Engineer, 29, died of drinking too much water after he downed 14 PINTS 'when his drink was spiked with ecstasy' Matthew Ellis, 29, was admitted to hospital drunk on Boxing Day in 2010 He was released the next day but collapsed after drinking 7 litres of water His salt levels were so low he went into a coma and suffered brain damage Mr Ellis died in Sheffield's Northern General Hospital seven months later Killed by drinking too much water: Matthew Ellis went into a coma when his salt levels dropped dangerously low after he downed seven litres of water A man died from drinking too much water after his alcohol may have been 'spiked with ecstasy', an inquest heard. Matthew Ellis, 29, developed a sudden craving for water and drank around seven litres - the equivalent of 14 pints - within a few hours before he began to have fits and collapsed at home. The heating and ventilation engineer was rushed to hospital but the salt levels in his body had sunk so low he suffered brain damage, went into a coma and died seven months later. His mother Maureen, 63, said after the hearing: 'He wouldn't have taken ecstasy himself. It must have been slipped into his drink for him to want to have so much water. He would drink a glass of water like anybody else but at normal levels, not to that extent. Mr Ellis had been out drinking with friends on the evening of Boxing Day in 2010 and was admitted to hospital drunk and described as 'walking around going mad, pressing imaginary buttons'. When he sobered up he was discharged on December 27 and was taken home by his father Kenneth, 67, and his elder brother Andrew, 36. His brother told the Sheffield inquest: 'He was sat down on the settee. His pupils were absolutely massive and he was unsteady on his feet. He looked like he had taken something. I have seen him drunk on occasions but that is the first time I have seen him looking like that. The next day Mr Ellis started on his water binge. His brother continued: 'He was drinking it to the point where we noticed it was a bit abnormal. He was sat on the settee and started sweating, really sweating. I told him to take his coat off and he went upstairs. He got to the sink and went to have another glass of water. I told him it was dangerous to drink so much water, he just laughed it off. Tragic: Mr Ellis was rushed to the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield where he was given saline solution to try and boost his salt levels but he died seven months later His brother then had to stop Matthew falling downstairs as he collapsed and began having fits. He was taken to Sheffield's Northern General Hospital on December 28 and briefly made a recovery before he relapsed and died on August 4, 2011. Dr Mike Heap, consultant in anaesthesia, said Mr Ellis suffered an acute drop in his blood sodium levels from a normal level of 142 on Boxing Day to a critical 107 two days later. He said: 'You have to be given or take on a lot of water for that. It occurs in people who for whatever reason drink a lot of water very quickly. The drop was equivalent to about six or seven litres of water. He said it could have been associated with taking ecstasy but added: 'What made him drink excess quantities of water I don't know.' I just want people to know that drinking too much water can be dangerous. I hope Matthew's death was not in vain and that somebody else might be saved' The mother of Matthew Ellis, Maureen Doctors tried to correct his low sodium level by giving him concentrated doses of saline solution to reduce a swelling on his brain as if left untreated he would have died then. Dr Heap said a combination of the low sodium, the brain swelling and the seizures all contributed to his 'extreme' form of brain injury. He said: 'All this stems from drinking too much water.' Dr Stephen Wharton, neuropathology consultant, said Mr Ellis suffered a rare brain condition called extrapontine myelinolysis, a brain cell dysfunction which destroys the layer covering the nerve cells in the brain stem. The widespread brain damage was related to the swelling and seizures associated with his low blood sodium levels caused by drinking too much water. Pathologist Dr Kim Suvarna gave the cause of death as a chest infection contributed to by a lack of oxygen to the brain and drug and alcohol abuse. Matthew's father Kenneth, 67, of Lowedges, Sheffield, said when he and Andrew brought Matthew home he spent the rest of the day watching television on the sofa. They only noticed him drinking copious amounts of water the next day and by 7pm he had collapsed. His friend could not tell the family why Matthew had suddenly become so ill. Kenneth Ellis said: 'When he was in hospital he had lost his laughter and was no longer the comedian. It was a terrible shame to see him in that hospital bed. Assistant deputy coroner Louise Slater said: 'It is probable that the cause of death has arisen from some deliberate human act which has gone wrong.' Afterwards Mrs Ellis of Gleadless, Sheffield said: 'I just want people to know that drinking too much water can be dangerous. I hope Matthew's death was not in vain and that somebody else might be saved.' The coroner recorded a verdict of misadventure.