title: Urinary hesitancy with therapeutic doses of L-tryptophan.
abstract: L-tryptophan, a precursor of serotonin, in doses of 4 to 5 g/d, has been found to be effective in increasing sleep time, reducing sleep latency, and reducing the number of awakenings. In this report, L-tryptophan 4-6 g/d was administered, along with niacinamide 100 mg and pyridoxine 50 mg, for sleep. Two days after starting L-tryptophan, the patient reported difficulty in voiding. Medications with known anticholinergic activity were selectively discontinued during the patient's hospital course. Seven days after the last dose of L-tryptophan, improvement was noted in the patient's urinary status. Prior to discharge, doxepin was restarted and titrated up to 150 mg/d without a recurrence of urinary problems.
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy; D014364:Tryptophan / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014555:Urination Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced*
chemical_list: D014364:Tryptophan