A FATALITY INVOLVING CLOTHIAPINE AND CLOMIPRAMINE

A fatality resulting from the suicidal ingestion of clothiapine, clomi pramine and biperiden is reported. Clomipramine, its metabolite N-desm ethylclomipramine and clothiapine were quantified in blood, liver, kid ney and gastric contents by HPLC and GC. Biperiden was detected only i n the gastric content. Significant differences of drug levels were fou nd in postmortem blood obtained from brain and from heart. Concentrati ons of clomipramine and N-desmethylclomipramine ranged from 0.48 to 1. 61 mg/L and 0.26 to 1.32 mg/L, respectively, and clothiapine from 0.50 to 2.15 mg/L. This phenomenon may reflect a postmortem drug redistrib ution