A possible suicide by diltiazem overdose.
This report describes a possible suicide by overdosage with diltiazem. The decreased, a 39-year-old male who had been under treatment for an unidentified heart condition, was discovered on the bathroom floor in his residence. Comprehensive drug screens performed on available postmortem specimens revealed the presence of 6.9 mg/L diltiazem, 0.182 g/100 mL ethanol, and a trace of propranolol in blood, and 4.7 mg/L diltiazem and 0.251 g/100 mL ethanol in urine.
Kalin
J R
JR
Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, Birmingham 35205.
Wood
K M
KM
Lee
A J
AJ
D000328:Adult; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D004110:Diltiazem / Q000506:poisoning* / Q000652:urine; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013405:Suicide
D000431:Ethanol; D004110:Diltiazem