A CORONER has warned of the dangers of overdosing on the painkiller paracetamol after a Worcestershire woman died.

The county's coroner Victor Round told the court on Wednesday how Stourport-on-Severn woman Julie Amer had died from multi-organ failure causing liver damage due to an accidental overdose of the drug.

Miss Amer, aged 38, of Old Ford Walk, had spent three days last May in the Intensive Care Unit at Worcestershire Royal Hospital on a life support machine after her fiancé had found her collapsed at home and called for help.

Mr Round did stress the drug was one of the safest available as long as the right dose was taken, but an overdose or prolonged slight overdosing would result in liver damage, which could not be reversed.

Her fiancé, Matthew Pratt told the inquest they were just three weeks away from getting married and although she was happy and had not shown any signs of wanting to commit suicide, had been on anti-depressant tablets and was also a hyperchondriac.

No suicide note had been found and a blood test revealed she had a paracetamol content of 203mg/ml.

Mr Round added: "I really think she did it by accident. But the drug is safe as long as you stick to the right amount. I suspect it is not just the one time she had taken slightly too many paracetamol but this was for a long period of time."

A verdict of misadventure was recorded.