Prescription medication · Dopamine Agonist (Prolactin)
cabergoline
Also sold as Dostinex. Cabergoline treats hyperprolactinemia.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 4,670
- FDA reportsLightly reported
- 2
- InteractionsFew interactions
- $1.32
- Generic price (NADAC)
What the data shows
cabergoline (Dostinex) is a prescription Dopamine Agonist (Prolactin), among the least-reported drugs the FDA tracks (4,670 FDA reports), with 2 documented drug interactions.
Reporting volume reflects how widely a drug is used and studied, not how dangerous it is, a FAERS report documents a temporal association, never proof of cause.
cabergoline (Dostinex) is a prescription Dopamine Agonist (Prolactin). Cabergoline treats hyperprolactinemia.
Cabergoline is a medicine that helps lower the amount of prolactin in your body. Prolactin is a hormone.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Generic Price
$1.32/unit
Generic Available
Yes (5 manufacturers)
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
What it does
Cabergoline treats hyperprolactinemia.
Common side effects
Nausea, Headache, Dizziness
Key warnings
You should not take cabergoline if you have uncontrolled high blood pressure.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from cabergoline's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Cabergoline works by acting like dopamine in your brain. Dopamine is a chemical that helps control prolactin release. By mimicking dopamine, cabergoline lowers prolactin levels.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 4,670 FDA adverse event reports.
Most-reported reactions
Adverse reactions in FAERS for cabergoline, by number of reports
- Headache
Headache
319 reports
- Fatigue
Fatigue
275 reports
- Nausea
Nausea
274 reports
- Dizziness
Dizziness
224 reports
- Malaise
Malaise
209 reports
- Pain
Pain
195 reports
- Diarrhoea
Diarrhoea
175 reports
- Condition Aggravated
Condition Aggravated
170 reports
- Anxiety
Anxiety
158 reports
- Rash
Rash
155 reports
What this shows Bars show how often each reaction was reported, not how likely it is to happen, a report records a temporal association, never proof that the drug caused it.
Reports over time
Adverse-event reports filed for cabergoline each year to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
Year-to-year volume tracks usage, prescribing, and scrutiny, not a change in per-patient risk. Source: FDA FAERS.
Where cabergoline sits
cabergoline has more FDA adverse-event reports than 24% of the drugs FAERS tracks. A high position reflects how widely a drug is used and watched, not how dangerous it is.
Percentile across all drugs PlainMeds tracks by FAERS report volume. The dot is cabergoline; the line is the median (50th percentile).
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 4,670 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2004–2025.
Total Reports
4,670
Reports Mentioning Death
245
5.2% of reports — not proof of cause
Hospitalization Reports
1,549
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | HEADACHE | 319 |
| 4 | FATIGUE | 275 |
| 5 | NAUSEA | 274 |
| 6 | DIZZINESS | 224 |
| 7 | MALAISE | 209 |
| 8 | PAIN | 195 |
| 9 | DIARRHOEA | 175 |
| 10 | CONDITION AGGRAVATED | 170 |
| 11 | ANXIETY | 158 |
| 12 | RASH | 155 |
| 13 | VOMITING | 154 |
| 15 | FALL | 150 |
| 16 | ABDOMINAL DISCOMFORT | 148 |
| 17 | DRUG INTERACTION | 142 |
| 18 | WEIGHT DECREASED | 138 |
Reactions in Death Reports
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Source: FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) Reports are voluntary and do not establish causation
Serious Warnings
You should not take cabergoline if you have uncontrolled high blood pressure. Also, don't take it if you're allergic to ergot medicines. Before starting, your doctor should check your heart. Cabergoline is also not recommended if you have a history of heart valve disorders or fibrotic disorders.
Known Drug Interactions
Drug Interactions: Cabergoline should not be administered concurrently with D 2 -antagonists, such as phenothiazines, butyrophenones, thioxanthenes, or metoclopramide.
Mechanism: These drugs have opposite effects on the brain's dopamine system, so taking them together can stop them from working.
Alitretinoin (oral) Cabergoline Cannabinoids Cinacalcet Galantamine Ivacaftor Monitor for adverse reactions.
Mechanism: Itraconazole slows down how fast your body breaks down cabergoline. This can cause the level of cabergoline in your blood to rise.
This is a plain-language summary of FDA-label interaction records and does not provide individual medication-combination directions.
Common Questions
Can I stop taking cabergoline on my own?
How long will I need to take cabergoline?
Will cabergoline cure my condition?
Can I drink alcohol while taking cabergoline?
What should I do if I feel dizzy after taking cabergoline?
Does cabergoline interact with other medications?
Can cabergoline cause weight gain?
How often will I need blood tests?
What if I want to get pregnant?
Can I take cabergoline with food?
What are the common side effects of cabergoline?
Does cabergoline interact with other medications?
What drug class is cabergoline?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for cabergoline?
Related Medications in Dopamine Agonist (Prolactin)
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conjugated estrogens
Premarin
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Compare beyond drug class
Nationwide peers by FAERS volume & death-report share
Two PlainMeds-derived comparison paths for cabergoline: nearest FDA FAERS report volume and nearest death-report share among drugs with at least 1,000 logged reports, excluding same-class neighbors listed above. Counts reflect reporting volume, not proven individual harm.
Similar FAERS report volume
Nearest drugs by total FAERS reports. This record: 4,670.
Similar death-report share
Nearest drugs by FAERS death-report share. This record: 5.25%.
- valbenazine Δ 0.02 pts · 24,340 reports · VMAT2 Inhibitor 5.22%death share
- desloratadine Δ 0.03 pts · 10,248 reports · Second-Generation Antihistamine 5.22%death share
- nabilone Δ 0.05 pts · 1,963 reports · Cannabinoid Antiemetic 5.20%death share
- oxytocin Δ 0.11 pts · 2,902 reports · Oxytocic Hormone 5.13%death share
Medication Guides
Understanding Drug Interactions
How CYP450 enzymes, inhibitors, and inducers affect your medications
Generic vs Brand Name Drugs
FDA requirements, cost savings, and when the difference matters
Narrow Therapeutic Index Drugs
FDA bioequivalence and label-record context for narrow therapeutic index medicines
Common Drug Interactions
Dangerous medication combinations and how to protect yourself
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What the FDA Data Shows for cabergoline
The FDA label for cabergoline (sold under brand names such as Dostinex) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Dopamine Agonist (Prolactin) class. Cabergoline treats hyperprolactinemia. Official labeling lists 5 commonly reported side effects, including Nausea, Headache, Dizziness.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 4,670 voluntary reports. The database also lists 2 documented drug interactions derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated minor severity. NADAC pricing from CMS shows a generic unit cost of $1.32.
Report counts do not establish causation, a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history, and patent information are separate source-record fields. This page is a public FDA/CMS registry and does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions.
Data Sources
Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Pricing: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC).
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. This registry does not provide medication decisions.
Last updated: December 8, 2025
PlainMeds is rendered directly from FDA openFDA/FAERS extracts, DailyMed labels, and CMS drug-pricing files, no number is typed in by an editor. FAERS counts, recalls, shortages, and price figures on this page are queried live from those federal extracts. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-15. Primary sources: openFDA / FAERS, DailyMed and CMS Part B ASP.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled from the source snapshot dated . See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a data issue.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FDA Orange Book - approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence. accessdata.fda.gov/cder/ob
- FDA DailyMed - NIH-hosted drug labeling for FDA-approved meds. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
- FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) - post-marketing safety surveillance. fda.gov/drugs/faers
- NLM RxNorm - standardized clinical drug nomenclature. nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnorm
- CMS Medicare Part B Drug Average Sales Price Files - federal drug pricing data. cms.gov/medicare/part-b-drugs/asp
- FDA Drug Shortages Database - current and resolved drug shortage tracking. accessdata.fda.gov/drugshortages