Cabergoline (Systemic)

Brand Names : Dostinex

Before Using This Medicine

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For cabergoline, the following should be considered:

Allergies - Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to cabergoline or other ergot alkaloid medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy - Cabergoline has not been shown to cause birth defects or other problems in humans. However, studies in animals have shown that cabergoline causes a decrease in successful pregnancies and other problems. This is because prolactin works differently in animal pregnancies than it does in human pregnancies. Before taking this medicine, make sure your doctor knows if you are pregnant or if you may become pregnant.

Breast-feeding - It is not known whether cabergoline passes into the breast milk. Cabergoline should not be used by breast-feeding women or women planning to breast-feed within a short period of time. Reducing the amount of available prolactin is likely to stop the release of breast milk in breast-feeding women.

Children - Studies of this medicine have been done only in adult patients, and there is no specific information comparing use of cabergoline in children with use in other age groups.

Older adults - Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults or if they cause different side effects or problems in older people. There is no specific information comparing use of cabergoline in the elderly with use in other age groups.

Other medicines - Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking cabergoline, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:

• Antipsychotic medicines (medicines for mental illness) or
• Metoclopramide (e.g., Reglan) - Cabergoline may stop these medicines from working properly and require a change in dose for these medicines

Other medical problems - The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of cabergoline. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• High blood pressure, untreated or
• High blood pressure of pregnancy (or history of) - Cabergoline usually decreases blood pressure but at times it may increase blood pressure and worsen these conditions

• Liver disease, mild to severe - Cabergoline may worsen this condition; a lower dose of cabergoline may be required