Venlafaxine-Induced Hematuria and Prostatism: a Case Report

Hematuria and prostatism are important medical conditions affecting the quality of life. They are most often seen causally related to prostate hyperplasia but may also occur as a side effect of certain medications. Although the urogenital side effects of antidepressants are common in the literature, reports that indicate antidepressant induced hematuria are rare. Venlafaxine, an antidepressant that inhibits serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake, is used in clinical practice in a number of psychiatric disorders, especially in major depressive disorder. Although it is a safe and effective antidepressant, it can cause side effects. We present a 55-year-old man with hematuria and symptoms of prostatism starting after the use of venlafaxine that resolved after the withdrawal of venlafaxine. In the literature, symptoms of prostatism have been reported related to antidepressants that are effective through the noradrenaline mechanism, such as venlafaxine, duloxetine, milnacipran, and reboxetine, but there are no reports on hematuria. As far as we know, this is the first report to present a case of venlafaxine-induced hematuria.