Abstract

Carisoprodol (CSP) is commonly prescribed as a skeletal muscle relaxant. Recently, we encountered 7 suicidal cases in which carisoprodol was detected. We developed a rugged, sensitive, and specific method for the determination of CSP and meprobamate (MPB) by GC and GC/MS. Postmortem blood concentrations of CSP and MPB ranged 22.9-124.4 ,$mu$g/ml and its metabolite, 26.8-144.5 ,$mu$g/ml respectively. Among 7 cases studied, Only CSP was ingested in 4 cases and combination of CSP and dextromethorphan was ingested in 2 cases according to the case history and one case was with ethanol. The order of the tissue concentration of CSP and MPB was liver> kidney > brain, and the concentration of MPB was higher than that of CSP in all tissues. The MPB /CSP concentration ratios of urine, bile juice, liver, kidney, brain and blood were 15.7, 4.0, 1.2, 1.4, 1.4 and 1.0 respectively. There was a big difference in concentration of CSP and MPB in 7 cases due to differences in the amount of dose administered and time to death after dosing.

• Keywords: Carisoprodol;Meprobamate;;