About 5 cases with 3 Meo-PCP including 2 deaths and 3 non-fatal cases seen in France in 2018
F. Grossenbacher, Y. Cazaubon, Catherine Feliu, A. Ameline, P. Kintz, O. Passouant, B. Mourvillier, Z. Djerada
Annales de Toxicologie Analytique December 1, 2019 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxac.2019.10.004 (opens in new tab) via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractFive cases of 3-MeO-PCP use in France in 2018 included two fatalities and three non-fatal cases. The non-fatal cases involved a 36-year-old man with confusion, aggressiveness, logorrhea, and calmness who also tested positive for alcohol, buprenorphine, and tramadol; a man with hyperemesis syndrome; and a methadone user. The fatalities were a 39-year-old woman murdered by ligature strangulation, with 3-MeO-PCP found in femoral blood at 63 ng/mL and urine at 94 ng/mL, and a 41-year-old man found dead at home with femoral blood level 498 ng/mL and urine 16,700 ng/mL. Fatal blood levels in literature range from 50 to 3,200 ng/mL, but clear toxic concentrations are not established due to frequent co-use with other substances.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Case series Qualitative Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 5 |
| Population | People using 3-MeO-PCP in France in 2018 |
| Keywords | Medicine |
| Key finding | Two fatalities and three non-fatal cases of 3-MeO-PCP use occurred in France in 2018, with blood levels in fatal cases ranging from 63 to 498 ng/mL. |
Abstract
Summary We report five cases involving use of 3 Meo-PCP (3 methoxyphencyclidine) with 2 fatalities and 3 non-fatal cases seen in France in 2018. PCP (Phencyclidine) is an arylcyclohexanexylamine, synthesised by Maddox in 1956, and has a potent dissociative anaesthetic drug. One derivative 3 Meo-PCCP appeared on the street market in 2012 with potency slightly lower than PCP. The three non-fatal cases were a 36 Y.O. man presenting alternatively confusion, aggressiveness, logorrhoea and calmness. He was positive for alcohol, buprenorphine and tramadol. Others cases were a man admitted for hyperemesis syndrome and a methadone user during laboratory survey. CG-MS (qualitative) identified 3 Meo-PCP in urine. The two deaths were forensic cases. A 39 Y.O. woman was found murdered by ligature strangulation. UPLC-MS-MS (with quantitative) on blood samples showed cocaine, benzo-ecgonine; diazepam, nordiazepam and alcohol. 3 MeO-PCP was found on femoral blood 63 ng/mL, 94 ng/mL in urine and also in hair segments. The last case was a 41 y.o. male found dead at home without traumatic lesions, femoral blood level was 498 ng/mL and urines levels were 16, 700 ng/mL. Forensic data reported in literature have shown that fatal values for 3 Meo-PCP in blood ranged from 50 to 3,200 ng/mL and in urine from 0,4 to 120 ng/mL. There are no clear toxic and fatal concentrations established for 3-MeO-PCP, mainly because the drug is often associated to other recreative substances. In Europe during years 2017-8, 18 published related cases with 3 Meo-PCP have been shown with 10 fatalities and 8 non-fatal.