Autopsy tox screen reads Methamphetamine 19,000 ng/mL Iliac Blood

Cause of death, acute methamphetamine intoxication.

Subject was an otherwise healthy 36 yoa w/f, 5'-05", 158 lbs.

Any idea how much was ingested?

Wow... Just looked at OVI statute for OH.

Presumtive level for meth is 100 ng/ml in whole blood... ORC 4511.19A1J9

Guessing that to hit 19000 ng/ml was epic injestion.

I am not a doctor or pharmacologist, but I am in narc., and dealt with an in custody death due to cocaine OD many years ago––-pure guess on my part, as there are a lot of variables, especially since I don't know if we are talking inhalation/injection/oral ingestion here, but if ingestion, given that I have no clue what was in the deceased's stomach to affect absorption rates, I'd guess (seriously, this is merely a guess here,) that the person ate around 2-3 grams of retail level product.


ETA:  Just to note, we don't deal with much meth around here, as a proportion of total drug use, but what we do deal with is pretty pure.

ETA 2:  Wow.  Just really saw the deceased's stats......we're talking someone with no more than 5 liters of blood of board, period, and nearly a 10th of a gram of pure meth in her system......wow.

ETA 3:  Slight math fail on my part––-nearly a 100th of a gram in her system, not a 10th.  Still amazing, but not totally out of my mind like I thought I was.  I was thinking she had to have eaten darn near a quarter key for a minute there.

There are serious addicts that wouldn't shoot up a gram.. That was a kill shot..

Personally, I'm guessing this might have been a "mule" situation that went wrong...

Reading from the toxicology report back pages in the boiler-plate section under "Reference Comments", it says:

Methamphetamine - Iliac Blood

" A peak blood concentration of methamphetamine of 20 ng/mL was reported at 2.5 hr after an oral dosage of 12.5 mg. Blood levels of 200-600 ng/mL have been reported in methamphetamine abusers who exhibited violent and irrational behavior..."



My math, (and I am by NO means qualified to put-on a bandaide, much less render a medical opinion...) says that if "A peak blood concentration of 20 ng/mL was reported at 2.5 hr after an oral dosage of 12.5 mg", then 19,000 ng/mL / 20 ng/mL = 950 times the example dosage.

Thus 950 * the example dosage of 12.5 mg = 11,875 mg methamphetamine

11,875 mg = 11.875 grams

11.875 grams = 0.418878 oz

Supposing that the clinical calculations were based upon pharmaceutical grade methamphetamine (>95% pure) then I calculate that 0.418878 oz pure could come closer to 0.50 oz (half an ounce, even) street grade.


Any mathematicians in the house? Do those numbers seem sound?

Of course, this would all be subject to verification by a pharmacologist or other certified professional.