Studies in constitutionally tall adolescents. II. Effects of bromocriptine on growth hormone secretion and adult height prediction.

After previous demonstration of paradoxical GH responses to TRH and oral glucose loading tests in some constitutionally tall adolescents, we studied the effects of a small dose of bromocriptine (5 mg/day) on GH secretion and adult height prediction. In 10 patients, each of whom had a substantial plasma GH increase after TRH injection, bromocriptine reduced or suppressed this abnormal response. In 4 of these patients who also had paradoxical GH increases after glucose loading, bromocriptine suppressed this abnormality in 2. Predicted adult height was reduced in 10 of the 12 patients after 6-12 months of treatment. This reduction resulted either from a decrease in growth velocity, an increase in skeletal maturation rate, or both. Since no side effects were noticed we suggest that bromocriptine may be a valuable alternative to sex steroid treatment to limit final height in excessively tall adolescents.