Citation

Keller T, Schneider A, Tutsch-Bauer E. Forensic Sci. Int. 2000; 109(2): 159-166.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/s0379-0738(99)00234-0

PMID

10704818

Abstract

An ingestion of an unknown quantity of Harmomed (dothiepin and diazepam) capsules in a suicide is described. The authors report a new and fast method of analysing and determining the dothiepin concentration in postmortem specimens. Quantitation of dothiepin, and its metabolite desmethyldothiepin was performed by ethyl acetate extraction from alkalinized body fluids before GC-MS analysis. The analyses were performed without any complex sample clean-up steps and with little sample material. Postmortem concentrations of dothiepin, desmethyldothiepin, diazepam and desmethyldiazepam in body fluids are given. The proposed method is a rapid procedure for analysis in cases of deliberate poisoning with the antidepressant drug dothiepin.

Language: en

Keywords

*Suicide; Adult; Anti-Anxiety Agents/*analysis/metabolism/*poisoning; Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic/*analysis/metabolism/*poisoning; Autopsy/*methods; Body Fluids/*chemistry; Diazepam/*analysis/metabolism/*poisoning; Dothiepin/*analysis/metabolism/*poisoning; Drug Combinations; Drug Overdose/diagnosis; Fatal Outcome; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/*methods; Humans; Male; Postmortem Changes; Sensitivity and Specificity; Tissue Distribution