Hyperprolactinaemia has for decades been an inevitable and neglected side-effect of antipsychotic medication. The recent introduction of prolactin-sparing antipsychotic agents makes a re-examination of this problem timely. This article aims to review the literature on antipsychotic induced hyperprolactinaemia and its consequences. A literature search was made for key articles, supplemented by cross referencing. During antipsychotic treatment prolactin concentrations can rise to ten times normal levels or above and existing data indicate that a large number of female patients have amenorrhoea with or without galactorrhoea. Survey data, however, suggest that clinicians underestimate the prevalence of these conditions. Antipsychotic-induced hyperprolactinaemia should become a focus of interest in the drug treatment of psychiatric patients.
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