Serum prolactin levels following intramuscular chlorpromazine: two- and three-hour response as predictors of six-hour response

Neuroendocrine studies that examine the changes in serum prolactin levels following intramuscular (im) neuroleptics have usually monitored prolactin levels before and for 90 minutes to 3 hours after neuroleptic injection. Recent studies have suggested that this may be an inadequate period of time. In the present study, six male and four female psychiatric inpatients, who had not received neuroleptic medication for at least 1 week before the study began, received an injection of chlorpromazine (CPZ) 25 mg im; serum prolactin levels were monitored for 6 hours after injection. Peak serum prolactin levels occurred at 60 minutes in one subject, 90 minutes in three subjects, 120 minutes in two subjects, 180 minutes in three subjects, and 240 minutes in one subject. Area under the serum prolactin curve at 2 hours and area under the curve at 3 hours after CPZ injection were found to be good predictors (r = 0.86; r = 0.95, respectively) of 6-hour area under the curve. Two-hour studies should therefore not be considered inadequate; however, a 3-hour study length results in more precise characterization of prolactin response to im CPZ.