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Postmortem concentrations of citalopram.

Nicole Anastos¹, Iain M McIntyre, Matthew J Lynch

¹Department of Forensic Medicine, Monash University, Southbank, Victoria, Australia.

Journal of Forensic Sciences

|July 26, 2002

Summary

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This study determined postmortem citalopram ranges in various tissues. Therapeutic levels were established, with higher concentrations noted in a potential fatal case.

Area of Science:

Forensic Toxicology
Analytical Chemistry

Background:

Establishing reference ranges for postmortem drug concentrations is crucial for interpreting toxicity.
Citalopram is a commonly prescribed antidepressant with limited established postmortem toxicological data.

Observation:

Postmortem concentrations of citalopram were analyzed in blood, bile, liver, and vitreous humor from 14 cases.
A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay was specifically developed for this analysis.
Cases were categorized into drug-related and non-drug-related deaths to define therapeutic and toxic ranges.

Findings:

Therapeutic postmortem citalopram concentrations were determined as: blood (up to 0.4 mg/L), bile (up to 2.1 mg/L), liver (up to 6.6 mg/kg), and vitreous humor (up to 0.2 mg/L).
In a case with a potentially fatal response, concentrations reached 0.8 mg/L in blood, 6.0 mg/L in bile, and 0.3 mg/L in vitreous humor.

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Implications:

These findings provide essential reference ranges for forensic toxicologists interpreting citalopram levels in postmortem investigations.
The data aids in differentiating therapeutic use from potential toxicity or overdose in fatalities.
The developed HPLC method offers a reliable tool for quantifying citalopram in postmortem biological samples.