title: An announced suicide with ecstasy.
abstract: Most cases of ecstasy overdose turn out to be accidental, whereas suicide attempts with designer drugs occur only sporadically. We report an announced suicide by means of a combination of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and 3,4-methylenedioxyethylamphetamine (MDEA). During autopsy, sampling for toxicological investigation (peripheral blood, urine, cerebrospinal fluid, bile and gastric contents) occurred. Serum concentrations as high as 13.33 mg/l for MDMA, 7.32 mg/l for MDEA and 0.43 mg/l for 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine were found. Ecstasy tablets, which were confiscated by the police a few days earlier, showed also a combination of MDMA and MDEA. This fact suggests that the ingested tablets probably came from the same source as the seized pills.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Legal Medicine, Innsbruck Medical University, Muellerstrasse 44, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria. kathrin.libiseller@uibk.ac.at
authors.forename: Kathrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Libiseller
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pavlic
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Grubwieser
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rabl
mesh_terms: D015104:3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000506:poisoning; D000328:Adult; D001317:Austria; D001344:Autopsy / Q000379:methods*; D004338:Drug Combinations; D062787:Drug Overdose / Q000473:pathology; D053593:Forensic Toxicology / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine / Q000506:poisoning*; D013405:Suicide
chemical_list: D004338:Drug Combinations; D015104:3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine; C051800:3,4-methylenedioxyethamphetamine