An autopsy case of combined drug intoxication involving verapamil, metoprolol and digoxin.
We present here a fatal poisoning case involving verapamil, metoprolol and digoxin. A 39-year-old male was found dead in his room, and a lot of empty packets of prescribed drugs were found near the corpse. The blood concentrations of verapamil, metoprolol and digoxin were 9.2 microg/ml, 3.6 microg/ml and 3.2 ng/ml, respectively. The cause of death was given as cardiac failure, hypotension and bradycardia due to a mixed drug overdose of verapamil, metoprolol and digoxin, based on the results of the autopsy and toxicological examination. We speculate that the toxicity of verapamil is potentiated by drug interaction with metoprolol and digoxin.
Kinoshita
Hiroshi
H
Department of Legal Medicine, Hyogo College of Medicine, 1-1 Mukogawa-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo 663-8501, Japan. kinochin@hyo-med.ac.jp
Taniguchi
Tadaaki
T
Nishiguchi
Minori
M
Ouchi
Harumi
H
Minami
Takako
T
Utsumi
Takao
T
Motomura
Hiroyuki
H
Tsuda
Toyohiko
T
Ohta
Takehiko
T
Aoki
Shigeru
S
Komeda
Motoo
M
Kamamoto
Tetsuji
T
Kubota
Akira
A
Fuke
Chiaki
C
Arao
Tomonori
T
Miyazaki
Tetsuji
T
Hishida
Shigeru
S
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000506:poisoning*; D000328:Adult; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000506:poisoning*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000506:poisoning*; D004077:Digoxin / Q000506:poisoning*; D004347:Drug Interactions; D062787:Drug Overdose; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008790:Metoprolol / Q000506:poisoning*; D013405:Suicide; D014700:Verapamil / Q000506:poisoning*
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D004077:Digoxin; D014700:Verapamil; D008790:Metoprolol