1-α-Acatylmethedol (LAAM) is a relatively new drug designed for therapeutic use in the treatment of heroin dependence. Currently, it is undergoing Phase III clinical trials in the United States and is, therefore, available for human use only on a limited, controlled basis. Recently, a new quantitative gas chromatography-chemical ionization mass spectrometry method for the determination of LAAM and its principal metabolites in blood, urine, and tissues has been developed and reported (1). This procedure has been applied to some cases of clinical intoxication and also to determination of the biodisposition of LAAM and its metabolites in postmortem specimens following deaths that occurred from causes not directly related to the drug. However, most of the patients were on LAAM therapy for heroin dependence. Data from ten postmortem and four clinical, nonfatal cases are the subject of this report. The case histories and analytical toxicology are presented and discussed within the context of the known pharmacologic-toxicologic properties of LAAM and the other drugs involved.
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Chinn et al. (1979) studied this question.
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