ATTENUATION OF ANTIPSYCHOTIC-INDUCED HYPERPROLACTINEMIA WITH CLOZAPINE

Hyperprolactinemia is a well-known consequence of conventional antipsy chotic therapy, The atypical antipsychotic clozapine is reported to la ck this effect, We describe a case of attenuated serum prolactin level s after conversion to clozapine therapy in an adolescent, A 13-year-ol d female patient developed hyperprolactinemia with galactorrhea and am enorrhea while receiving thioridazine 300 mg daily, These symptoms con tinued throughout 3 years of treatment with haloperidol 10 mg daily an d then fluphenazine 10 mg daily, Subsequently, after an incomplete imp rovement in her psychiatric symptoms and hyperprolactinemia on thiorid azine 150 mg and bromocriptine 15 mg daily, the patient was changed to clozapine at age 16, Clozapine 150 mg twice daily improved her psychi atric status and corrected her serum prolactin concentrations after 2 weeks; bromocriptine was able to be discontinued, We recommend systema tic evaluation of atypical neuroleptics as alternative treatments for refractory hyperprolactinemia induced by conventional antipsychotics.