Prolactinoma Support Group

Michelle, I ended up in the Cath Lab and had a Cardiac Cath...because my blood pressure dropped on Cabergoline and they though I was in Congestive Heart Failure.

You are probably getting too much medication.

My situation was a no-so-funny comedy of errors.

I'm ok, but the drug binds strongly to Dopamine receptors in the vagus nerve and this can squelch much of the "messengers" going to the adrenal glands on your kidneys.

This will cause vasodilation and a very weak and slow adrenal response to exercise or exertion.

Cabergoline has a 5 day half-life...meaning that you take it today and, in 5 days, you still have half of it in your system.

This can cause the medication to "accumulate" in your Central Nervous System along with the side effects.

You might take a week off and see if you feel better.

My daughter had the echo before starting the
cabergoline, cardiologist said he would see her again in 6 months. She's been on it for 5 weeks.

Interesting, because since taking Cabergoline, my cortisol has been low. They did a stimulation test and said my body reacts to cortisol as it should, so that is fine.

The endo did suggest that I try stretching out how often I take cabergoline. I was taking .5MG every 7 days. I'm now trying to take .5MG every 9 days.

My only complaint is I still get so tired and I do feel like something is off with my heart. But the Echo was normal so that seems to be crossed off the list. I was next thinking may be it's the tyroid meds I take, but they really are such a low dose.

Do you mean take a break from exercising? I've always been thin and I've gained 45lbs since 2006. I'm 15lbs heavier than when I had kids!!! And I eat very healthy. Something still seems off.

This drug and this illness do a whole lot to the body.

The heart valve problems, I think, are caused by the extended use of too much Cabergoline.

Throughout the body are located the 5HT2B Dopamine receptors. There is a very rich supply of these in the cardiovascular system. In particular, there are a large number of these in the heart valves, proper.

My assertion is that, due to changes in conductive paths in and around the heart (remember, the heart is highly electrical in nature) that the heart responds to changed (or, in my opinion lowered) response to it's own electrical system...and thus...it promotes growth as if repairing myocardial damage...as in a heart attack.

With a heart attack, the heart muscle...rich in oxygenated blood supply, usually heals itself within 24 hours.

It's amazing, actually.

A bypass graft, from heart surgery, is usually healed in less than a week.

I think the heart valves begin to "grow" due to extended response of too much, too low, too long from the medication. From that, there can be valve misfitting and prolapse.

This will cause weakness from exertion.

Also, I think the conductive pathways from the natual pacemaker (the Sinoatrial node, Bundle of His, and Atrioventricular node) and the left ventricular wall perhaps have a way of becoming "atrophied".

In the stress tests that I've had, my "contractile volumes" have been in the lower 10% of the population. I think this borders on cardiomyopathy and I think it will eventually lead to heart disease for me.

You just try to exercise what you can, when you can...but I believe most everyone gets too much of this medication.

The action on the tumor is secondary to the production of Dopamine in the upper portions of the brain...which finds it's way to the 5th ventricle near the Hypothalamus.

It's a dicey game.

Do check on the thyroid . I have been researching a little on the subject .I know chest tightness and fatigue came up when level are off.

I've actually been working on my thyroid for the past 10 months. I started off with a natural thyroid (armour) and they are now adding Synthroid.

One of these days I'll get all of these hormones/glands regulated!!!

At least I know the heart valvues are fine:)

ok..so I hadn't really been worried about this in the past, but this conversation has me thinking. I have been on .5 mg Cabergoline twice a week for over two years. I was taking .5 mg three times per week for about 8 months and then switched to a new doc. She had me drop to .5 mg once a week for about 5 months, but prolactin went way up so they had me increase back to twice a week. I see her again the first week in December. Should I be asking about having an Echo done? Or if there is no problem, just don't worry about it?
I appreciate any thoughts on this..

Heart valve changes will take a considerable amount of time (years) to occur.

If you are not getting enough reduction in the prolactin level at a certain intake level of cabergoline, then you will need to increase the dosage.

But, it's easy to get too much of this medication and, its from that overage, that I think the liberation of the "excess" can cause problems over time.

For peace of mind, you might get an echo, and find a baseline for any kind of valve regurgitation.

In doing some research, it sounds like there should be a baseline of your heart valve to compare to later?? It can't hurt to ask.