ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Published Online: 1 July 1975
Page Count: 4

Chlordiazepoxide and Alcohol: A Fatal Overdose
Buchanan, JG
Center Psychiatrists, Va.

Rada, RT
Associate Professor and Associate Director of Research, and Professor and Director of Research, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, N.M.

Kellner, R
Associate Professor and Associate Director of Research, and Professor and Director of Research, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, N.M.

(Received 7 August 1974; accepted 26 December 1974)

Abstract

Chlordiazepoxide hydrochloride (Librium^®) has been a safe and effective drug in the treatment of the acute effects of alcohol withdrawal [1] and has been a popular psychotropic agent in the treatment of chronic alcoholism because of its low incidence of side effects, low reported incidence of abuse leading to addiction, and wide margin of safety. Hollister [2] states that massive overdoses of the benzodiazepines offer little difficulty in management and concludes that the benzodiazepines are “virtually suicide-proof.” Davis et al [3,4] note that fatalities due to overdose of chlordiazepoxide alone have not been reported. In addition, there have been, to our knowledge, no reported fatalities with a combination of chlordiazepoxide and alcohol. The purpose of this paper is to report a fatal overdose in which a combination of chlordiazepoxide and ethanol was found. A second fatal overdose is presented in which chlordiazepoxide and ethanol were probably the only drugs taken.

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Paper ID: JFS10300J
DOI: 10.1520/JFS10300J
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