Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Citalopram distribution in postmortem cases.

B Levine1, X Zhang, J E Smialek

  • 1Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, State of Maryland, Baltimore, USA.

Journal of Analytical Toxicology
|October 16, 2001
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Multi-site feasibility of a web-based and telephone navigation intervention to connect lung cancer caregivers in community oncology settings with resources: Protocol for the WF-2301CD Caregiver Oncology Needs Evaluation Tool (CONNECT) trial.

Contemporary clinical trials·2026
Same author

Sleep selectively and durably enhances memory for the sequence of real-world experiences.

Nature human behaviour·2025
Same author

Advancing youth tobacco surveillance with novel methods.

Health education research·2024
Same author

No evidence of risk-taking or impulsive behaviour in a person with episodic amnesia: Implications for the role of the hippocampus in future-regarding decision-making.

Quarterly journal of experimental psychology (2006)·2015
Same author

Stability of Drugs of Abuse in Biological Specimens.

Forensic science review·2015
Same author

Improved upper limits on the stochastic gravitational-wave background from 2009-2010 LIGO and Virgo data.

Physical review letters·2014
Same journal

Is drug facilitated sexual assault changing? About a case involving 4-bromomethcathinone.

Journal of analytical toxicology·2026
Same journal

Differentiation of 2-, 3-, and 4-Fluorofuranylfentanyl Using HPLC-MS and Human Liver Microsomes.

Journal of analytical toxicology·2026
Same journal

Trends and Circumstances of Pediatric Fentanyl Deaths in North Carolina: A 10-year Retrospective Study.

Journal of analytical toxicology·2026
Same journal

Drug Detection in Traffic-Related Fatalities in Connecticut (2020-2024).

Journal of analytical toxicology·2026
Same journal

Characterization of Postmortem GHB and a Novel Model to Discern Exogenous Use.

Journal of analytical toxicology·2026
Same journal

Development and validation of a quantitative analytical method for urine samples in drug-facilitated sexual assault cases.

Journal of analytical toxicology·2026
See all related articles

This study analyzed citalopram in 13 cases. Urine citalopram levels frequently exceeded blood levels, suggesting urine is suitable for detecting antidepressant use.

Area of Science:

  • Forensic Toxicology
  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Citalopram is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) used as an antidepressant.
  • Medical examiner cases provide valuable data for drug analysis and interpretation.

Observation:

  • Analytical findings from 13 medicolegal death investigations involving citalopram.
  • Comparison of citalopram concentrations in blood and urine specimens.
  • Examination of liver-to-blood and parent-to-metabolite concentration ratios.

Findings:

  • Urine citalopram concentrations exceeded blood concentrations in 8 of 9 cases, supporting urine as a viable screening specimen.
  • Average liver to blood citalopram concentration ratio was 6.5.
  • In 11 cases, blood citalopram concentrations were below 1.3 mg/L, with citalopram deemed incidental to the cause of death.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Average parent drug (citalopram) to metabolite (desmethylcitalopram) ratio was 6.4.

    • Implications:

    • Urine drug screening for citalopram is supported by these findings.
    • Understanding drug distribution in postmortem samples aids toxicological interpretation.
    • This data contributes to the forensic interpretation of citalopram in death investigations.