Am J Psychiatry 1980; 137:211-214
Copyright © 1980 by American Psychiatric Association
Effects of dopamine blockade on gonadotropins and testosterone in men
SG Siris, ES Siris, DP van Kammen, JP Docherty, PE Alexander and WE Bunney Jr
The authors found that plasma luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin, and
testosterone were initially normal in nine acutely psychotic males with
schizophrenia or schizo-affective disorder; follicle-stimulating hormone
(FSH) was normal in eight of the nine. When patients were treated with
pimozide, a relatively specific dopamine receptor blocker, there were
statistically significant declines in FSH and LH, although levels remained
within normal limits. Prolactin rose significantly, but testosterone did
not change. The observed reductions in FSH and LH concentrations are
consistent with the hypotheses that dopamine and/or prolactin play a role
in gonadotropin secretion. The maintenance of normal levels of
gonadotropins and testosterone, however, suggests that these patients
possessed relatively normal hypothalamic-pituitary- gonadal axis function
before and during a course of neuroleptic treatment.
