Effects of risperidone on gonadal axis hormones in schizophrenia.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effects of risperidone on the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis of chronic schizophrenic male inpatients medicated regularly.


METHODS
Subjects included six inpatients who were diagnosed according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fourth Edition, criteria for schizophrenia, and were termed treatment-refractory. Each patient gave informed consent for the research involved in this study. The neuroendocrine studies were done before and during risperidone administration. Patients took a mean dose of risperidone 9.5 mg/d for a mean period of 64.2 days. Psychotic symptoms were assessed using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS).


RESULTS
Prolactin (PRL) increased significantly during risperidone administration. However, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and testosterone did not show significant difference between blood concentrations before and during risperidone administration. Scores of the BPRS total, thought disturbance factor, and tension decreased significantly during risperidone administration. Throughout the study, none of the patients experienced clinically significant problems associated with elevated PRL concentrations including gynecomastia and/or sexual dysfunction.


CONCLUSIONS
Addition of risperidone produced significant improvement of psychotic symptoms in treatment-resistant schizophrenic patients, and an increase in basal blood PRL concentrations, but not in basal blood HPG axis hormone concentrations. This preliminary result warrants further double-blind evaluation with a larger sample.
Kaneda
Y
Y
Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Tokushima School of Medicine, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Fujii Hospital, 3-18-15 Kuramoto-Cho, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan. kaneday@clin.med.tokushima-u.ac.jp
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006801:Humans; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000187:drug effects*; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood; D018967:Risperidone / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D011388:Prolactin; D018967:Risperidone