A 39-year-old woman who had a history of eating disorders, depression and alcohol abuse died after accidentally taking an overdose of prescribed drugs, an inquest heard.

Paula Nelmes, of Ray Road, Bicester, died on February 9 after she decided to spend time at her mother's home in Dove Green, Bicester, to come off alcohol.

Dr Sanjiv Manek, a consultant pathologist at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, said the level of a prescription drug found in Miss Nelmes's blood was 15 times more than the therapeutic dosage.

Margot Nelmes, the deceased's mother, said her daughter would normally go to bed to sleep off alcohol, but on this occasion she started to hallucinate. The court heard that a duty doctor was called at 3am and prescribed Miss Nelmes some tablets to help her sleep.

The following morning, Mrs Nelmes said her daughter seemed fine but began hallucinating again, saying she could see snow in the garden. She then had a fit and remained unconscious, despite a doctor's attempts to resuscitate her. She was pronounced dead at the JR.

Dr Nicholas Thompson, of the Montgomery House Surgery, in Piggy Lane, Bicester, who had been Miss Nelmes's GP since 1979, said she was prescribed different types of medication to treat anxiety and physical pain.

The court heard that Miss Nelmes suffered from painful lower limbs -- a symptom of persistent excessive alcohol consumption. She had also sustained a fracture in a fall and been prescribed medication to relieve the pain.

Dr Thompson told the court that Miss Nelmes' prescriptions were reviewed regularly and that practice records showed the amount of medication she was taking was less than might be expected.

Asked whether Miss Nelmes had ever mentioned taking her own life, Dr Thompson said it was not something she had ever talked about.

Deputy coroner Dorothy Flood recorded a verdict that the death was caused by an accidental overdose.