title: Fatal oral methylphenidate intoxication with postmortem concentrations.
abstract: Methylphenidate (MPD) is a widely prescribed stimulant used primarily for the treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Suicide attempts involving MPD ingestion have been well described; however, deaths attributed solely to MPD ingestion have not been reported. A 62-year-old woman was found dead on her floor. The only discrepancy in among her medication quantities was that >three hundred 10 mg MPD tablets were missing. Analysis utilizing gas chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed elevated postmortem MPD peripheral and central blood, liver and vitreous humor concentrations. Considering both the central blood to peripheral blood ratio (0.89) and the liver to peripheral blood ratio (3.3), MPD does not appear subject to significant postmortem redistribution. With no other identifiable cause of death, we report what appears to be the first isolated MPD ingestion associated with a fatality.
authors: California Poison Control System, San Diego Division, 200 West Arbor Drive, San Diego, 92103-8925, CA; Department of Clinical Pharmacy, University of California San Francisco, 521 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, 94117, CA.
authors: Frank Lee
authors: FL
authors: Cantrell
authors: Patricia
authors: P
authors: Ogera
authors: Phyllis
authors: P
authors: Mallett
authors: Iain M
authors: IM
authors: McIntyre
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000506:poisoning*; D005260:Female; D053593:Forensic Toxicology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry; D008774:Methylphenidate / Q000032:analysis* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000506:poisoning*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D008774:Methylphenidate
keywords: forensic science; forensic toxicology; ingestion; methylphenidate; oral