Trazadone and Amitriptyline: A Fatal Mix?
Author: Fred Cohen.
Source: Volume 15, Number 04, November/December 2013 , pp.49-49(1)
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Abstract:
On March 10, 2008, Quigley was found dead in his cell. The prison’s medication chart confirms that Quigley had been administered both Amitriptyline and Trazodone the previous three days. There is no definitive cause of death in the record. The autopsy report concluded that Quigley died of an epileptic seizure disorder. Quigley’s estate provided two affidavits from a forensic pathologist, who concluded that Quigley likely died not from an epileptic seizure, but rather from a fatal drug interaction between the tricyclic Amitriptyline and tetracyclic Trazodone. The case has important implications for prescribing practitioners, since the adverse interaction is not widely acknowledged.Keywords: Quigley v. Thai, et al., 707 F.3d 675 (6th Cir. 2013)
Affiliations:
1: Executive Editor.