Serum prolactin levels after epileptic seizures

We prospectively studied serum prolactin (PRL) elevation after different types of documented seizures in 17 patients. Marked PRL elevations above normal and above three times baseline were seen at 15 or 30 minutes after 20 of 25 (80%) generalized tonic-clonic, 13 of 30 (43%) complex partial, and 1 of 10 (10%) simple partial seizures. Although marked postictal PRL elevation is a sensitive indicator of recent epileptic seizures, a normal 15- or 30-minute postictal PRL level does not exclude an epileptic seizure.