J. Gutierrezcebollada et al., PSYCHOTROPIC-DRUG CONSUMPTION AND OTHER FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH HEROIN OVERDOSE, Drug and alcohol dependence, 35(2), 1994, pp. 169-174
In clinical or forensic practice there are few studies assessing which
risk factors are associated with heroin overdoses. A series of 76 con
secutive non-fatal heroin overdoses were compared to 22 consecutive su
bjects who self-injected heroin within 1 h before admission to the eme
rgency room. Whereas blood levels of alcohol and IgE and urinary cocai
ne metabolite levels were similar in both groups, higher benzodiazepin
e plasma levels were detected in the heroin overdose group. The assess
ment of methadone, dextropropoxyphene, amphetamines and cannabis in ur
ine analysis did not show differences between both groups. The intervi
ew revealed that only 48% of subjects in the heroin overdose group sel
f-administered the last dose of heroin before admission in the usual s
etting as compared to 100% of subjects in the non-overdose group. The
application of a log-linear regression model identified self-injection
of heroin in an unusual place and plasma concentrations of total morp
hine and benzodiazepines as risk factors for heroin overdose.