Published: Journal of Analytical Toxicology, Volume 20, Number 2, March/April 1996, pp. 131-133.
| Case Report: |
Two Cases of Fatal Zopiclone Overdose
Peter J. Boniface and Sarah G.G. Russell
Two cases of death due to the ingestion of zopiclone are presented.
Quantitative determinations of zopiclone yielded 1.4–3.9 mg/L in the blood,
0.81 and 8.7 mg/kg in the liver, and 13.5 and 133 mg in the stomach contents.
Drug concentrations were interpreted relative to the case findings, published
data, and a limited evaluation of therapeutic concentrations found in two cases
of therapeutic zopiclone use. Zopiclone was extracted from buffered blood or
digested liver or both with n-butyl chloride and analyzed by high-performance
liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. Liver samples were digested
at pH 7 to avoid zopiclone decomposition.
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