title: [Risperidone-induced symptomatic hyperprolactinemia in youth with schizophrenia: efficacy and tolerability of cabergoline treatment].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of our study is to evaluate, in youth schizophrenic responders outpatients coming to the SMILE (Service for Monitoring and for early Intervention Looking at the fight against the onset of mental Even psychological suffering of youths of the Psychiatric Department of the University of L'Aquila), the efficacy and tolerability of a low dose of cabergoline, in the treatment of risperidone-induced symptomatic hyperprolactinemia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten schizophrenic young patients (6 male and 4 female; mean age: 23.3 +/- 0.5 years) who were clinical responders to risperidone treatment and showed symptomatic hyperprolactinemia, were treated with low dosage of cabergoline, 0.125 to 0.250 mg/week for 16 weeks. Plasma prolactin level, clinical symptomatology of hyperprolactinemia (UKU) and psychopathology (PANSS) was assessed at baseline and for three times (4, 8 and 16 week) along the follow-up of the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After cabergoline treatment, the mean decrease in plasma prolactin levels was statistically significant (p < 0.05) for the global sample of youths with schizophrenia. Nine of these patients showed remission of clinical signs of hyperprolactinemia with normalization of prolactin values. No side effect was observed neither patients' psychopathological worsening.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data confirm previous studies results, suggesting that low-dose cabergoline treatment of risperidone-induced symptomatic hyperprolactinemia may be safe and clinically effective in a relevant number of schizophrenic patients. Our sample didn't show any side-effects associated to cabergoline use, neither any cardiopulmonary complications as recently reported in literature data. These therapeutic strategies seem to be not influencing psychopathological outcome and for such reason could be a good strategy in clinical practice for the treatment of youths with schizophrenia especially when the efficacy of risperidone is so good to not indicate its withdrawal.
authors.affiliation: Servizio Psichiatrico di Diagnosi e Cura a Direzione Universitaria, Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Università degli Studi, L'Aquila, Italia.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pollice
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Di Giovambattista
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tomassini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Pucchio
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mazza
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Di Michele
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Roncone
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Casacchia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000077465:Cabergoline; D004873:Ergolines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006966:Hyperprolactinemia / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D018967:Risperidone / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D004873:Ergolines; D018967:Risperidone; D000077465:Cabergoline