Interpretation of Methamphetamine and Amphetamine Enantiomer Data

Abstract

Interpretation of drug testing results is a challenging and complex task, particularly when the interpretation can result in establishing legitimate use of a drug or illicit use with all of its attendant complications (i.e., loss of job, criminal prosecution, etc.). One of the more challenging drugs to interpret is methamphetamine. While methamphetamine is a schedule II controlled substance, the l-enantiomer of methamphetamine is found in the Vick's Inhaler, which is a product exempted from control. For this reason, while identification of methamphetamine and amphetamine in the urine of an individual can clearly establish the use of methamphetamine, it does not prove the use of a controlled substance. Use of racemic methamphetamine can make the interpretation even more difficult because of the different metabolism and excretion of l- and d-methamphetamine. Enantiomeric characterization of methamphetamine may not give unequivocal results. Evaluation of experimentally derived and published data from urine samples containing l- and d,l-methamphetamine indicates that use of the enantiomeric distribution of amphetamine affords unambiguous interpretation. Because the l-enantiomer is the only possible finding in an individual who is using the Vick's Inhaler, detection of the d-enantiomer or a mixture of the d- and l-enantiomers clearly establishes the use of a controlled substance. Without a prescription from appropriate medical personnel, this detection would indicate the illicit use of a controlled substance.

High throughput chiral analysis of urinary amphetamines by GC-MS using a short narrow-bore capillary column

“…Furthermore, in some countries, Adderall, which contains both D-AMP and L-AMP, is frequently prescribed by doctors for treatment of attention-defi cit hyperactivity disorder. Therefore, studies based on determining the ratios of D-and Lisomers of the drugs are making rapid progress toward distinguishing medical drug administration from illegal abuse of ATSs [4,5]. Recent studies have reported that enantiomers of ATSs demonstrate different pharmacological and toxicological activities [6][7][8][9][10][11].…”

Quantification of methamphetamine, amphetamine and enantiomers by semi-micro column HPLC with fluorescence detection; applications on abusers' single hair analyses

“…Determination of MP and its metabolites per se or as enantiomers in biological samples has been extensively investigated using various analytical techniques Hughes et al, 1991;Wolf et al, 1990;Cody and Schwarzhoff, 1993;Ermin et al, 1988;Aoki et al, 1996;Dasgupta et al, 1993;Gjerda et al, 1993;Platoff et al, 1992;Reimer et al, 1993;Yashiki et al, 1995;Nagasawa et al, 1996;Falco et al, 1995;Legua et al, 1995;Helmlin and Brenneisen, 1992;Nakahara and Takeda, 1988;Tatsuno et al, 1996;Hayakawa et al, 1993). Recently, we have been aiming at developing selective and sensitive analytical procedures for the determination of these compounds in biological samples (Nakashima et al, 1990(Nakashima et al, , 1991(Nakashima et al, , 1992Al-Dirbashi et al, 1997;Kuroda et al, 1998).…”

Liquid chromatographic method for the determination of enantiomeric composition of amphetamine and methamphetamine in hair samples

“…Certain legitimate medications, such as those used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), contain single enantiomer and racemic forms of amphetamine [8]. The (R)-(-)-enantiomer of methamphetamine is found in the Vicks Vapor Inhaler in the United States [9]. A number of medications such as the antiparkinsonian drug deprenyl are also metabolized to amphetamine and methamphetamine, and amphetamine is actually one of the metabolites of methamphetamine [10].…”

“…A number of medications such as the antiparkinsonian drug deprenyl are also metabolized to amphetamine and methamphetamine, and amphetamine is actually one of the metabolites of methamphetamine [10]. Knowledge of the enantiomeric composition of the amphetamines can provide valuable assistance in interpreting drug testing results [9,11].…”