There are medications to treat high prolactin levels, especially if there are symptoms the person wants to get rid of. These include: Cabergoline is a medication taken twice weekly. The doctor will start at a low dose and increase the dose until the prolactin levels are normalized.
How can elevated prolactin levels be treated?
stress. With strongly elevated prolactin due to a prolactinoma, the best treatment can be the medication bromocriptine. For other causes, the best treatment is to try to correct the underlying problem such as taking thyroid hormone to correct hypothyroidism or finding an alternative to stomach acid medication.
How to reduce prolactin medically and naturally?
- Improve thyroid function
- Lower cholesterol naturally
- Reduce anxiety and depression
- Fight brain cell degeneration
- Stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels
- Support adrenal functions
What are the causes and remedy for high prolactin levels?
The following medications may cause the prolactin level to increase:
- Medications for high blood pressure such as calcium channel blockers
- Medications for depression such as SSRI antidepressants and tricyclic antidepressants
- Medications for gastroesophageal reflux disease and heartburn
- Medications for vomiting and nausea
- Opiates that are derived from opium
What are the dangers of high prolactin levels?
What are the side effects of high prolactin levels in men?
- Headaches
- Visual impairment
- Reduced libido
- Fertility issues
- Erectile dysfunction
- Abnormal lack of body and facial hair
- Gynecomastia (commonly known as man-boobs)
What is the treatment for high prolactin levels?
Dopamine agonists such as bromocriptine (Parlodel and Cycloset) are the most common treatment for high levels of prolactin. These medications help the brain produce dopamine to control high prolactin levels. They can also shrink prolactinoma tumors. Your doctor may recommend that you take cabergoline.
Can high prolactin be corrected?
As noted above, prolactin levels can often be corrected by stopping or switching to a different medication. Correction of hypothyroidism is very effective also. If prolactin levels are persistently high, they can be effectively treated with a group of medications known as dopamine agonists.
How is overproduction of prolactin treated?
The most commonly used medicines are cabergoline and bromocriptine. Your doctor will start you on a low dose of one of these medications and slowly increase the dose until your prolactin levels go back to normal.
What is the problem if prolactin levels are high?
Excess prolactin can cause the production of breast milk in men and in women who are not pregnant or breastfeeding. In women, too much prolactin can also cause menstrual problems and infertility (the inability to get pregnant). In men, it can lead to lower sex drive and erectile dysfunction (ED).
What is the main cause of high prolactin?
Hyperprolactinemia means you have higher-than-normal levels of prolactin in your blood. The most common cause is a prolactinoma, a benign (noncancerous) tumor in your pituitary gland. Certain health conditions and medications can also cause hyperprolactinemia.
Does metformin lower prolactin levels?
Metformin reduces elevated, but not normal, prolactin levels. Prolactin-lowering effect of metformin is dose-dependent. This effect correlates with baseline prolactin levels. Metformin may bring benefits to patients with drug-induced hyperprolactinemia.
What happens if high prolactin is not treated?
Too much prolactin reduces the production of the hormones estrogen and testosterone. Too much prolactin also can prevent the release of an egg during the menstrual cycle (anovulation) in females. In males, too much prolactin also can lead to decreased sperm production. Bone loss (osteoporosis).
Does vitamin E lower prolactin?
After the vitamin E treatment serum prolactin levels were significantly decreased (50.8 vs 15.4 ng/ml, p < 0.01). Vitamin E levels were significantly increased (1.11 vs 1.22 mg/dl, p < 0.05). Serum FSH, LH and free testosterone were not affected.
Why is Cabergoline prescribed?
Cabergoline is used to treat different types of medical problems that occur when too much of the hormone prolactin is produced. It can be used to treat certain menstrual problems, fertility problems in men and women, and pituitary prolactinomas (tumors of the pituitary gland).
Which foods decrease prolactin level?
Foods that lower prolactin levels are generally high in zinc; think shellfish, beef, turkey and beans. It's also important to get plenty of B6, so foods like potatoes, bananas, wild salmon, chicken and spinach can help boost those vitamin levels.
Does high prolactin always mean tumor?
Prolactin affects the mammary glands and helps women make breast milk. Sometimes, a tumor grows on the pituitary gland and makes too much prolactin. This kind of tumor is called a prolactinoma. It's the most common type of pituitary tumor and is most often benign, which means it's not cancer.
Does PCOS cause high prolactin?
Some women with PCOS do have elevated prolactin levels, typically falling within the 25-40 ng/ml range. ANDRO is a hormone that is produced by the ovaries and adrenal glands. Sometimes high levels of this hormone can affect estrogen and testosterone levels. Normal ANDRO levels are between 0.7 3.1 ng/ml.
What is the best medication for high prolactin levels?
Medication. There are medications to treat high prolactin levels, especially if there are symptoms the person wants to get rid of. These include: Cabergoline is a medication taken twice weekly. The doctor will start at a low dose and increase the dose until the prolactin levels are normalized.
What medications increase prolactin levels?
Typical drugs that can cause high prolactin levels include Stelazine and Haldol (major tranquilizers), Reglan (often used to treat acid reflux and nausea from cancer drugs), and alpha methyldopa and reserpine (anti-hypertensive medications). If you are taking any of these drugs, talk to your doctor about the effects of these drugs on you.
What is a tumor in the pituitary gland that secretes prolactin?
A prolactinoma is a tumor in the pituitary gland that secretes prolactin. This results in high prolactin levels and a reduction in other hormones secreted by the pituitary gland if it crowds out the other tissues of the pituitary gland.
What are the side effects of taking prolactin?
Side effects include headache, nausea and lightheadedness. If the medication you are taking is causing the problem of hyperprolactinemia, the doctor may stop the medication and try a different one that does not raise prolactin levels or may add a medication to lower the levels of prolactin. 3. Surgery.
Can prolactin be elevated?
Usually a simple blood test can show elevated prolactin levels. If the prolactin levels are too high, other tests are done, such as tests for decreased thyroid hormone levels. If the thyroid hormone levels are normal and a discussion of medication use reveals no cause for the hyperprolactinemia, pregnancy is ruled out.
Can high prolactin cause infertility?
High prolactin levels can result in infertility in both men and women who have it. It also results in loss of bone and a decrease in libido. Women who have elevated prolactin levels will also experience: No symptom at all. A lack of periods or irregular periods.
Does smoking marijuana cause elevated prolactin levels?
Marijuana: Smoking marijuana can cause elevations in the prolactin level in the blood. It goes away once you stop smoking marijuana. Pregnancy also causes elevated prolactin levels. This is a normal physiological response to pregnancy and prepares the breasts to produce milk for the baby.
What happens to prolactin levels after surgery?
The outcome of surgery depends on the size and location of the tumor and your prolactin levels before surgery, as well as the skill of the surgeon. The higher the prolactin level, the slimmer the chance that prolactin production will return to normal after surgery.
How to treat pituitary tumor?
Improve quality of life. Prolactinoma treatment consists of two main therapies: medications and surgery.
How long does it take for a pituitary tumor to come back after surgery?
Surgery corrects the prolactin level in most people with small pituitary tumors. However, many pituitary tumors come back within five years of surgery. For people with larger tumors that can only be partially removed, drug therapy often can return the prolactin level to a normal range after surgery.
What drugs are used to treat prolactin?
Commonly prescribed medications include bromocriptine (Cycloset, Parlodel) and cabergoline. These drugs decrease prolactin production and may shrink the tumor in most people with prolactinoma.
What tests can detect prolactin?
Blood tests. Blood tests can detect the overproduction of prolactin and whether levels of other hormones controlled by the pituitary are within the normal range. Women of childbearing age also will have a pregnancy test. Brain imaging.
What is the procedure called when a tumor is removed from the nasal cavity?
Most people who need surgery have a procedure in which the tumor is removed through the nasal cavity. It's called transsphenoidal surgery.
Why is the risk of brain tumors low?
Complication rates are low because no other areas of the brain are touched during surgery, and this surgery leaves no visible scars. Transcranial surgery. If your tumor is large or has spread to nearby brain tissue, you may need this procedure, also known as a craniotomy.
What are practice guidelines for prolactin?
Practice guidelines are presented for diagnosis and treatment of patients with elevated prolactin levels. and managing prolactinomas in nonpregnant and pregnant subjects. Indications and side effects of therapeutic agents for treating prolactinomas are also presented.
Is hyperprolactinemia a cost effective test?
Testing for hyperprolactinemia is straightforward, owing to the ease of ordering a serum prolactin measurement. Accordingly, an evidence-based, cost-effective approach to management of this relatively common endocrine disorder is required.
Why does prolactin increase?
The following medications may cause the prolactin level to increase: Medications for high blood pressure such as calcium channel blockers. Medications for depression such as SSRI antidepressants and tricyclic antidepressants.
Why is my prolactin high?
The symptoms of menopause may also cause high prolactin levels. Other causes of high prolactin levels: An underactive thyroid gland or hypothyroidism, wherein not enough thyroid hormone is produced by the thyroid gland. Chest wall injuries or any other condition that can affect the chest wall.
What causes prolactin levels to rise?
Acromegaly - Acromegaly is a growth hormone disorder. In this condition, the neurotransmitter called dopamine is suppressed, so the levels of prolactin rise. Epileptic Seizures - Prolactin levels drastically rise after epileptic seizures.
What is the level of prolactin in a macroprolactinoma?
Although a significant elevation of prolactin can occur due to medications, a diagnosis of a macroprolactinoma is having levels of 500 ug/mL or greater . The evaluating physician must decide whether there is a need for a radiographic study if the level of prolactin is greater than 100 ng/mL or less than 250.
What hormone is responsible for breast enlargement?
Prolactin is a peptide hormone. It is responsible for breast enlargement in women during pregnancy and milk production. This hormone is a protein made from amino acid chains. If the prolactin level increases, then it gives rise to the condition called hyperprolactinemia. Expert Answers.
What is it called when the prolactin level in the blood increases?
When the prolactin level in the blood increases and the production of this hormone is in excess, this condition is called hyperprolactinemia. This hormone is responsible for milk production in women. However, elevated prolactin levels can cause problems in men and women. Prolactin is a peptide hormone.
Can pituitary radiation cause high prolactin levels?
Pituitary radiation treatment for tumors. Sometimes, the cause of high prolactin levels cannot be determined. When an individual has an elevated prolactin level in the blood, doctors may order for an MRI scan of the brain to rule out pituitary tumors.
What is the best treatment for a prolactinoma?
Treatment for high levels is usually with medication, normally Parlodel or Dostinex. If someone has a prolactinoma, medication can usually reduce the size of the tumor. The medication used to treat high levels can cause side effects, such as nausea and stomach issues.
What causes a high prolactin level?
This level of prolactin in the blood can have many causes. Conditions related to raised levels of prolactin include: pituitary disorders. hypothyroidism.
How does prolactin affect fertility?
A person’s fertility can be affected by how much of the hormone prolactin they have in their blood. A doctor can suggest possible treatments after a prolactin level test has measured the amount that is in a blood sample. Prolactin is the hormone that tells the body to make breast milk when a person is pregnant or breast-feeding.
Why is prolactin low?
A common cause of low levels is medication. Some examples include dopamine and levodopa. In some cases, low levels of prolactin may be a sign of a pituitary disorder, for example, hypopituitarism. This is a rare condition that can delay growth and puberty in children, and cause premature aging in adults.
What is the prolactin level test?
Doctors measure the hormone levels in nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). A prolactin level test is simple and measures the amount of the hormone in the blood. It can check to see if levels are too low or too high.
How much does a prolactin level test cost?
The cost of the test varies widely, depending on the test provider. The price can range from $20 to $32 with health insurance, to $140 or more without.
How long does it take for a prolactin test to be done?
Levels gradually rise overnight and are at their highest in the morning. Doctors usually ask to take a blood sample 3 to 4 hours after a person has woken up.
What causes elevated prolactin levels?
As prolactin is regulated by dopamine , medications that interfere with this substance in the brain can cause elevated prolactin levels. Drugs prescribed for psychiatric and gastrointestinal disorders may raise prolactin levels to greater than 200 ng/ ml.
How long does it take for prolactin to return to normal after stopping a medication?
If an elevated prolactin level is due to a medication, the level will usually return to normal 3-4 days after the drug is stopped.
Can you determine if you have high prolactin?
It is not possible to determine the cause of an elevated prolactin from the blood level alone. Even if you have a high prolactin level caused by a medication, do not stop any of your medications without first consulting your doctor.
Clinical significance
Cause
- Goals in the treatment of a prolactinoma include: 1. Return the production of prolactin to within the standard range 2. Reduce the size of the prolactinoma 3. Restore healthy pituitary gland function For most people, treatment can eliminate or improve: 1. Problems caused by increased prolactin levels, such as irregular menstrual periods, infertilit...
Adverse effects
Diagnosis
Signs and symptoms
Symptoms
Treatment
- Drugs can cause an elevated prolactin level, especially those drugs that can inhibit the function of dopamine, cause a low production of dopamine, or deplete the stores of dopamine in the brain. These drugs include antipsychotics, drugs used to treat hypertension, and tranquilizers.