An autopsy case of a young man with a single overdose of dextromethorphan.
Kyoko Hasuwa, Noboru Inoue, Shuhei Tamura, Ikuko Terazawa, Katsuya Yuui, Risa Kudo, Shogo Kasuda
Legal medicine (Tokyo, Japan) September 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102470 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A man in his early twenties |
| Keywords | Dextromethorphan Over-the-counter drug Toxicological analysis |
| Key findings | This is the first reported death in Japan caused by a single overdose of dextromethorphan without multidrug ingestion. |
Abstract
Dextromethorphan (DXM) is an over-the-counter antitussive that is commonly used worldwide. Recently, DXM has become popular among young individuals because of its euphoric, hallucinogenic, and dissociative properties. Despite an increasing number of patients with DXM addiction, fatal cases of DXM poisoning are rare, and patients with fatalities often ingest DXM along with other drugs. Here, we report an autopsy case in which DXM was detected without multidrug ingestion. A man in his early twenties was found dead at home; no external injuries or obvious internal lesions were found during the autopsy. The toxicological analyses revealed extremely high concentrations of DXM, and no drugs other than DXM were detected. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report to describe a death caused by a single overdose of DXM in Japan. Public awareness regarding the risks associated with a massive ingestion of DXM should be increased.