Phenothiazines in Urine

Abstract

Patients in the care of the Department of Psychological Medicine, Guy's Hospital, who are receiving moderate and large doses of phenothiazine drugs are regularly tested for evidence of hepatic or haematological disturbance. In the course of such an investigation, when the urine of a schizophrenic patient was tested with modified Ehrlich's reagent for urobilinogen, it was remarked that a deep blue colour was produced. The patient had been receiving 600 mg. of chloropromazine daily in divided doses for the previous 10 days, and as no other cause for this unusual result could be found, the phenothiazine was considered to be responsible.