Prevalence and risk factors of dopamine agonists induced impulse control disorders in patients with prolactinoma.

This study investigated the prevalence and risk factors of Impulse Control Disorders (ICDs) in 170 patients with prolactinoma undergoing dopamine agonist (DA) therapy for at least six months. Findings indicated that 23.5% of patients reported at least one ICD symptom, with binge eating (17.7%), hypersexuality (14.7%), and compulsive shopping (11.8%) being most common. Male sex, macroprolactinoma, elevated baseline prolactin levels, higher cumulative DA dose, longer treatment duration, and a history of psychiatric illness—including anxiety and depression—were identified as significant predictors of ICDs. The study emphasizes the importance of psychiatric assessment and monitoring during DA treatment to manage ICD risk, while noting limitations such as its cross-sectional design and single-center setting.