clozapine and Amenorrhea

To analyze the disproportionality of reporting of hyperprolactinemia, galactorrhea, and pituitary tumors with seven widely used antipsychotic drugs.. Retrospective pharmacovigilance study.. United States Food and Drug Administration's Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) database.. We initially identified higher-than-expected postmarketing reports of pituitary tumors associated with risperidone, a potent dopamine D2-receptor antagonist antipsychotic, by analyzing reporting patterns of these tumors in the AERS database. To further examine this association, we analyzed disproportionate reporting patterns of pituitary tumor reports for seven antipsychotics with different affinities for blocking D2 receptors: aripiprazole, clozapine, olanzapine, quetiapine, risperidone, ziprasidone, and haloperidol.. To conduct both of these analyses, we used the Multi-item Gamma Poisson Shrinker (MGPS) data mining algorithm applied to the AERS database. The MGPS uses a Bayesian model to calculate adjusted observed:expected ratios of drug-adverse event associations (Empiric Bayes Geometric Mean [EBGM] values) in huge drug safety databases. The higher the adjusted reporting ratio, or EBGM value, the greater the strength of the association between a drug and an adverse event. Risperidone had the highest adjusted reporting ratios for hyperprolactinemia (EBGM 34.9, 90% confidence interval [CI] 32.8-37.1]), galactorrhea (EBGM 19.9, 90% CI 18.6-21.4), and pituitary tumor (EBGM 18.7, 90% CI 14.9-23.3) among the seven antipsychotics, and one of the highest scores for all drugs in the AERS database. Some tumors were associated with visual field defects, hemorrhage, convulsions, surgery, and severe (>10-fold) prolactin elevations. The EBGM values for risperidone for these adverse events were higher in women, but high EBGM values for these events were also seen in men and children. Moreover, the rank order of the EBGM values for pituitary tumors corresponded to the affinities of these seven drugs for D2 receptors.. Treatment with potent D2-receptor antagonists, such as risperidone, may be associated with pituitary tumors. These findings are consistent with animal (mice) studies and raise the need for clinical awareness and longitudinal studies.

Topics: Adolescent; Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems; Amenorrhea; Antipsychotic Agents; Aripiprazole; Benzodiazepines; Child; Clozapine; Dibenzothiazepines; Female; Galactorrhea; Gynecomastia; Haloperidol; Humans; Hyperprolactinemia; Male; Olanzapine; Piperazines; Pituitary Neoplasms; Quetiapine Fumarate; Quinolones; Retrospective Studies; Risperidone; Sex Factors; Thiazoles; United States; United States Food and Drug Administration

The European Schizophrenia Out-patient Health Outcomes study is an observational study investigating treatment in schizophrenia. We report treatment-emergent adverse events during the first 6 months of treatment.. The rate of extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS), anticholinergic use, weight gain and sexual related dysfunctions were assessed in 8,400 out-patients.. Patients typical antipsychotics and risperidone experienced significantly more EPS and anticholinergic use than patients in the clozapine, olanzapine, and quetiapine cohorts. Patients treated with amisulpride, typical antipsychotics and risperidone were significantly more likely to have sexual related dysfunctions and/or amenorrhea. Increases in weight and body mass index occurred in all cohorts, but were significantly greater in the olanzapine and clozapine cohorts.. Patients treated with olanzapine, quetiapine and clozapine had better tolerability outcomes regarding EPS and sexual related dysfunctions compared with patients receiving risperidone, amisulpride and typicals. Patients treated with olanzapine and clozapine had higher weight increases than patients treated with risperidone, quetiapine and typicals.

Topics: Adult; Ambulatory Care; Amenorrhea; Antipsychotic Agents; Benzodiazepines; Body Mass Index; Clozapine; Dibenzothiazepines; Drug Tolerance; Female; Galactorrhea; Gynecomastia; Humans; Male; Observation; Olanzapine; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Quetiapine Fumarate; Risperidone; Schizophrenia

Hyperprolactinemia is a well-known consequence of conventional antipsychotic therapy. The atypical antipsychotic clozapine is reported to lack this effect. We describe a case of attenuated serum prolactin levels after conversion to clozapine therapy in an adolescent. A 13-year-old female patient developed hyperprolactinemia with galactorrhea and amenorrhea while receiving thioridazine 300 mg daily. These symptoms continued throughout 3 years of treatment with haloperidol 10 mg daily and then fluphenazine 10 mg daily. Subsequently, after an incomplete improvement in her psychiatric symptoms and hyperprolactinemia on thioridazine 150 mg and bromocriptine 15 mg daily, the patient was changed to clozapine at age 16. Clozapine 150 mg twice daily improved her psychiatric status and corrected her serum prolactin concentrations after 2 weeks; bromocriptine was able to be discontinued. We recommend systematic evaluation of atypical neuroleptics as alternative treatments for refractory hyperprolactinemia induced by conventional antipsychotics.

Topics: Adolescent; Amenorrhea; Antipsychotic Agents; Bromocriptine; Clozapine; Female; Fluphenazine; Galactorrhea; Haloperidol; Humans; Hyperprolactinemia; Prolactin; Psychotic Disorders; Thioridazine