Cabergoline Bodybuilding Tablet is a dopamine receptor agonist. It reduces prolactin levels, and thus helps treat hyperprolactinemia. It also reduces ethanol-drinking and risk-taking behaviors in some people.
Some very rare side effects include heart valve disease, psychiatric disturbances, and abnormally impulsive behavior, especially during the first few weeks of treatment. Your endocrinologist will monitor your response using blood tests and MRI scans.
How Does Cabergoline Work?
Cabergoline is a drug that reduces the production of prolactin in your body. Your pituitary gland may make too much of this hormone if you have a prolactinoma (overproduction of prolactin by a tumor on the pituitary). This medication helps your body stop making too much of this hormone and shrinks the growth of any tumor on the pituitary.
Cabergoline works by binding to dopamine receptors and preventing your brain from releasing prolactin. This decreases the amount of prolactin your body makes and can help you feel better. Your doctor will prescribe the dosage of this medication and monitor you closely for any side effects.
Side effects of cabergoline can include dizziness, drowsiness, and a loss of coordination. If you have these symptoms, avoid driving or operating machinery until you know how this medicine affects you. You should also avoid alcohol while taking this medication.
This medication has been linked to a rare form of fibrosis affecting the lungs (pulmonary fibrosis). You should have regular echocardiograms and other monitoring while on this medication. Long-term use of this medication can also cause a condition called Raynaud's phenomenon, a condition that causes your fingers and toes to feel numb when exposed to cold temperatures or stress.
Tell your doctor if you have liver disease; high blood pressure (hypertension); heart valve disease; or a history of psychiatric problems, including depression, anxiety, hallucinations, or suicidal thoughts. Also tell your doctor if you are allergic to other ergot medications such as bromocriptine (Parlodel), dihydroergotamine (D.H.E. 45, Migranal), ergotamine (in Cafergot, in Ergomar), methysergide (Sansert), or pergolide (Permax); or any other drugs.
Does Cabergoline Work for Me?
Cabergoline can be prescribed as a tablet or capsule, and it is typically taken once or twice per day, with or without food. Your doctor will adjust your dosage based on how well the medication works for you, and they may also recommend certain diets or exercise plans to help reduce side effects.
Nausea is the most common cabergoline side effect, and it can be severe. This can make it difficult to eat, and you might experience vomiting. Other symptoms include a feeling of weakness, low blood pressure, and headaches. To help manage these side effects, drink plenty of water and take OTC pain relievers like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin).
Men who use cabergoline to treat prolactin imbalances can experience decreased libido, erectile dysfunction, and delayed orgasm. They should not stop taking this medication, even if their symptoms improve, because it can cause a return of high levels of prolactin that lead to the same symptoms.
In rare cases, long-term treatment with cabergoline can cause problems with the heart valves. This is why your doctor listens to your heart and might arrange for regular echocardiogram heart scans.
Cabergoline is not recommended for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and it can harm an unborn baby. It is also not known whether it can pass through breast milk and may affect a newborn.
Does Cabergoline Work for You?
Many men with high prolactin levels find that their libido improves on cabergoline treatment, as does their erectile function. A few studies have also shown that the drug can help improve delayed orgasm (also called anorgasmia or arousal disorder) and increase the amount of seminal fluid produced.
While these benefits are considerable, the medication is not for everyone. It is important to follow the prescription and avoid taking large doses or changing the dosage or frequency without a doctor's advice. If you experience severe or prolonged side effects, call your doctor immediately.
You should not stop taking this medicine unless your doctor instructs you to do so, as sudden cessation can lead to a rebound increase in prolactin levels and worsening of symptoms. If you experience dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting when getting up from a lying position, try to lie down again and wait for a few minutes before standing up.
It is very rare for Cabergoline to cause serious side effects, but they can occur. Common ones include nausea and vomiting, headache, fatigue or dizziness. Other rare ones can include orthostatic hypotension (a drop in blood pressure when you stand up), hallucinations, heart valve problems and pleural effusion (fluid accumulation around the lungs). The drug may interact with certain other medications, including antidepressants, antipsychotics, clonazepam, clarithromycin, erythromycin, metoclopramide, phenytoin and tricyclic antidepressants.
What Are the Side Effects of Cabergoline?
Some people on cabergoline may experience a change in mood or mental health, such as depression, anxiety or hallucinations. Others may have a feeling of intense sexual urges or urges to gamble, which is why it is important to talk with your doctor. Occasionally, long-term treatment with cabergoline can result in a fibrotic condition that affects the lungs, called pulmonary fibrosis. Your endocrinologist will monitor you for this during treatment with blood tests and MRI scans of your pituitary gland.
Your doctor will give you this medication as a tablet to take by mouth two times a week. Your doctor will probably start you on a low dose and gradually increase your dosage until it is effective for your symptoms.
If you have trouble swallowing the tablets, your doctor may crush them for you to take with a liquid or soft food. You should not take this medication with a nitrate drug for heart disease, such as nitroglycerin (Microsurf), or ergotamine or dihydroergotamine (Ergomar, Cafergot, Migergot), methylergonovine (Methergine), or other ergot medicines.
This medication may cause drowsiness, so you should avoid driving or other activities that require alertness until you know how this drug affects you. It can also cause dizziness, especially if you get up from a lying position too quickly. This can lead to falls and accidents. To help prevent this, try to get up slowly from a lying down position and rest your feet on the floor for a few seconds before standing up.