A fatal case of hyperthermia due to tricyclic antidepressant intoxication

Abstract We report here an autopsy case of a 49-year-old woman with depression who died of hyperthermia, probably due to amitriptyline intoxication. She was found dead in bed with several empty amitriptyline pill containers. Her rectal temperature was 41.5°C approximately 3 hours after death. Plasma levels of amitriptyline and nortriptyline were 0.51 and 0.74 mg/l, respectively. Possible mechanisms of fatal hyperthermia are discussed.