SSRI's and elevated prolactin

Hey guys, a few years ago I was put on SSRI's and eventually developed a slight lump under one of my nips. I'm on SSRI's again (Lily-fluoxetine) and I seem to be developing a lump again. Only on the left side. I'm taking aromasin every 2-3 days as I'm on a test cycle so I can't be sure if it's elevated prolactin causing this but the problem only started a few weeks after starting the SSRI's

So, anything I can do to control this?

Edit: sorry, should probably have posted this in a different section

Bud the increase in prolactin is dose dependant on how much prozac you take. All you can do is either reduce your dose, change to a different anti depressant, or spend a small fortune on anti prolactin drugs (cabaser/doxtinex/bromocriptine) which also have side effects.

Adding more drugs to combat side effects of other drugs is ok for short term solutions like a 12 week steroid cycle needing ancilliaries. But long term you will just run into further problems.

What's going on in your brain is basically you are producing too much serotonin. Our happy juice hormones are serotonin and dopamine and they must maintain a balance. Hypothetically, if your brain's capacity for 'happy juice' is 50 and serotonin is at 49, then it will only allow dopamine to be at 1 for a total of 50. If serotonin levels rise, dopamine levels drop and vice versa.

Your high serotonin levels are blocking dopamine receptors, and just like serotonin and dopamine's relationshop, dopamine and prolactin have a similar kind of balance. If dopamine is inhibited -> prolactin is free to rise and cause havoc!

Muscleaddict wrote: If dopamine is inhibited -> prolactin is free to rise and cause havoc!

I do not think this is correct, however just want to ask anyways.

If dopamine levels are increased would that possibly lead to a decrease in prolactin then?
Basically is it possible to reduce prolactin levels by taking a substance which increases dopamine?

PsyCLown wrote:

Muscleaddict wrote: If dopamine is inhibited -> prolactin is free to rise and cause havoc!

I do not think this is correct, however just want to ask anyways.

If dopamine levels are increased would that possibly lead to a decrease in prolactin then?
Basically is it possible to reduce prolactin levels by taking a substance which increases dopamine?

Dopamine inhibits prolactin and high prolactin inhibits dopamine. Finished and klaar. Look at the drugs most commonly used to lower prolactin - cabaser/dostinex and bromocriptine. What are they -> dopamine agonists, ie. drugs that activate dopamine receptors.

On the flipside look at drugs used to stimulate prolactin production like Espiride -> they block dopamine receptors and that aids the increase of prolactin production.

So to answer your question, increasing dopamine will lower prolactin and I'm pretty sure that if you look at drugs that flood the brain with dopamine (like most narcotic stimulants) they probably all lower prolactin.

What is the reason for the use of a SSRI, who prescribed it a GH or psychiatrist.

Thank you for the replies guys. I'm only on 20mg a day and it's not a permanent thing. I have been prescribed in the past for anxiety by a psychiatrist however I no longer need them for that. I have been prescribed them by my GP this time around to help with PE (very over active libido makes me too excited if I don't get it at least 3 times a day) and it has helped tremendously with this so I wouldn't like to discontinue it just yet. Is there another, non-prolactin-raising, drug that could replace Prozac and provide these same benefits? I don't want this lump to develop into anything serious, is there a chance it might?

All SSRI's will have this issue. However for anxiety I'm surprised you where not put on Paxil.. A simple Beta blocker might be all you need with regards to over stimulated libido and quite a bit safer.