| dc.description.abstract | Methamphetamine, or meth, is a commonly abused drug in the United States, especially Oklahoma. Meth exists in the form of two enantiomers, d-meth and l-meth. D-meth affects the central nervous system and causes the addictive sense of euphoria. On the other hand, l-meth is active in the peripheral nervous system and works as a decongestant. For these reasons, d-meth is available only as the prescription Desoxyn and l-meth is available over-the-counter as Vick's Vapor Inhaler. In order to obtain meth without a prescription, meth is prepared in clandestine laboratories in the United States and Mexico. In death investigations involving meth, it may be useful to separate the enantiomers, which may indicate licit or illicit exposure to methamphetamine. To investigate this, an LC-MS/MS method was developed to separate d-meth, l-meth, and its main metabolite, amphetamine. The method was applied to postmortem blood samples collected by the State of Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner from November 2015 through March 2016. Of the 72 specimens extracted, 87% had a 95% or greater ratio of d-meth to l-meth, which indicates that the decedents were using prescription or illicit meth. All samples containing methamphetamine has some amount of d-meth, making over-the-counter sources unlikely. | |
