Cabergoline 2mg tablets
Requires a prescription from a doctor or prescriber
Cabergoline, an ergot derivative, is a long-acting dopamine agonist and prolactin inhibitor.
Official documents, adverse reaction reporting, and safety monitoring
Report a side effect
Submit a Yellow Card report to the MHRA
Official medicine documents
Safety monitoring data
Yellow Card reports
The MHRA Yellow Card scheme collects reports of suspected side effects from healthcare professionals and patients. View the Drug Analysis Profile (iDAP) for real-world adverse reaction data.
View Drug Analysis Profile
Suspected adverse reactions reported for Cabergoline
Browse all iDAP reports
Interactive Drug Analysis Profiles for all medicines
Report a side effect
Submit a Yellow Card report to the MHRA
Data from the MHRA Yellow Card scheme. A reported reaction does not necessarily mean the medicine caused it. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
EudraVigilance
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) collects suspected adverse reaction reports from across the EU/EEA through the EudraVigilance system. Search for safety data on this medicine.
View EudraVigilance report
Suspected adverse reactions reported for Cabergoline
About EudraVigilance
Learn about EU pharmacovigilance and safety monitoring
EudraVigilance data is published by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). A suspected adverse reaction is not necessarily caused by the medicine.
18 branded products available
MHRA licensed products
View all licensed products for Cabergoline on the MHRA register
Cabaser 2mg tablets
Cabergoline 2mg tablets
Cabergoline 2mg tablets
Cabergoline 2mg tablets
Cabergoline 2mg tablets
This is the NHS Drug Tariff indicative price used for reimbursement purposes. It may not reflect the price paid by patients or pharmacies.
View full Drug TariffSource: NHS Drug Tariff via NHSBSA. Derived from dm+d VMPP (Virtual Medicinal Product Pack) pricing data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
WHO defined daily dose (DDD)
3 mg
Not a recommended dose. The DDD is the assumed average maintenance dose per day for a drug used for its main indication in adults. It is a statistical measure used for research and comparison purposes only.
Source: WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology, distributed via the NHS dm+d supplementary BNF/ATC mapping files (NHSBSA). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Therapeutically similar medicines
Similarity is based on WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and on a factual NHS dm+d therapeutic-grouping code prefix. Source data: NHS dm+d via TRUD (OGL v3.0), WHO ATC/DDD Index.
NHS prescribing volume and spending trends
Guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
NICE clinical guidance(1)
Source: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Check stock at pharmacies and supply information
Pharmacy stock checkers
Search for this medicine at major UK pharmacy chains. These links open the retailer's own website — results depend on their current online catalogue.
Supply & safety information
Official UK regulator monitoring and safety alerts
Pharmacy links redirect to the retailer's own search and do not represent real-time stock levels. Shortage and safety information sourced from MHRA drug safety updates (gov.uk, Crown Copyright under OGL v3.0).
Codes for healthcare professionals and prescribing systems
These codes are used by healthcare IT systems and prescribers to identify this medicine.
NHS UK identifiers
Browse tools
SNOMED CT and dm+d codes from NHS TRUD (Technology Reference data Update Distribution), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. BNF code shown is the factual mapping value distributed by NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) in the dm+d supplementary file under OGL v3.0; it is not affiliated with, nor licensed from, the publishers of the British National Formulary. ATC codes from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology (whocc.no).
Active and completed clinical studies from ClinicalTrials.gov
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Data accessed via ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Trial information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Academic studies and reviews for this medicine's active substance
Showing the 50 most relevant studies.
Reviews & meta-analyses: 28 · Randomised trials: 17 · 2014–2026
Showing the 50 most relevant studies, sorted by most relevant.
V. Leitão, R. Moroni, Ludimila M D Seko, et al.
Fertility and sterility, 2014
Otis AS, Brochet MS, Tremblay Z, et al.
2025
- Pregnancy Outcome
- Cabergoline
- Abortion, Spontaneous
IntroductionLack of available expert guidelines leads clinicians to interrupt cabergoline treatment upon confirmation of pregnancy and consider switching to bromocriptine, which is more commonly used during pregnancy but is poorly tolerated.ObjectiveThe objective of this review was to evaluate pregnancy outcomes, primarily major malformations and spontaneous abortions, after pregnancy exposure to cabergoline during the first trimester compared to pregnancy exposure to other comparators or no treatment.MethodsAn Embase, Pubmed, Google Scholar, and ClinicalTrials.gov search was performed. Full articles published before October 27, 2022, and evaluating the effect of cabergoline on major malformations and spontaneous abortions were considered for inclusion in the review. Search results were manually screened and selected by two independent reviewers.ResultsTotally, 2186 records were identified. After removal of duplicates and screening of abstracts, 65 full-text articles were consulted. Thirty articles corresponded to our selection criteria and were included in the systematic review. This review identified 1662 pregnancies exposed to cabergoline. Most studies did not find an increased risk of congenital malformations or spontaneous abortions with cabergoline compared to other comparators or no treatment. Overall study quality was low, and there was high heterogeneity between studies.ConclusionThis review revealed no negative impact on major malformations and spontaneous abortions of cabergoline use in pregnancy compared to other comparators or no treatment. However, additional high-quality studies are needed to further study the safety of cabergoline use during pregnancy.Trial registrationPROSPERO, CRD42021256219 (October 19, 2021).
Abstract licence: CC BY-NC
Chakraborty AM, Rastogi A
2025
- Prolactinoma
- Pituitary Neoplasms
- Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic
Jentus MM, Pelsma I, van Trigt VR, et al.
2026
- Prolactinoma
- Pituitary Neoplasms
- Transgender Persons
ObjectiveProlactinomas are the most common functioning pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs). In transgender women, gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) usually combines high doses of estrogen and anti-androgen therapy, both of which can elevate serum prolactin levels. Whether GAHT influences tumor behavior in patients with pre-existing prolactinomas remains unclear.Design and methodsCase report illustrating the clinical challenges in managing a prolactinoma in the context of GAHT initiation, combined with a systematic review of all published cases and available guidelines of GAHT in the prolactinoma context.ResultsA 22-year-old female (46,XY; assigned male at birth) with untreated gender dysphoria and hypogonadism was diagnosed with a macroprolactinoma (39.9 mm; serum prolactin 285 × upper limit of normal (ULN)). Cabergoline therapy reduced prolactin levels to 27.3 × ULN within one year. Pituitary apoplexy with acute visual field and acuity deterioration required emergency transsphenoidal debulking. Two months postoperatively, prolactin levels were 8.6 × ULN with total hypopituitarism and small irresectable remnants. Initiation of estrogen therapy led to unexpected biochemical (128.4 × ULN) and radiological progression despite cabergoline reintroduction and dose escalation, necessitating estrogen withdrawal to stabilize the disease. Subsequent radiotherapy allowed safe estrogen reintroduction. To date, 24 prolactinomas in transgender women (including this case) have been reported, most diagnosed after GAHT initiation and lacking baseline prolactin data. Current clinical guidelines provide no specific recommendations for pituitary tumors in this population.ConclusionsGAHT initiation might induce rapid progression and concomitant dopamine-agonist resistance in residual macroprolactinoma. Individualized, multidisciplinary management is needed. Development of dedicated clinical guidelines is essential to combine tumor control with gender-affirming care.
Abstract licence: CC BY
Khorasani S, Dara T, Dehghan H, et al.
2025
C. Stiles, Eugene T Tetteh-Wayoe, J. Bestwick, et al.
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2018
Jintao Hu, Xin Zheng, Weihua Zhang, et al.
Pituitary, 2015
H. Huang, S. Lin, W. Zhao, et al.
Metabolic Brain Disease, 2018
K. Harris, K. Murphy, D. Horn, et al.
Journal of obstetrics and gynaecology Canada : JOGC = Journal d'obstetrique et gynecologie du Canada : JOGC, 2020
Yang Yang, I. Boucoiran, K. Tulloch, et al.
International Journal of Women's Health, 2020
Sources: aggregated from Europe PMC (EMBL-EBI), OpenAlex, Crossref, PubMed and other open scholarly databases. Retracted articles are excluded. Study information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Pharmacology and chemical data from DrugBank
Key facts
Drug status
Approved
Major interactions
28 found
Half-life
63 to 69 hours
Mechanism
The dopamine D2 receptor is a 7-transmembrane G-protein coupled receptor associated with Gi proteins.
Food interactions
3 warnings
Human targets
21 targets
Data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
Absorption
Half-life
63 to 69 hours
Protein binding
40%
Metabolism
4-6%
Elimination
22%
Clearance
008 L
* nonrenal cl=3.2 L/min
Pharmacokinetic data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Known interactions with other medications. Always consult a healthcare professional.
Showing 50 of 1608 interactions
How the body processes this drug — absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
The main metabolite identified in urine is 6-allyl-8b-carboxy-ergoline (4-6% of dose). Three other metabolites were identified urine (less than 3% of dose).
* nonrenal cl=3.2 L/min
Proteins and enzymes this drug interacts with in the body
PMID:21645528
Positively regulates postnatal regression of retinal hyaloid vessels via suppression of VEGFR2/KDR activity, downstream of OPN5 (By similarity)
PMID:18703043 PMID:23519210 PMID:7926008 PMID:8078486 PMID:8143856 PMID:8882600
Also functions as a receptor for various ergot alkaloid derivatives and psychoactive substances .
PMID:12970106 PMID:18703043 PMID:23519210 PMID:23519215 PMID:24357322 PMID:28129538 PMID:30127358 PMID:36087581 PMID:7926008 PMID:8078486 PMID:8143856
Ligand binding causes a conformation change that triggers signaling via guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) and modulates the activity of downstream effectors .
PMID:23519215 PMID:28129538 PMID:8078486 PMID:8143856 PMID:8882600
HTR2B is coupled to G(q)/G(11) G alpha proteins and activates phospholipase C-beta, releasing diacylglycerol (DAG) and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) second messengers that modulate the activity of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and promote the release of Ca(2+) ions from intracellular stores, respectively .
PMID:18703043 PMID:23519215 PMID:28129538 PMID:30127358 PMID:36087581 PMID:8078486 PMID:8143856 PMID:8882600
Beta-arrestin family members inhibit signaling via G proteins and mediate activation of alternative signaling pathways .
PMID:23519215 PMID:28129538 PMID:30127358 PMID:36087581
Plays a role in the regulation of dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine release, 5-hydroxytryptamine uptake and in the regulation of extracellular dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine levels, and thereby affects neural activity. May play a role in the perception of pain (By similarity). Plays a role in the regulation of behavior, including impulsive behavior .
PMID:21179162
Required for normal proliferation of embryonic cardiac myocytes and normal heart development (By similarity).
Protects cardiomyocytes against apoptosis (By similarity). Plays a role in the adaptation of pulmonary arteries to chronic hypoxia (By similarity). Plays a role in vasoconstriction (By similarity).
Required for normal osteoblast function and proliferation, and for maintaining normal bone density (By similarity). Required for normal proliferation of the interstitial cells of Cajal in the intestine (By similarity)
PMID:1330647 PMID:18703043 PMID:19057895 PMID:21645528 PMID:22300836 PMID:35084960 PMID:38552625
Also functions as a receptor for various drugs and psychoactive substances, including mescaline, psilocybin, 1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane (DOI) and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) .
PMID:28129538 PMID:35084960
Ligand binding causes a conformation change that triggers signaling via guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) and modulates the activity of downstream effectors .
PMID:28129538 PMID:35084960
HTR2A is coupled to G(q)/G(11) G alpha proteins and activates phospholipase C-beta, releasing diacylglycerol (DAG) and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) second messengers that modulate the activity of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and promote the release of Ca(2+) ions from intracellular stores, respectively .
PMID:18703043 PMID:28129538 PMID:35084960
Beta-arrestin family members inhibit signaling via G proteins and mediate activation of alternative signaling pathways .
PMID:28129538 PMID:35084960
Affects neural activity, perception, cognition and mood .
PMID:18297054
Plays a role in the regulation of behavior, including responses to anxiogenic situations and psychoactive substances. Plays a role in intestinal smooth muscle contraction, and may play a role in arterial vasoconstriction (By similarity)
Enzymes involved in drug metabolism — important for understanding drug interactions
Proteins that transport this drug across cell membranes
PMID:2897240 PMID:35970996 PMID:8898203 PMID:9038218 PMID:35507548
Catalyzes the flop of phospholipids from the cytoplasmic to the exoplasmic leaflet of the apical membrane. Participates mainly to the flop of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, beta-D-glucosylceramides and sphingomyelins .
PMID:8898203
Energy-dependent efflux pump responsible for decreased drug accumulation in multidrug-resistant cells PMID:2897240 PMID:35970996 PMID:9038218
ATC N04BC06
ATC G02CB03
Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
Show
Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
Linked compound data from DrugBank Open Data (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Cabergoline
Additional database identifiers
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
12006
ChemSpider
49452
BindingDB
50426497
Guide to Pharmacology
37
ZINC
ZINC000003800008
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:3023
GenAtlas
DRD2
GeneCards
DRD2
GenBank Gene Database
M30625
GenBank Protein Database
181432
Guide to Pharmacology
215
UniProt Accession
DRD2_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:5294
GenAtlas
HTR2B
GeneCards
HTR2B
GenBank Gene Database
X77307
GenBank Protein Database
475198
Guide to Pharmacology
7
UniProt Accession
5HT2B_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:3024
GenAtlas
DRD3
GeneCards
DRD3
GenBank Gene Database
U32499
GenBank Protein Database
927342
Guide to Pharmacology
216
UniProt Accession
DRD3_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:5293
GenAtlas
HTR2A
GeneCards
HTR2A
GenBank Gene Database
S42168
GenBank Protein Database
36431
Guide to Pharmacology
6
UniProt Accession
5HT2A_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:282
GenAtlas
ADRA2B
GeneCards
ADRA2B
GenBank Gene Database
M34041
GenBank Protein Database
178198
Guide to Pharmacology
26
UniProt Accession
ADA2B_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:5289
GenAtlas
HTR1D
GeneCards
HTR1D
GenBank Gene Database
M89955
GenBank Protein Database
177772
Guide to Pharmacology
3
UniProt Accession
5HT1D_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:3025
GenAtlas
DRD4
GeneCards
DRD4
GenBank Gene Database
L12398
GenBank Protein Database
291946
Guide to Pharmacology
217
UniProt Accession
DRD4_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:281
GenAtlas
ADRA2A
GeneCards
ADRA2A
GenBank Gene Database
M23533
GenBank Protein Database
178196
Guide to Pharmacology
25
UniProt Accession
ADA2A_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:5286
GenAtlas
HTR1A
GeneCards
HTR1A
GenBank Gene Database
M28269
GenBank Protein Database
189928
Guide to Pharmacology
1
UniProt Accession
5HT1A_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:283
GenAtlas
ADRA2C
GeneCards
ADRA2C
GenBank Gene Database
J03853
GenBank Protein Database
178194
Guide to Pharmacology
27
UniProt Accession
ADA2C_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:3026
GenAtlas
DRD5
GeneCards
DRD5
GenBank Gene Database
X58454
GenBank Protein Database
32049
Guide to Pharmacology
218
UniProt Accession
DRD5_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:3020
GenAtlas
DRD1
GeneCards
DRD1
GenBank Gene Database
X55760
GenBank Protein Database
30397
Guide to Pharmacology
214
UniProt Accession
DRD1_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:5287
GenAtlas
HTR1B
GeneCards
HTR1B
GenBank Gene Database
D10995
GenBank Protein Database
219679
Guide to Pharmacology
2
UniProt Accession
5HT1B_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:5295
GenAtlas
HTR2C
GeneCards
HTR2C
GenBank Gene Database
M81778
GenBank Protein Database
338028
Guide to Pharmacology
8
UniProt Accession
5HT2C_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:5302
GenAtlas
HTR7
GeneCards
HTR7
GenBank Gene Database
U68487
GenBank Protein Database
1857143
Guide to Pharmacology
12
UniProt Accession
5HT7R_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:277
GenAtlas
ADRA1A
GeneCards
ADRA1A
GenBank Gene Database
D25235
GenBank Protein Database
433201
Guide to Pharmacology
22
UniProt Accession
ADA1A_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:278
GenAtlas
ADRA1B
GeneCards
ADRA1B
GenBank Gene Database
M99589
Guide to Pharmacology
23
UniProt Accession
ADA1B_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:280
GenAtlas
ADRA1D
GeneCards
ADRA1D
GenBank Gene Database
M76446
GenBank Protein Database
177807
Guide to Pharmacology
24
UniProt Accession
ADA1D_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:285
GenAtlas
ADRB1
GeneCards
ADRB1
GenBank Gene Database
J03019
GenBank Protein Database
178200
Guide to Pharmacology
28
UniProt Accession
ADRB1_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:286
GenAtlas
ADRB2
GeneCards
ADRB2
GenBank Gene Database
Y00106
GenBank Protein Database
29371
Guide to Pharmacology
29
UniProt Accession
ADRB2_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:3020
GenAtlas
DRD1
GeneCards
DRD1
GenBank Gene Database
X55760
GenBank Protein Database
30397
Guide to Pharmacology
214
UniProt Accession
DRD1_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:3026
GenAtlas
DRD5
GeneCards
DRD5
GenBank Gene Database
X58454
GenBank Protein Database
32049
Guide to Pharmacology
218
UniProt Accession
DRD5_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2637
GenAtlas
CYP3A4
GeneCards
CYP3A4
GenBank Gene Database
M18907
Guide to Pharmacology
1337
UniProt Accession
CP3A4_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:40
GenAtlas
ABCB1
GeneCards
ABCB1
GenBank Gene Database
M14758
GenBank Protein Database
307180
Guide to Pharmacology
768
UniProt Accession
MDR1_HUMAN
DrugBank citations
If you use DrugBank data in your research, please cite the following publications:
Show earlier publications
Structured knowledge from the free knowledge base
Linked open data from Wikidata (Q423308), a free and open knowledge base operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Data is available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication. WHO INN from the World Health Organization.