Amlodipine overdose - A case report

Abstract

An autopsy surgeon encounters different types of toxicological deaths in practice which include suicidal consumption of poisons,  accidental consumption of poisons and homicidal administration of poisons. Kenneth Barlow insulin murder case is a classic case of  homicidal poisoning reported in history. A recent incident in 1990 involving death of 84 Nigerian children after being given "My  Pikin", teething syrup contaminated with diethylene glycol is one of the fatal episodes of accidental toxicological deaths. Suicide by  poisoning forms a part of our routine practice in India. However, suicide by therapeutic drug abuse is a rather uncommon  phenomenon.. The commonly encountered therapeutic drug abuse cases involve NSAIDs, purgatives, steroids, etc. We report a case of  amlodipine toxicity causing death with due emphasis towards autopsy findings, toxicokinetics, drug interactions, analytical  toxicology considerations and differential diagnosis of capillary leak syndrome.