Case Report of Sudden & Unexpected Death After Tricyclic Overdose letter

Drs. Babb & Dunlop report the sudden & unexpected death of a 34-year-old female 7 days after her apparent recovery from an overdose of amitriptyline. Venous samples taken during the resuscitation effort showed a potassium level of 2.6 meq/liter; postmortem plasma amitriptyline & nortriptyline levels were 200 ng/ml each. The authors suggest caution in the maintenance of serum potassium in patients who take overdoses of tricyclics. 5 ref. (NBB)