Citation

Yonemitsu K, Koreeda A, Kohmatsu H, Ohtsu Y, Mimasaka S, Tsunenari S. Chudoku Kenkyu 2007; 20(2): 137-140.

Affiliation

Department of Forensic Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Yakugyo Jihosha)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

17533965

Abstract

Two suicidal cases associated with ingestion of diphenhydramine (DPH) were reported. Case 1 is a typical DPH overdose case of a young man with the blood DPH concentration of 12.2 microg/ mL. Case 2 is a double suicide of a man and a woman. They ingested DPH and fell asleep in a vehicle which had a cooking clay charcoal stove. Their blood DPH concentrations were 0.4 and 0.7 microg/mL, which were high enough to make them sleep. Their cause of death, however, was carbon monoxide poisoning with blood CO-Hb concentration of 14 and 19%. DPH is a low toxic agent and is available as an OTC drug in Japan. Similar fatal cases can be expected to happen in Japan.

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