when I started taking Cabergoline I had a few side effects, such as brain fog and dizziness, but they passed after a couple of weeks. The only thing now is that the meds make me really sleepy, so I take them in the evening and then have an early night. I usually wake up fine but on rare occasions I wake up tired and feel groggy for the rest of the day......as I said these are now rare occasions. I have been on cabergoline for some time now and I seem to have no major effects anymore :)

Hope that this helps

Take care Xx

I'd go ahead and find something that works for your insomnia, I waited a long time and looking back it was silly of me. If you find the right insomnia prescription it will work wonders on your daytime energy and happiness.

I take ambien, but after the second day it makes me itch, so I'll take it for a few days every couple of weeks. I'm going to try trazodone next.

I'd had 2.5 days of brain fog/oversensitivity per week and crazy indigestion. It got rid of my headaches, makes me wonder if you're trying really hard to keep up with "normal" life, might need more down time? (or maybe sleep?)

I wasn't very functional on Cabergoline. I had my tumor removed by UCSF 10 months after starting it. My tumor read 2mm on the MRI.

Thanks for Sharing & I hope this helps.

I started on Cabergoline on 2/2. I'm taking 1/2 of a .5mg 2X a week. I take them at night before bed with a snack. The first day after I was a little nauseous, but it didnt last long. On the 4th night, I decided to take it a little earlier in the evening to see if I was sleeping off all of the symptoms. I was a little nauseous, but again, not bad. I am surprised because of all of the horror stories I have heard. The 2nd week I was on it I lost 7 lbs. I thought the weight was going to start pouring off, but when I got on the scale this morning I gained it all back :( When I started the meds I was still getting a period, but it was all over the place. 2/20 was my 6th dose. My period came 2 weeks late and I am still lactating. I wonder if the reason I am not having any side effects is because the pill is not working?? I'm going to give it another month and if there is no change I will have to call my endo and see if I need to up my dose.

My side effects went away after about a year, I was diagnosed in 07. Though, I'm having issues at the moment and trying to figure out what the heck is gong on (low blood pressure and low Iron are my other problems). I felt spacy and just wasn't tired at all too. Still getting big head fogs but that could be the iron issue. For your insomnia, try Rescue Remedy. It's a Bach Flower Remedy and I found it really good with my insomnia when I was pregnant.

So I'm on my third week now. Less insomnia, more tiredness throughout the day. I feel like I've been totally unmotivated to do anything at all. It's really weird. Usually when I'm home I'm always doing something (cleaning, working out, etc)--almost obsessively. Normally I could never sit still. Now I can't even seem to get myself out of bed or off the couch all day which is really unlike me. I have no energy & no motivation to do anything. I can't seem to make any decisions at all. I hope this is temporary & I'm just getting used to the med but it's kinda freaking me out.

Also, getting major stomach upset & constipation. Can't seem to eat much at all. After a few bites of almost anything I get nauseous. But it seems to pass. Just sticking with small meals throughout the day.

I increased my dose last night to a full 0.5mg tab twice a week. I'm hoping that these side effects don't get much worse before they get better. I'm really lucky to have family & friends who are understanding & don't really expect too much of me right now. Cause I certainly can't give too much!

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. Makes me feel like I'm not alone & that this is perfectly normal! It's nice to have people who understand what I'm going through!

I've been on cabergoline for about 8 months and have experienced all of these symptoms. I originally started on half of a 0.5 mg tablet twice a week, but I'm currently taking 2 0.5mg tablets twice a week. With each increase in dosage, I experienced more severe headaches. None of the otc pain medications have been able to help the pain, but the dizziness has long since passed. I too never experienced any headaches from the prolactinoma before starting treatment (I was on bromocriptine for about 6 months before switching to cabergoline).

I think getting plenty of downtime helps alleviate the symptoms. I am a freshman at Johns Hopkins and I can definitely see a difference in my overall health during the semester vs. being on break. I find that exercise too helps with some of the pain, and is rewarding in its own right:)

Hi,
I'm glad I found this discussion on cabergoline. I too have a prolactinoma, and have been on the medicine since November of 08. I truly hope to get off it someday. Has anyone experinced shortness of breath, and feeling like your lungs are not working right. I noticed this symptom after taking it for 3 months. It seems to happen on exercion. I have always been fit. I also have swelling in the legs. My fingers will swell about 24 hours after taking it. It just feels like it makes everything on me swell. I take .25 mg twice a week. Now I have developed a ringing sensation in my ears. Has anyone had that? I have told my endo all this and he says that the medicine should not be causing this. I do know these symptoms are mentioned on the leaflet that comes with the medicine. I would just like to know if anyone out there has experienced these symptoms while on cabergoline. It is just frustrating, because I cannot be as active as I once was.

I thought maybe it was just a fluke, but last week I went to put on one of my favorite pairs of sandals & they didn't fit!! I couldn't even buckle the strap! My feet don't look particularly swollen, but I was really bummed that the sandals were too tight. So I'm guessing it has to be the med. I haven't been eating bad at all either. I could understand it if I ate something really salty that I might get a little puffy. Also, I've noticed some of my jeans are a bit tighter and I've actually LOST weight since I started this. It's probably just a temporary thing but it's no fun. :(

Hello everyone,

I'm currently taking bromocriptine (Since 1/14/11) and I concur on all symptoms; fatigue, lack of motivation, have had some swelling, dehydration, indegestion, etc etc. It is all very frustrating because it is tough to not feel like me with all the side effects, mood swings, etc. However, I do believe in positivity, power of the mind, supportive family & friends and exercise. I've had good days & bad days and most of the time I feel like I'm taking it day by day. Hang in there everyone!

and to brokentopeices, I have continued my fitness regimen since I started all of this (train for marathons & triathlons). It can be done and is a great mood booster to battling all that we're going through. I'd recommend talking to your doctor about your oxygen lung intake and how it feels. With the right discussions & awareness, I hope that you can become your active self someday soon again.

I’m very late to this page but am hoping people will still look to it for help or leave a reply!! I was recently a first time anonymous egg donor, I had my retrieval 4 days ago and am still a bit sore and cramping. I had a bit of hyper stimulation and so I was given Cabergoline maybe a few days before my retrieval- I was told to take it every night before bed for 8 nights. Throughout the whole process (between the retrieval, hormones, cabergoline and other meds I was on) I was eating normally and wasn’t really ever nauseous or experiencing noticeable side effects. It wasn’t until I woke up this morning, after taking my 5th cabergoline pill last night, that I was extremely dizzy and nauseous. I had to hold onto the counter to get breakfast and later I came downstairs to try to go to the bathroom because I had been constipated since the day of my retrieval (not sure if it was from cabergoline or not but after today it is better). Anyway in the middle of that I began feeling extremely nauseous and I threw up twice even though I had barely eaten anything. I still felt light headed and a little nauseous but after a couple hours I thought maybe I was back to normal. I had talked to my doctor and she told me it was the side effects of the medication and not hyper stimulation (because I haven’t gained weight or had trouble breathing or anything) and that I could stop taking my medications, which I was happy about because the general soreness from the surgery is a lot better and at this point the meds are the only thing troubling me. I had to do a bit of shopping in the middle of the day and after walking around my cramping and light headedness got worse again. I bought myself a shake thinking maybe it would help the dizziness and I felt okay and actually hungry for maybe an hour after I got home. Then around 4pm I got unbelievably tired and a bit nauseous again. Finally I had to take a nap and now I just slept for 2 hours and still don’t feel 100% when I stand up. I’m not taking the meds anymore so hopefully it wears off, I’m just really confused as to how I could take 4 pills with no effect and now the 5th one seems to have effected my whole day. It’s also been like 24 hours since I’ve taken it at this point so I thought I’d feel better.

As bad as you think it is I will trade you. I am a member of the less than 1%
who ended up with HYPERSEXUALITY issues.
Almost destroyed my 35 year marraige. I became a 16 year old 61 year old as far as sex drive. Want it 2-3 times a day. Wife not having it. Started to go outside to get it. Stopped taking it a week ago and the headaches and irritability have already started from the withdrawals. Seeing a specialist at Mt. Sinai on the 18th.