The prolactin response in patients receiving neuroleptic therapy. The effect of fluphenazine decanoate

Abstract

• 1.

  1. Fluphenazine decanoate (FD) 50 mg was administered to 15 patients. The patient population was divided into three groups: i) Group A including 5 subjects who had never been treated before; ii) Group B including 5 subjects treated with neuroleptics for at least one year, but who had discontinued the drugs for at least three months and iii) Group C including 5 subjects who had been chronically treated with neuroleptics for at least two years.

• 2.

  2. The increase in plasma level of the hormone prolactin (PRL) after the administration of FD was different in the three groups. The patients never treated before showed the highest “PRL response”, which had a great variability among all patients.

• 3.

  3. The “PRL response” did not correlate neither with psychopathological changes nor with extrapyramidal side effects.

• 4.

  4. The “PRL response” did not seem to be a useful tool in predicting the appropriate dosage and interval of the FD administration in a given patient.