title: Postmortem memantine concentrations.
abstract: Postmortem fluid and tissue concentrations of memantine (Namenda), a drug recently approved for the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease by the FDA, are reported in a suspicious death. In addition, memantine concentrations considered to be incidental findings in three other cases are included to aid in the interpretation in future toxicological investigations. Memantine was extracted from biological samples by a standard liquid-liquid basic drug method followed by analysis utilizing a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer operated in SIM mode. Blood concentrations ranged from 0.03 to 1.8 mg/L, and the liver concentration was 6.1 mg/kg.
authors.affiliation: Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Nichole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bynum
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Poklis
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Garside
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Winecker
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002423:Cause of Death; D062787:Drug Overdose; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood / Q000506:poisoning* / Q000652:urine; D053593:Forensic Toxicology; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D008559:Memantine / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood / Q000506:poisoning* / Q000652:urine; D008875:Middle Aged; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D008559:Memantine