To the Editor.—
A 48-year-old man was admitted to the emergency room with vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Physical examination, elevated serum and urine amylase values, and a history of alcohol abuse led to the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. The patient was admitted to the hospital, and at approximately 8 AM on the morning of admission, the patient received intravenous (IV) butorphanol tartrate (Stadol) and IV promethazine hydrochloride (Phenergan). At 8 PM on the day of admission, the patient was first noted to be voiding green urine. At 10:30 PM on the day of admission, the patient was given IV cimetidine, 300 mg. On the second hospital day, the patient was given IV cimetidine, 300 mg at 4 AM, 1 AM, 4 PM, and 10 PM, and at 4 AM on the third hospital day. Thereafter the patient received cimetidine only by the oral route. The patient's urine continued