ADVERSE EVENTS ASSOCIATED WITH NEUROLEPTIC DRUGS - FOCUS ON NEUROENDOCRINE REACTIONS

Although they are valuable and effective tools in the treatment of psy choses and some other psyche-affective disorders, neuroleptics can ind uce a broad spectrum of untoward effects in relation to their pharmaco logical activity on various receptors. The most classical reactions ar e the neurological and neuroendocrine effects which can result in poor compliance and account for an unsatisfactory outcome of treatment. Th e main endocrine reactions include sexual dysfunction, hormonal disord ers (mainly hyperprolactinaemia) and gynaecological effects. The clini cal significance of increased prolactin levels is unknown in most pati ents. Although it has been more often reported with benzamides, no inc reased incidence of endocrine symptoms has been observed in clinical s tudies with drugs of this class compared to conventional neuroleptics.