Dextropropoxyphene and Norpropoxyphene in Blood, Muscle, Liver and Urine in Fatal Poisoning

Abstract

Post-mortem concentrations of dextropropoxyphene (DP) and its major metabolite norpropoxyphene (NP) were determined by combined GLC and TLC in autopsy material from 53 cases of fatal DP poisoning collected over a 1 yr period. Among 11 oral cases without simultaneous ethanol ingestion, the minimal lethal dose was less than 1.5 g DP chloride. The ranges of total drug concentrations (DP + NP) were 1.1-15 .mu.g/g in blood, 1.3-23 .mu.g/g in muscle and 27-261 .mu.g/g in liver. Among 21 oral cases where ethanol was detected in the blood, the minimal lethal dose was 0.7 g DP chloride (ethanol 2.41 mg/g) and the total drug concentrations was 0.7-12 .mu.g/g in the blood, 1.3-8.4 .mu.g/g in the muscle and 19-285 .mu.g/g in the liver. The minimal lethal blood concentrations tended to decrease with increasing ethanol concentration. NP constituted roughly half of the total drug levels, somewhat less in muscle and more in the urine, and this pattern was not changed in connection with ethanol ingestion. Other metabolites were not detected.