Determination of chronic methamphetamine abuse by hair analysis.
A 30-year-old male truck driver, known to be asthmatic, was found dead at the roadside lying near his car. A nebulizer bottle of Berotec (fenoterol hydrobromide) was found near his hand. The anatomic cause of death was suspected to be asthma. Toxicological screening of urine using Triage demonstrated the presence of methamphetamine. The blood concentration of methamphetamine was 0.4 microg/ml, and fenoterol was not detected. Hair analysis clearly indicated chronic methamphetamine abuse and medium dependency during the 2 months before death. We conclude that death might have been induced by the interaction of fenoterol and methamphetamine.
Saito
T
T
Department of Forensic Medicine, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, 259-1193, Kanagawa, Japan. saito@is.icc.u-tokai.ac.jp
Yamamoto
I
I
Kusakabe
T
T
Huang
X
X
Yukawa
N
N
Takeichi
S
S
D000328:Adult; D000661:Amphetamine / Q000032:analysis; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy; D001993:Bronchodilator Agents / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004347:Drug Interactions; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005280:Fenoterol / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000379:methods*; D014018:Tissue Distribution
D001993:Bronchodilator Agents; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D005280:Fenoterol; D008694:Methamphetamine; D000661:Amphetamine