Dose-dependent effects of adjunctive treatment with aripiprazole on hyperprolactinemia induced by risperidone in female patients with schizophrenia.

Hyperprolactinemia is a frequent consequence of treatment with risperidone. Recent studies have suggested that aripiprazole, a partial dopamine agonist, reduces the prolactin response to antipsychotics. Thus, we examined the dose effects of adjunctive treatment with aripiprazole on the plasma concentration of prolactin in patients who had elevated prolactin levels because of risperidone treatment. Aripiprazole was concomitantly administrated to 16 female patients with schizophrenia receiving 2 to 15 mg/d of risperidone. Dosages of aripiprazole were gradually increased from 3 to 12 mg/d with 2- to 4-week intervals. Sample collections for prolactin were conducted before aripiprazole administration (baseline) and 2 to 4 weeks after the dose escalation of aripiprazole and just before next dose escalation. The samples were taken just before the morning dose. The plasma concentration of prolactin during aripiprazole administration (3, 6, 9, or 12 mg/d) was significantly lower than that at baseline. The mean (±SD) percent reductions at 3, 6, 9, and 12 mg/d were 35% ± 14%, 54% ± 17%, 57% ± 19%, and 63% ± 17%, respectively. However, neither the plasma concentration of prolactin nor the reduction ratio differed among the dosages of 6, 9, and 12 mg/d of aripiprazole. Three out of 8 patients with amenorrhea improved after 12 mg/d of aripiprazole. The present study suggests that adjunctive treatment with aripiprazole reduces the prolactin concentration that had been increased because of risperidone treatment. The effect occurs even when a low dosage (3 mg/d) of aripiprazole was used and achieves a plateau at dosages beyond 6 mg/d.