The danger of a drug once sold in head shops
and considered to be a “safe alternative” to ecstasy-type drugs is only beginning to be realised, the inquest into the death of a 25-year-old man in Tralee was told yesterday.
Methylone, a synthetic version of khat and commonly known as “bath salts”, was emerging as a factor in sudden cardiac arrests here and elsewhere, Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margot Bolster warned.
The inquest heard Trevor Breen (25), of Upper Castle Street, Tralee had a “cocktail” of prescription and non-prescription type drugs in his system after he collapsed at a friend’s house on September 22nd last year.
The friend told the inquest Mr Breen arrived at her house in an agitated state and was perspiring.
He told her how his head was “wrecked because he hadn’t seen his child”.
Cardiac arrest
Mr Breen had gone into cardiac arrest at Kerry General Hospital, where he had been taken by ambulance, and died.
Toxicology results from the State laboratory showed polydrug use, with ingestion of a cocktail of drugs including, methylone and amphetamine, and prescribed drugs including pregabolin, diazepam and methadone, all within the therapeutic range.
His family told the inquest he had never been prescribed methadone, which is used to treat heroin addicts.
“Most of the prescribed drugs are sedative type drugs,” Dr Bolster said. On its own, each would not have been fatal, but taken together they had “an additive effect” depressing the central nervous system.
Significant factor
However, Dr Bolster believed the presence of methylone was a significant factor in Mr Breen’s death.
“The other possible mechanism of death is sudden cardiac death which has been linked to the use of methylone,” he said.
It had recently been found to be a factor in the death of a 19-year-old man, which had been reported in medical journals, Dr Bolster said.
It was only recently that the danger of methylone, commonly known as “bath salts”, was beginning to be realised, she said.
The cause of Mr Breen’s death was found to be associated with polydrug use.