pharma-chem-congress-toxicology-congress2018-tracks

4 / 5

Page 22
Note:
alliedacademies Joint Event on
S e p t e m b e r 1 0 - 1 1 , 2 0 1 8 | D u b l i n , I r e l a n d
TOXICOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY
PHARMACEUTICAL CHEMISTRY & DRUG DISCOVERY
&
Global Congress on
International Conference on
Pharma Chem Congress 2018 & Toxicology Congress 2018 Asian Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences | Volume 8
Katharina Von Fabeck et al., Asian J Biomed Pharmaceut Sci 2018, Volume 8 | DOI: 10.4066/2249-622X-C2-005
METHADONE POISONINGS IN FRANCE: A
SEVEN-YEAR EXPERIENCE OF THE FRENCH
POISON CONTROL CENTER NETWORK
Katharina Von Fabeck1, Romain Torrents1,2, Mathieu Glaizal1, Luc
de Haro1 and Nicolas Simon 1,2
1Hôpital Sainte Marguerite, France
2Aix-Marseille Université, France
Methadone is an opioid agonist prescribed in France for the treatment of
opioid dependency. To evaluate the clinical toxicity of methadone, the
authors present a seven-year experience of the French poison control center
(FPCC) network at the national level. This study is a retrospective analysis
of methadone exposures reported to the nine FPCC between October 15th,
2010 and October 15th , 2017. The two pharmaceutical forms (capsule and
syrup) were considered. Childhood accidental poisonings were excluded
(different study). 1415 cases of methadone poisoning were included (29%
female, 71% male, average age 34 +/-10). 90% of the patients had history of
addiction and 69% were treated with methadone (31% were naïve patients).
The two main circumstances were addictions (47% of the cases) and suicide
attempts (41%). In 45% of the cases it was capsules, in 35% syrup, unknown
for 20%. The ingested methadone dose was significantly higher for suicide
attempts (average dose 250 mg) than for addictions (average dose 140 mg).
126 deaths were observed representing 7% of the global deadly medicine
poisonings observed during the studied period at the national level for the
FPCC. Comparison of the addictions versus the suicide attempts emphasizes
differences: female patients were more implicated in suicide attempts with
ingestion of their own treatment, mainly capsules at home with association
of benzodiazepines; while addictions concerned mainly males who ingested
syrup, frequently associated with other narcotics, and with a higher morbidity
and mortality (four times more deadly evolutions with addictions than
with suicide attempts). Despite lower ingested quantities of methadone
with addictions, this study observed higher morbidity and mortality in this
circumstance versus suicide attempts. Many reasons can explain this result
(high percentage of naïve patients during addictions, positive image of
methadone in the addicted population). Undoubtedly, methadone must be
considered as a highly toxic medicine.
Katharina Von Fabeck has absolved her studies in
Münster, Germany. Her thesis “Golf after total hip
arthroplasty: A retrospective review of 46 patients”
in orthopedics and sports medicine was published in
the Journal of Sport Rehabilitation in 2006. She started
her medical career in France in the Gastroenterology
Department in the hospital of Salon de Provence
before changing-over to work at the Poison Control
Center of Marseille in 2014. At the poison control
center, she trains and supervises medical and
pharmaceutical students. She works on prevention
and toxicological topics (European studies about
laundry detergent pods, French studies about button
batteries, poisoning by baclofen and buprenorphine)
and is publishing in international journals with her
colleagues. She has been teaching Pharmacology at
the Aix-Marseille University since 2016. Her interests
are natural toxins like venomous animals and
plants, for which she passed the worldwide Clinical
Toxinology short course in Australia in 2017.
BIOGRAPHY