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Segmental Hair Analysis—Interpretation of the Time of Drug Intake in Two Patients Undergoing Drug Treatment
Author(s) -
Wang Xin,
Johansen Sys Stybe,
Nielsen Marie Katrine Klose,
Linnet Kristian
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/1556-4029.13947
Subject(s) - sertraline , zopiclone , hair analysis , citalopram , medicine , oxazepam , metoclopramide , tramadol , drug , anesthesia , sumatriptan , pharmacology , hypnotic , antidepressant , analgesic , alternative medicine , receptor , pathology , hippocampus , benzodiazepine , vomiting , agonist
The present study involved segmental testing of hair in two clinical cases with known dosage histories. Hair analysis confirmed the first patient's exposure to the prescribed sertraline and citalopram for several months. Citalopram was generally distributed along the hair shaft in accordance with the drug ingestion period. By contrast, “false” positive results were observed for sertraline in distal hair segments, corresponding to a period of no sertraline exposure, which may indicate incorporation from sweat or sebum, which transport the drugs along the hair surface. The second patient received various drugs during her treatment for brain cancer. Metoclopramide, morphine, oxazepam, paracetamol, sumatriptan, tramadol, and zopiclone, which had been part of the therapy, were all detected in the proximal hair segment. The results of these two cases indicated that results—especially concerning the time of drug intake—must be interpreted with caution and allow for the possibility of incorporation from sweat or sebum.