AN Aberystwyth University student died after trying to treat a severe toothache with his grandfather’s painkillers.

Anthony Griffiths, 21, was a second year microbiology student at Aberystwyth, where he was thriving and doing well in his studies.

But an inquest heard he deferred a year because of the pandemic because there was no laboratory work and remote learning was not the same experience.

He returned his parents’ home in Illogan Highway, near Redruth, where he had two jobs, which he enjoyed.

He also socialised by gaming with friends around the country.

His parents said he would drink some alcohol when gaming but they could hear him talking, shouting and laughing during the online sessions.

Anthony was sleeping in a cabin annex in the garden, where his late grandfather had lived, and on the day of his death last August he played games until the early hours.

CCTV from the family home showed him going into the house at 2.45am to get some food - but by 10.30am that morning he was found dead in bed.

The inquest heard that he had drunk some vodka and taken medication that had been prescribed for his grandfather ‘to ease the toothache’.

Anthony had sent a Facebook message to a friend at 6am that morning saying that his ‘throat was sore and swollen’ and that he had drunk some vodka and felt sick.

The Truro inquest heard he had taken the drink and pills to ‘dull the pain’ but ended up killing himself.

The senior Cornwall coroner Andrew Cox said Anthony was not distressed or anxious but in good spirits at the time.

“I can only presume he did not know how strong that medication was particularly in combination with alcohol.”

He said he may have taken more and more medication because he was impatient and the pills did not provide immediate relief from his ailments.

The post mortem examination revealed he died from a mixed drug overdose.

Toxicological results showed that he was 2.5 times the drink drive limit but he had a massive level of codeine in his system - six times at the lower end of the lethal range.

His parents said Anthony was a kind, caring person who had become a confident successful young man and were devastated by his death.

The coroner recorded an accidental death conclusion saying Anthony took the deliberate act of taking the medication but with an unintended outcome.