Woman built up lethal amount of codeine

A DUBLIN woman who was taking large amounts of over-the-counter prescription drugs built up a lethal level of codeine in her blood in the hours and days before she died, an inquest heard yesterday.

Carmel Monaghan, 48, of 198 Coultry Road, Ballymun, was pronounced dead at the Mater Hospital on July 5, 2006, following a weekend in bed during which she woke up just to take tablets, Dublin City Coroner’s Court heard.

A subsequent toxicology screening revealed that Ms Monaghan had a fatal level of codeine in her blood at 2.6mg per 1ml and she died from respiratory failure due to codeine toxicity.