Abstract
Serum prolactin levels were determined in psychiatric or hypertensive patients and in normal volunteers receiving therapeutic doses of various phenothiazines, tricyclic antidepressants, reserpine, or methyldopa. Treatment with phenothiazine or tricyclic medications was associated with markedly elevated serum prolactin values in the range typical of postpartum lactation. Patients on a regimen of reserpine or methyldopa also had markedly elevated serum prolactin levels. Intramuscular injection of 50 mg of chlorpromazine hydrochloride resulted in prolactin secretion in normal subjects within 30 minutes. After discontinuance of phenothiazine tranquilizers, elevated prolactin levels persisted for two to three weeks. Effects of all these medications in man resemble those observed in experimental animals, in which depletion of hypothalamic catecholamine stores by these agents removes the inhibitory influence of the hypothalamus over prolactin secretion by the pituitary. These results contain implications for clinical practice and for the investigation of neuroendocrine regulatory mechanisms in man.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
