ARTICLE
The assessment of the mental state of patients during simultaneous treatment with psychotropic drugs, antipsychotics included, and bromocriptine
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Psychiatr Pol 2008;42(4):595-607
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ABSTRACT
Aim. The aim of this study was to assess the mental state of patients treated with psychotropic drugs (LPT) and bromocriptine (BRC) at the same time. Methods. 25 female patients in the stable mental state treated with antipsychotics (LPP) (13 patients were also treated with other LPT) with an average age of 25.56 years were included in the study. All patients presented clinical symptoms of HPRL: menstrual disturbances or galactorrhea and their serum PRL was increased or the test with metoclopramide was incorrect. BRC (1.25-8.75 mg per day) was ordered to eliminate HPRL and observation was conducted over a period of 3 months. Two weeks, a month, 2 months and 3 months after the BRC treatment had been started, an evaluation of the mental state of the patients was conducted. The patients' mental state was evaluated with the Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI), the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Results. After 3 months of the study in the whole group there was no significant change in the mental state evaluated with the CGI and the HDRS. There was a worsening in PANSS (p<0.05)which was mainly due to the worsening (p<0.01) in the subscale of general psychiatric symptomatology of PANSS (PANSS-G). There was no significant change in the subscales of positive and negative symptoms of PANSS (PANSS-P and PANSS-N respectively). Conclusions. The results show that during the 3 months of the BRC treatment there was no worsening in positive, negative and affective symptoms. The study suggests that adding BRC may be a safe option of management of psychotropic-induced HPRL in some psychiatrically stable patients, although further studies are necessary.