Naloxone in chronic schizophrenic patients: neuroendocrine and behavioral effects.

Naloxone produced improvement in abnormal thought content in medicated chronic schizophrenic patients, but not in drug-free patients. In contrast, drowsiness and increases in plasma prolactin concentrations were seen only in drug-free schizophrenic patients. Although growth hormone concentrations increased in drug-free and medicated schizophrenic patients, the time course was different in the two groups. Neuroleptics appear to alter naloxone's clinical and neuroendocrine effects in chronic schizophrenic patients.