Cabergoline, sold under the brand name Dostinex among others, is a dopaminergic medication used in the treatment of high prolactin levels, prolactinomas, Parkinson’s disease, and for other indications. It is taken by mouth.
Cabergoline is an ergot derivative and a potent dopamine D2 receptor agonist.
Cabergoline was patented in 1980 and approved for medical use in 1993.[3] It is on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines.
Medical uses
- Lactation suppression
- Hyperprolactinemia
- Adjunctive therapy of prolactin-producing pituitary gland tumors (prolactinomas);
- Monotherapy of Parkinson’s disease in the early phase;
- Combination therapy, together with levodopa and a decarboxylase inhibitor such as carbidopa, in progressive-phase Parkinson’s disease;
- In some countries also: ablactation and dysfunctions associated with hyperprolactinemia (amenorrhea, oligomenorrhea, anovulation, nonpuerperal mastitis and galactorrhea);
- Treatment of uterine fibroids.
- Adjunctive therapy of acromegaly, cabergoline has low efficacy in suppressing growth hormone levels and is highly efficient in suppressing hyperprolactinemia that is present in 20-30% of acromegaly cases; growth hormone and prolactin are similar structurally and have similar effects in many target tissues, therefore targeting prolactin may help symptoms when growth hormone secretion cannot be sufficiently controlled by other methods;
Cabergoline is frequently used as a first-line agent in the management of prolactinomas due to its higher affinity for D2 receptor sites, less severe side effects, and more convenient dosing schedule than the older bromocriptine, though in pregnancy bromocriptine is often still chosen since there is less data on safety in pregnancy for cabergoline.
