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Esomeprazole induced galactorrhea: a novel side effect

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Abstract

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are one of the most frequently prescribed medications across the globe. Esomeprazole is the S-isomer of omeprazole, and it is currently the most widely prescribed PPI. The safety profile of esomeprazole is extremely favorable with only minor side effects, like headache and diarrhea, that are encountered in day to day practice. We report a case of a young female with symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease who developed galactorrhea after starting esomeprazole therapy. Resolution of galactorrhea after stopping the drug and self-rechallenge by the patient herself with reappearance of galactorrhea confirmed the culprit to be esomeprazole only. We postulate that esomeprazole may have a mild inhibitory effect on CYP3A4, which leads to decreased metabolism of estrogen, thereby increasing serum estrogen levels. Estrogen causes stimulation and production of prolactin release, which results in development of galactorrhea. This is the first case of esomeprazole induced galactorrhea, to the best of our knowledge.

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Author contributions

Nirav Pipaliya structured and wrote the manuscript. Dattatray Soalnke and Chetan Rathi helped searching the literature. Ruchir Patel collected the patient's data. Meghraj Ingle and Prabha Sawant guided the whole case writing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gastroenterology, Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College and General Hospital, 1st Floor, College Building, Sion, Mumbai, India

    Nirav Pipaliya, Dattatray Solanke, Chetan Rathi, Ruchir Patel, Meghraj Ingle & Prabha Sawant

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  1. Nirav Pipaliya
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  2. Dattatray Solanke
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  3. Chetan Rathi
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  4. Ruchir Patel
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Correspondence to Nirav Pipaliya.

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All procedures followed have been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments.

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Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.

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Pipaliya, N., Solanke, D., Rathi, C. et al. Esomeprazole induced galactorrhea: a novel side effect. Clin J Gastroenterol 9, 13–16 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12328-015-0622-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12328-015-0622-7

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