Temazepam Case
CASE 3 DETAILS - Suspicious death?
What dose of drug was he likely to have consumed?
One can’t be certain about the dose of drug that he likely consumed due to post mortem. However, we can assume it was more than 10 tablets, amounting to 100mg/L, taking to account the deceased’s blood concentration of 2mg.
When was he likely to have consumed the drug?
On the night, the deceased was found he had four tablets of temazepam located in stomach content. Given that temazepam has a half-life of 10 hours, one can assume he consumed the drug few days or hours before the timing of his death. However, we cannot be certain of the exact date and time due post mortem changes, as concentrations are different to those at the time of death.
If he did not …show more content…
Temazepam can be highly additive, therefore it is only used as short term treatment for insomnia and skeletal muscle relaxant. When taken normally, the user will feel sleepy, his alertness and concentration decrease [14].
What are the effects when taken in excessive amounts?
When taking excessive amounts of temazepam, the effects include extreme drowsiness, slurred speech, confusion, tremors, muscle weakness, a slow heartbeat, seizure, shallow breathing, (black-out or convulsions), feeling light headed, fainting, unconsciousness, coma and eventually lead to death [15].
What is the possible significance of the temazepam in the deceased? Could this drug have killed the man?
Yes, the drug could have killed the man if a large amount of dose was taken. Benzodiazepines undergo biotransformation post mortem. These may be metabolically mediated or caused by the spontaneous degrading process. Often chemical instability occurs. This biotransformation only yields the drugs, amino metabolites due to the action of anaerobic bacteria ‘obligate anaerobes’ [16}. Benzodiazepines undergo very little post mortem redistribution because they are not present in major organs relative to blood
What dose of drug was he likely to have consumed?
One can’t be certain about the dose of drug that he likely consumed due to post mortem. However, we can assume it was more than 10 tablets, amounting to 100mg/L, taking to account the deceased’s blood concentration of 2mg.
When was he likely to have consumed the drug?
On the night, the deceased was found he had four tablets of temazepam located in stomach content. Given that temazepam has a half-life of 10 hours, one can assume he consumed the drug few days or hours before the timing of his death. However, we cannot be certain of the exact date and time due post mortem changes, as concentrations are different to those at the time of death.
If he did not …show more content…
Temazepam can be highly additive, therefore it is only used as short term treatment for insomnia and skeletal muscle relaxant. When taken normally, the user will feel sleepy, his alertness and concentration decrease [14].
What are the effects when taken in excessive amounts?
When taking excessive amounts of temazepam, the effects include extreme drowsiness, slurred speech, confusion, tremors, muscle weakness, a slow heartbeat, seizure, shallow breathing, (black-out or convulsions), feeling light headed, fainting, unconsciousness, coma and eventually lead to death [15].
What is the possible significance of the temazepam in the deceased? Could this drug have killed the man?
Yes, the drug could have killed the man if a large amount of dose was taken. Benzodiazepines undergo biotransformation post mortem. These may be metabolically mediated or caused by the spontaneous degrading process. Often chemical instability occurs. This biotransformation only yields the drugs, amino metabolites due to the action of anaerobic bacteria ‘obligate anaerobes’ [16}. Benzodiazepines undergo very little post mortem redistribution because they are not present in major organs relative to blood