Three fatal drug overdoses involving bupropion

Bupropion is a "second generation " antidepressant agent structurally related to the phenethylamines. Postmortem toxicology data are presented from three suicidal drug overdoses in which bupropion was detected. In two cases in which bupropion was the major toxicology finding, peripheral blood levels of the parent drug were 4.0 and 4.2 mg/L and total metabollte levels were 15 and 16.6 mg/L. Lethal doses in both cases were estimated by history to be less than 10 g. cide by drug overdose on the evening before his body was dis-covered by family members. Cases 2 and 3 each left suicide notes. The cause of death was determined to be suicidal drug overdose, and peripheral blood and urine specimens were avail-able in each case. Quantitation of blood bupropion and metabo-lites was carried out six days after autopsy in case 1, and 13 day