Post-mortem concentrations of
dextropropoxyphene (DP) and its major metabolite
norpropoxyphene (NP) were determined by combined gas-liquid chromatography and thin-layer chromatography in autopsy material from 53 cases of fatal DP
poisoning collected over a 1-year 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 mug/g in blood, 1.3-23 mug/g in muscle, and 27-261 mug/g in liver. Among 21 oral cases were
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 mug/g in the blood, 1.3-8.4 mug/g in the muscle and 19-285 mug/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 connexion with
ethanol ingestion. Other metabolites were not detected.