SUPERIORITY OF BROMOCRIPTINE OVER PYRIDOXINE IN THE TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH ACROMEGALY OR GALACTORRHEA

  • 1 January 1980
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 16  (1) , 12-16
Abstract
Patients (16) with acromegaly and 8 with galactorrhea were treated with pyridoxine (600 mg/day) for 3 mo. The clinical and biochemical changes induced by the drug were compared with those induced by bromocriptine (2.5-50 mg/day) administered for the same length of time to the same patients. Pyridoxine induced lowering of growth hromone and prolactin levels in 2 acromagelic patients. In only 1 patient with galactorrhea after irradiation of the hypophysis for active acromegaly did pyridoxine treatment stop the galactorrhea and induce renewal of menstrual bleeding without significantly changing the basal prolactin levels. In a patient with a chromophobe adenoma of the hypophysis, it reduced the excessively elevated prolactin levels. On bromocriptine therapy, all the patients reported significant clinical improvement paralleled by significant drops in plasma growth hormone and prolactin. At the dosages administered, bromocriptine is preferable to pyridoxine in the treatment of patients with acromegaly or galactorrhea.