TweetComparison of the effects of cabergoline and bromocriptine on prolactin levels in hyperprolactinemic patients.
Sabuncu T, Arikan E, Tasan E, Hatemi H.
Harran University, Medical Faculty, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Sanliurfa, Turkey.
OBJECTIVE: It is well known that bromocriptine has a suppressive effect on the prolactin release in hyperprolactinemic patients. But it also has some adverse effects. The new, long-acting dopaminergic drug, cabergoline, has been reported to be an effective agent in these patients. However, there are relatively few reports comparing the beneficial and adverse effects of these drugs in the treatment of hyperprolactinemic patients. Therefore, here we studied and compared the efficacy and tolerability of cabergoline with bromocriptine in hyperprolactinemic patients. PATIENTS: Seventeen patients (7 with microprolactinoma, 4 with macroprolactinoma, 6 with idiopathic hyperprolactinemia) were given bromocriptine at a dose of 2.5 mg (or 5 mg for macroprolactinomas) twice daily, and 17 patients (8 with microprolactinoma, 4 with macroprolactinoma, 5 with idiopathic hyperprolactinemia) were given cabergoline at a dose of 0.5 mg twice weekly for 12 weeks. RESULTS: At the end of the study, the prolactin reduction was significantly greater in the cabergoline group than in the bromocriptine group (-93 vs. -87.5 %, respectively, p < 0.05). Normalization of prolactin levels was achieved in 10 of 17 patients (59%) in the bromocriptine group, and in 14 of 17 patients (82%) in the cabergoline group (p = 0.13). Two patients (50%) with macroprolactinoma in the bromocriptine group and three patients (75%) with macroprolactinoma in the cabergoline group demonstrated a normalization of their serum prolactin levels. Adverse events were noted in 53% of bromocriptine patients and in 12% of cabergoline patients (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: These data indicate that cabergoline is a very effective agent for lowering the prolactin levels in hyperprolactinemic patients and that it appears to offer considerable advantage over bromocriptine in terms of efficacy and tolerability.
Publication Types:
· Clinical Trial
· Randomized Controlled Trial
PMID: 11579944 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Ok, this study is basically a comparison between bromocriptine and Cabergoline. Both Ergot derrivatives and Dopamine
Agonists. Bromo being V1.0 and Cabergoline being V2.0 in that regard.
Normally, hyper-prolactinaemic levels are achieved in men/women when they run progestinic based AAS. i.e. Deca, Anadrol amd
Fina.
This is where Cabergoline comes in. It is an extremely good prolactin inhibitor...... 93% prolactin reduction(see study)..
Better than Bromo(87.5%).
High Prolactin levels are also directly linked with male fertility problems. I.e. High prolactin levels = HPTA shut down(in prett much all cases).
Hypogonadism of male prolactinomas: relation to pulsatile secretion of LH.
Saitoh Y, Arita N, Hayakawa T, Onishi T, Koga M, Mori S, Mogami H.
Department of Neurosurgery, Osaka University Medical School, Japan.
In order to investigate whether a hypothalamic disorder cause hypogonadism in male prolactinomas, LH pulsatile secretion was studied in 13 male patients. Serum PRL levels ranged from 186 to 45,000 ng ml-1 before treatment, and all the tumors were macroadenomas. Reduced LH secretion was revealed in 5 of 13 patients, and FSH was reduced in 1 of 13. Serum testosterone (T) levels were lower than the normal limit in all the patients. *** tests in 3 patients showed good responses, but the peak values of T were lower than those of normal men. LH pulsatilities were examined in 5 hyperprolactinemic patients before treatment, in 4 hyperprolactinemic patients after operation, and in 8 normoprolactinemic patients after operation and/or bromocriptine treatment. There was no significant difference of the mean LH values, the frequencies of LH pulses, and amplitudes among the hyperprolactinemic patients before operation (n = 5), the normoprolactinemic patients after operation (n = 8), and normal men (n = 7). From these results, it was evident that the hypothalamus and pituitary function of male prolactinomas were well preserved, in spite of higher serum PRL levels and larger tumor size than those reported in females.
It is suggested that the main cause of hypogonadism in these patients is due to testicular dysfunction resulting from excessive serum PRL.