Twelve healthy chronic schizophrenic patients were treated with the long-acting oral
dopamine (DA) receptor blocker
penfluridol (100 mg orally) for 6 weeks. Plasma
prolactin (PRL) levels were measured during
insulin-tolerance tests (ITT) performed at the end of the
drug-free period (7-10 days) and during weeks 1 and 6 of
penfluridol treatment. Simultaneous PRL and
penfluridol plasma levels were determined just prior to, and at 8, 72 and 120 h after
penfluridol administration during weeks 1, 5, and 6. During
penfluridol treatment women (N = 4) had a greater increase in their maximal PRL increments after ITT as compared to the men (N = 8). Analyses of (peak) plasma
penfluridol and PRL concentrations 8 h after
penfluridol administration revealed a trend towards lower plasma
penfluridol levels during weeks 5 and 6 and significantly higher PRL levels in women compared to men during weeks 1 (P less than 0.01), 5 (P less than 0.02), and 6 (P less than 0.02). The consistent sex-related differences in the PRL responses to DA blockade, and to
insulin-induced
hypoglycemia and in the
penfluridol plasma levels in our study support the view that sex-related changes need to be considered not only in the hormonal responses to various pharmacological agents, but also in the assessment of the plasma levels of these drugs.