Fatality Due To Combined Use of the Designer Drugs MDMA and PMA: A Distribution Study

Abstract

We present a fatal case involving the combined ingestion of amphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethylamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine, and paramelhoxyamphelamine. Various postmortem specimens (e.g., several blood samples, urine, and tissue samples) were analyzed to study the distribution of the compounds and their metabolites in the human body. Quantitation took place using liquid chromatography-sonic spray ionization-mass spectrometry after pretreatment with a liquid-liquid extraction. The medico-legal findings were compatible with a disseminated intravascular coagulation induced by hyperthermia caused by the simultaneous intake of the amphetamine analogues.