Simultaneous Detection of Cocaine and Heroin Use: The First Reported Speedball Case in Turkey

2016-07-12T02-08-28Z
Source: European Journal of Forensic Sciences
Zeynep Turkmen, Selda Mercan, Isil Bavunoglu, Munevver Acikkol.
Objective: The speedball is a street language term and refers to multiple drug intakes which generally define the simultaneous use of cocaine and heroin. Recently, speedball abuse listed in international drug reports is increasing not only among the famous people but also in the community and it is difficult to distinguish the speedball abusers from the others. In this study, a speedball case in a serum sample has been demonstrated with the toxicological findings for the first time in Turkey. Case report: A married 33 years old woman was admitted to the Emergency Room at the Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, with various complaints. There were no obvious signs of an acute intoxication, which may caused by a sympathomimetic agent. After the clinical examination, toxicological analysis was requested from the Forensic Toxicology Laboratory at the Institute of Forensic Sciences. Serum analyses was performed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and the concentrations at the time of administration were determined as 330,0 ng/mL and 11,23 ng/mL for cocaine and heroin, respectively, along with qualitatively determined 6-Monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM), one of the active metabolites of heroin. Conclusion: Since it is known that the combined drug abuse may increase the effect of each other and cause fatal consequences, it is intended to draw attention to approach during emergency treatments. Multidisciplinary approach between clinicians and toxicology experts will be in the patient's best interest in the case of speedball abuse.


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