Fatal self-poisoning with amitriptyline: a case report and brief review of literature

Introduction Amitriptyline is a classic tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) with anticholinergic and sedative properties, whose precise lethal blood concentration has not been yet established.Case report The case presented here is of a 27-year-old woman who received a fatal amitriptyline intoxication without evidence of injury, mechanical asphyxia or lethal anatomical changes. The amitriptyline level in postmortem heart blood was 8.8 μg/ml. The toxicological analysis for other drugs and common toxicants was negative. The cause of death was determined as amitriptyline self-poisoning.Discussion and Conclusion Our report provides a reference for the lethal concentration of amitriptyline. We also discuss the issues of poison analysis at postmortem.