A “BELOVED” 20-year-old died after taking a combination of three prescription drugs that had not been prescribed to him, an inquest has heard.

Michael David John Barry died on June 28, 2023 at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton.

An inquest into his death concluded on October 2 at Somerset Coroner’s Service in the county town.

In evidence given to the coroner, Michael’s grandmother said: “Mikey was my beloved grandson. Losing him has broken my heart.”

The inquest heard he had been staying in his dad’s mobile home in her garden, with his dad choosing to spend the summer night in a tent in the garden so Michael and his girlfriend could have the mobile home to themselves.

His grandmother remembered him coming into the kitchen for a pizza that evening, and laughing with him as he did push ups on the kitchen floor.

She said: “He was always keen on being fit.”

But the next day he was found unresponsive by his girlfriend and family, who performed first aid until paramedics arrived. He was taken by ambulance to Musgrove, where he sadly died.

The inquest heard that Michael had taken three drugs, all available for prescription, but none of which had been prescribed to him.

Although the amount of each one alone would not have been expected to cause death on its own, coroner Samantha Marsh said: “These have in combination caused his death.”

She found that Michael had chosen to take the drugs himself but there was no evidence he had intended to end his life.

In her evidence, his mother said Michael was “a kind funny person but he always felt like he had to be on something to get through the day”.

She said: “I told him I would take him to a concert in November, not knowing it would be my last words to him.”

In 2021 he saw his GP, who was based in the Bridgwater area, for anxiety and was using privately procured sedatives.

Later that year, he interacted with the Somerset Drug and Alcohol Service over his use of a drug used to treat anxiety, but said he was no longer using substances and did not require additional support.

Mrs Marsh said: “For reasons unknown Micheal was not motivated to engage with Somerset Drugs and Alcohol Services with a view to changing his behaviour with any drugs or alcohol.”

Wishing the members of his family her condolences, she found it a “drug related death”.