Serial plasma prolactin levels in neuroleptic-induced galactorrhea: a case report

A patient was successfully treated with bromocriptine for neuroleptic-induced galactorrhea. The correlations of the weekly plasma prolactin levels with the severity of galactorrhea (p less than .005) and with the duration of treatment (p less than .001) were highly significant. Because symptomatic relief occurs an average of 6 to 8 weeks after initiation of pharmacotherapy, clinicians presently manage neuroleptic-induced galactorrhea by trial and error. The authors suggest that weekly plasma prolactin levels may provide a readily obtainable, early indicator of proper dosage and thus minimize the chance of iatrogenic illness.