Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: The management of schizophrenia involves drugs which inhibit domapine receptors. The drugs control the disease. However, they increase prolactin secretion and induce amenorrhea. The drugs induce the development of metabolic syndrome and as a result of obesity they may cause benign intracranial hypertension.

Aim: The aim was to describe the case of a patient who developed schizophrenia and after therapy with antipsychotics benign intracranial hypertension and amenorrhea.

Case description: A patient, female, aged 21, developed schizophrenia. After diagnosis treatment with antipsychotic medication was initiated. Antipsychotic treatment induced obesity and subsequently benign intracranial hypertension. Benign intracranial hypertension reduced her visual acuity and induced hearing loss within a year. Acetazolamide was administered for the control of intracranial hypertension. The patient also developed amenorrhea. Prolactin was 150 ng/ml (normal range 2–29 ng/ml). Cabergoline was administered for the management of hyperprolactinemia.

Conclusion: Antipsychotic treatment for the management of schizophrenia may be accompanied by the development of obesity and in some cases benign intracranial hypertension. Benign intracranial hypertension, despite its name, may have severe consequences such as reduction of visual acuity and hearing loss, being, according to the literature “not so benign”. Amenorrhea affects health and quality of life in a young female patient. The use of the new atypical antipsychotics may be a solution for the prevention of the serious adverse effects of antipsychotic treatment, such as benign intracranial hypertension and amenorrhea.