How To Lower Prolactin 🧵👇

Optimize thyroid.

Low thyroid hormones increase the TRH stimulation of prolactin.

Sub-clinical hypothyroidism is associated with elevated prolactin.

"The cases (of hypothyroidism) had significantly lower levels of total testosterone and free T4 and higher serum prolactin levels."

Keep parathyroid hormone under control.

"The iv infusion of ... parathyroid hormone produced a rapid and marked increase of plasma prolactin in normal subjects."

Common causes of elevated parathyroid hormone

* Calcium insufficiency
* Magnesium deficiency
* Vitamin D deficiency
* Excessive phosphate intake
* Low calcium-to-phosphate ratio
* Fluoride

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Minimize stress.

Short-term stressors spike prolactin, and long-term stress can cause chronically elevated levels.

"Exhaustive exercise decreases select thyroid hormones 24 hours into recovery... and prolactin responses (increases) are directly related to TSH changes."

Minimize serotonin.

"Fenfluramine causes the release of serotonin... serotonin stimulates the secretion of prolactin. Therefore, serum prolactin concentrations reflect endogenous serotonin."

Some things that affect serotonin.

PUFAs - vegetable oil and fish oil, non-ruminant fat, increase serotonin.
Estrogen increases serotonin synthesis.
Zinc can help lower estrogen.
Elevated free fatty acids release serotonin. (Reduce stress in the broadest context)
Niacinamide lowers free fatty acids, but may cause a rebound at certain doses.
Aspirin lowers free fatty acids.
Creatine increases the dopamine to serotonin ratio.
Gelatin/collagen/glycine are usually beneficial if clean sources.
Vitamin E has a broad anti-serotonin effect.
Vitamin E deficiency increases serotonin.
Vitamin D.
L-theanine lowers brain serotonin.
Vitamin B1 deficiency increases serotonin.
Inosine decreases serotonin in the brain and in the rest of the body.

Anti-serotonin drugs (Caution with these)
Lisuride.
Cyproheptadine.
Bromocriptine.
Memantine.
Famotidine.

Caffeine/coffee with food.
High calcium foods.
Magnesium (but not doses/forms that irritate the GI system).
Aged cascara sagrada if constipated.
Quinine.
Lysine.
Ginger.

"Fenfluramine causes the release of serotonin... serotonin stimulates the secretion of prolactin. Therefore, serum prolactin concentrations reflect endogenous serotonin."

Minimize estrogen and exposure to estrogenic substances.

“Estrogen increases the number of prolactin-secreting cells in the pituitary as evidenced by autopsy studies; it leads to increased levels of prolactin messenger RNA by increasing prolactin gene transcription...”

"... and it (estrogen) also modifies the pituitary's response to some of the factors known to affect prolactin release. Estrogen lessens the inhibitory effect of dopamine and heightens the releasing response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone."

Check you are not taking medications that increase prolactin.

“SSRI, MAO-I, and some tricyclics, can cause hyperprolactinemia... prokinetics, opiates, estrogens, anti-androgens, anti-hypertensive drugs,(some) H2-receptor antagonists, anti-convulsivants and cholinomimetics."

Choose saturated fats.

The omega-6 fatty acids can increase prolactin.

"The results suggest that arachidonic acid metabolism is involved in basal and TRH-stimulated prolactin secretion and that lipoxygenase pathway products are at least partially responsible for these effects."

Get adequate sodium.

"Compared to the results in control animals, sodium deprivation produced increased aldosterone secretory rates, increased plasma and pituitary prolactin levels."

Aspirin minimizes stress-induced increases in prolactin.

"A significantly reduced total prolactin response to stress condition was observed after aspirin."

The study used 800 mg, but lower doses may be effective in most cases.

Doses of hundreds of milligrams of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) have been used in numerous studies to lower prolactin.

"Pyridoxine, was administered to 10 children being evaluated for short stature... prolactin fell to 42% of the zero time concentration."

High doses of vitamin B6 can lead to neuropathy, and lower doses of the P5P form may effectively lower prolactin.

Chris Masterjohn has an excellent article on the topic on his blog. Read it if you are considering high-dose B6.

Melatonin increases prolactin. Bright light early in the day may lower prolactin.

"Exposure to bright light during the early hours of darkness delays the nocturnal melatonin peak and alters cortisol, GH, prolactin and nocturnal vasopressin secretion."

Vitamin E has anti-estrogen and anti-PUFA effects.

"Vitamin E treatment lowers prolactin levels in uremic hemodialysis patients... Vitamin E inhibits pituitary gland hypertrophy in vitamin E-deficient rats."

[300 mg/day) for eight weeks]

Zinc is another key nutrient to optimize for prolactin levels.

"Zinc-treated patients had significantly higher plasma zinc levels and lower serum prolactin levels than untreated patients. Plasma zinc and serum prolactin were inversely related in both."

Progesterone minimizes estrogen-induced prolactin. It has anti-serotonin effects too.

"Progesterone is rapidly metabolized to 5α-DHP in the pituitary... 5α-DHP was found to exhibit a multiphasic effect similar to progesterone in inhibiting estrogen-induced prolactin release."

A Tribulus terrestris extract was found to lower prolactin levels by over 50% in four weeks in a study in infertile men.

The study used Androsten® (250 mg of Tribulus Terrestris dried extract per capsule).