as there was a lot more medication in his flat, and he would have combined it with alcohol.

She said he knew it was enough to make him unconscious but not to kill himself.

Coroner Mark Bricknell said he was inclined to believe this was another overdose where Mr Cooper did not necessarily mean to end his life and recorded an accidental death.