Prolactin level high

[Feeling Helpless]

I have been lurking here for several months. I read a whole lot but do not post. My liitle boy has aspergers syndrome and is taking Risperdal and taking concerta for ADHD.
I was wondering if Risperdal would make his prolactin levels go up. He is 8 years old and the doctor now wants him to have an MRI done. His prolactin level is 23.8. Anyone ever had this problem.

 

[gcvmom]

Never had this issue, but my understanding is that it can happen with many of the atypical antipsychotic medications. Here's a website with more info:

http://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/prolactin/test.html

The MRI may be to make sure there is no tumor on the pituitary causing the increased levels. I'm surprised that such a low dose of Risperdal would cause a big jump, but everyone's different, and your difficult child is young.

 

[flutterby]

I *think* this is listed as a possible side effect for Risperdal, especially with boys. I seem to remember reading an article in the paper several years ago about it.

 

[Marguerite]

Whether or not this is a possible side effect, it is important to make sure there isn't a totally separate problem.

When we have a lot more medical supervision/intervention than usual, you are far more likely to have incidental findings. For example, I had to have a chest X-ray when I first began teacher training. They found I have vestigial ribs in my neck. These haven't caused me any problems but sometimes a doctor finds them in another test and tries to join dots that probably are from totally different graphs (ie never meant to be joined).

Go get the tests done. There can be a number of reasons for prolactin levels being high and some of them especially, need to have answers as soon as possible. I also had high prolactin levels, had tests to find out if I had a pituitary tumour. Thankfully I didn't. I was offered medications to bring the levls back to normal. My levels wren't very high so I elected to do nothing.

It really varies form person to person.

Marg

 

[GoingNorth]

In the US, the atypical antipsychotics are known to elevate prolactin in some cases. This is why they are associated with breast development in males and in some rare cases, actual lactation.

The other cause of high prolactin levels in males is pituatary tumors but those are very rare.

 

[1 Day At a Time]

Hi FH,

This is definitely worth checking out. I went to see my doctor after several years of trying to get pregnant with no success. My bloodwork showed a high level of prolactin, a good bit higher than your son's. I was sent for a MRI, which showed a small tumor on my pituitary gland. The doctor started me on a medication which has been shown to shrink these tumors , and thank goodness, it was successful. Once the prolactin level dropped, I was able to get pregnant - and difficult child was the result

It's important to check this out because even small pituitary tumors may grow. My doctor explained that there's not a lot of extra room there at the base of the brain and the tumor might grow into the optic chiasm, which is nearby. This can adversely affect vision, especially peripheral vision. I had lots of visual exams after my MRI, all normal, thank goodness. These tumors can additionally cause serious headaches, fatigue , depression,and thyroid issues. Fortunately , I also didn't have a problem with this...

I'm hoping that this elevation is caused by his medications, but please do check it out. If something is going on, there is definite treatment for the problem.

Valerie