Using aripiprazole to resolve antipsychotic-induced symptomatic hyperprolactinemia: A pilot study

Abstract

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of substituting aripiprazole for other antipsychotic drugs taken by stable schizophrenic patients suffering from antipsychotic agent-induced symptomatic hyperprolactinemia. Methods: Seven female schizophrenic patients with symptomatic hyperprolactinemia (167.6 +/- 58.0 mu g/L) were recruited to take part in an 8-week open label trial of aripiprazole (10-20mg/day) as a replacement for amisulpride or risperidone. Efficacy was assessed via PANSS and CGI-I scores. Serum prolactin levels were measured at baseline, week 4, and week 8. Data were collected from November, 2004 to May, 2005. Results: At the end of weeks 4, serum prolactin levels were normalized (8.8 +/- 5.5 mu g/L) and hyperprolactinemic symptoms were resolved in all patients. However, aripiprazole treatment was discontinued within 6 weeks for 2 of the 7 subjects due to aggravated auditory hallucinations. Conclusion: Results from this admittedly small-scale open-label study indicate that switching to aripiprazole may be useful for resolving antipsychotic-induced hyperprolactinemia and associated symptoms. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.