Here for ya!

I started cabergoline last month. The mood swings are unreal. Is this normal?

Yes...and it's oh, so easy to get too much medication at any given time.

Break your tablets in half and take them twice as often.

This drug has a 5 day "half-life", meaning...you take the medication today...and in five days...you still have half the medication and it's effects in your system.

It's extremely easy for this to build up to an excessive level.

Also, the interplay between Dopamine and the other Neurotransmitters can wreak havoc on your emotional life.

Hi there turtleman. I just had the operation, but was on cabergoline for three years before that, and that pill can be a real bastard. It works, but you do sometimes pay the price. I used to took my pill on a Sunday. Consequently, I spent most of my Mondays down and out with massive headaches.
Instead of moodswings, I became totally numb.

Good luck to you.

Hi Turtleman.

You've not alone here. Don't ever hesitate to ask a question or just compare your experiences with us. Either publicly or privately.

The male experience, as I'm sure you know, is much different than the female prolactinoma experience.

We're here for you. :)

Thanks guys. I did think I was alone and your support helps a lot.
Things are getting better by the week. I'm sure there will be ups and downs. I'll stay in touch.

No, you are definitely not alone and we all have tricks, timing, and techniques that we employ to deal with the tumor and the medication.

Let us know of your concerns and problems...don't go it alone.

Hey there, people!

The last few hours have been somehow deeply eye opening. I just want to share this experience and would really appreciate your opinion.

So, first things first. I`m a 28 yr old male. From the onset puberty i had rather wild mood swings but managed to cope with them in a manner of saying: "Ok, it`s just chemical imbalance in the brain which is normal for this age...yada yada!" I had also pretty bad headaches and had troubles sleeping at night. Again, rather normal for puberty. I developed more fat in the pectoral region then my peers but again it`s considered normal for this period. Years past, i entered college, later finished masters in molecular biology, enrolled into phD and become a trained cognitive neuroscientist. At the age of 25 puberty should be long gone but yet the mood swings, irritability where all there and i genuinely hated these traits `cause they never felt really mine...
I`ve been reviewing my case for years, talked to specialists since this is not a matter of male pride but quality of life.

Now i`m 28 and stil have the following symptoms:

-frequent headaches
-sleepless nights but sleepiness and fatigue during the day (sometimes my eyes just start closing even if i`m involved in some physical activity)
-irritability
-rather wild mood swings
-sometimes the world seems just so sad
-abnormal fat in pectoral region (eventhough i`m very sporty and can easyly run a full marathon of 42 km)
-overall fat distribution is somehow unequally located in my upper body
-having a feeling of not being completly present in a situation (i used to think it is a part of having a scientific "critical distance", ha ha)
-being a heterosexual, leading a healthy lifestyle but not having as much libidinal drive as i would like to think ( best discription would be that while i really like having sex and can have it quite frequently but at the same time is not like an unconditional drive, like food for example as if it would be optional!!! )
-flushed face (since puberty)
-round face (lacking the real masculine features because it seems somehow padded with fat eventhough i have visible and well developed abs!!!)

What do you think? Does this sound in any way familiar? For the last few years a was reading scientific literature on bipolar disorder, depression...this and that. But hell, i never felt like psychiatric patient, i mean my mind was always there working actually briliantly (i can sometimes remember whole pages after reading them once or maybe twice by heart). I love reasoning, living life, women, literature, poetry, science, art... but somehow can`t fully appreciate these things because of this odd feeling inside my head.

To sum up... i`m definitely going to do bloodtests and MRI ASAP. Meanwhile i would like to know if this things sound familiar in any way? As for myself i have a feeling i finally nailed it! Finally!!!!!!!??????

Thanks for your kind reply and make everyday count!

B

Hi Bernard,

Yes this does sound familiar. I found this website to be an eye opener:http://www.patientpower.info/program/pituitary-disorders-symptoms-diagnosis-and-treatment

Most internists don't have a background in endocrinology. At most they have one or two classes in the first year of med school. Most pituitary diagnoses are missed for years and years. Meanwhile we blame our symptoms on whatever. Depression, weight gain, low testosterone, lack of libido, diabetes...when the source of it all is pituitary.

The cabergoline is a bitch, but worth it. Good luck.

Hi turtleman,

thanks for your answer and links. You say that cabergoline is a bitch. Can you be more specific because as far as i read most man were all hyped that their libido is going over the roof with little side effects?


After reading all this i just want to jump into MRI tube to make sense of 15 years of my life...

I take 250mg of Cabergoline 2 times a week. For the next day and a half, I can be a sarcastic asshole getting little pleasure from life. It's an effort not to strike out. I could easily be my own worst enemy. Maybe that is the testosterone getting back to normal. We'll look into that later this month.

I'm lucky to have a beautiful and understanding partner. The plus side is the sex: that's been great. It hasn't been this good in twenty years. So, it's worth it.

I see this medications can take you on one hell of a ride in thought patterns.
I`m waiting for MRI and the days are just so sloooow. It drives me crazy and at the same time all memories and things from my life started making sense.
I`m getting a very distinct feeling how chemical human conscious mind actually is!!!! I mean it`s almost a scary thought that a little change in a concentration of a certain substance can fundamentally change who you are!!!

All the best turtleman! Thanks for sharing!

Great info guys and it helps to see what you are all going through, im new to this i have just been to the endo and he believes i have a large macro prolactinoma although have to go to MRI this weekend to confirm, he says Bromocryptine is the first drug to try, i also believe he said my prolactin levels are over 7,000 with a testosterone lvl of 2.7 things are starting to make sense, i really hope i can beat this! keep the stream of info going its nice to have a reference point for all of this.

Thanks to all the previous posters, it seems this is a lot more rare in men than women. I found I have a 8mm prolactinoma and just started cabergoline .25mg twice a week. At my yearly physical (53 yrs old) I had told my PCP that I had gained 15lb in a year and was not able to do my normal weight lifting weights, plus had less libido and ED in the last month: he ran testosterone test which was low, then tested for prolactin which was high and sent me for an MRI which showed the prolactinoma.
Having just started, I'm hoping to gain some insight as to when and what to expect from the medication: I'm hoping that as the prolactin decreases and testosterone returns to normal that I will begin to feel like my 'old self', also what side affects I might expect.

I'm just back from the endo. Thursday of last week, the paranoia got to be too much. My wife stayed with me and called the endo, I stopped the cabergoline, got my blood tested and went in for my 6 month MRI. The good news is my noma has shrunk to half its previous size and prolactin levels are good. We are going to switch to bromocriptine for the next six months and hope for more success.