Endocrine Effects of Neuroleptics

Abstract

The neuroleptic drugs used in anesthetics belong to the group of phenothiazines or butyrophenones. The endocrine response to their intravenous administration is still ill-known and usually only concerns the association of anesthetics and neuroleptics. However, as far as the catecholamines are concerned, it is known that neuroleptic drugs do not prevent either their secretion nor their liberation but, depending on their dosage, they block the dopaminergic receptors and the alpha-receptors and induce disturbances in the metabolism of the mono-amines. The injection of neuroleptics associated with analgesics, raises the blood levels of catecholamines, does not induce a rise in ACTH and cortisol levels in the absence of stress, but does not totally prevent their rise in cases of aggression. As far as growth hormone is concerned, the effects are variable depending on the association studied. There is a rise with droperidol + pethidine or pentazocine, no change with chloroprotixene-dextromoramide. In both cases, the blood sugar rises. As far as STH, or growth hormone, free fatty acids and insulin are concerned, one may note a rise with associations containing droperidol even in the absence of any stress and stability with a mixture of chlorprotixene and dextromoramide. With none of these well known associations was there any variation either in levels of pituitary thyreo-stimulin, nor in thyroxine levels. Testosterone becomes reduced with the association of droperidol + analgesics but this effect does not seem to be specific to droperidol. These responses are frequently disturbed in case of additional stress.