Tablets "Agalates": reviews, instructions for use, prices

How does the Agalates drug work? Reviews about this drug, we will present in the materials of this article. You will also learn how to use the medication, how much it costs, whether it has side effects and contraindications, what it is intended for, and so on.

Composition, packaging, form of medical device

In what form is the "Agalates" medication made? Experts say that such a drug can be found in pharmacies only in the form of tablets. Their active substance is cabergoline. Also, the drug includes lactose, L-leucine and magnesium stearate.

To buy tablets "Agalates" (the price, responses are presented below) it is possible in dark glass jars which are placed in packs from a cardboard.

Pharmacological characteristics of the drug

Tablets "Agalates", reviews of which are ambiguous, are a synthetic alkaloid ergot. The active substance of this drug manifests itself as a dopamine receptor agonist. It inhibits the secretion of prolactin, stimulating the dopaminergic receptors of the hypothalamus.

The effect of the medication in question depends on the dose taken. Reduction of prolactin in the blood occurs after about 3 hours and lasts for 2-3 weeks.

During the treatment of hyperprolactinemia in men and women, the content of prolactin usually normalizes after 3-4 weeks.

How does Agalates work? Instruction, expert reviews inform us that this tool has a highly selective effect. However, it is absolutely safe and relatively well tolerated by patients.

One can not but say that as a result of taking the tablets under consideration, patients may have a decrease in blood pressure. And its degree depends on the dosage used. As practice shows, the hypotensive effect is observed only after a lapse of 6 hours (after administration).

Pharmacokinetic features of the drug

Now you know what the "Agalates" medication is. Instruction, price, reviews about this medicine are described in this article.

After ingestion, the drug is quickly absorbed from the digestive tract. In human blood it is determined after about 1-4 hours. About 42% of the drug binds to plasma proteins.

Virtually all metabolites of cabergoline begin to inhibit the production of prolactin, but only to a small extent. The half-life of the drug is approximately 80 hours (114 hours in patients with hyperprolactinemia).

In the urine of the patient, who was prescribed this drug, the drug is detected in an amount of 18% of the used dose, and in the stool - about 72%.

Indications for use of the drug

What are the purposes of taking Agalates tablets? Testimonials of experienced specialists indicate the following indications:

• Hyperprolactinemia;
• Amenorrhea, anovulation, galactorrhea and oligomenorrhea, which are directly related to hyperprolactinemia;
• Idiopathic hyperprolactinaemia;
• Prolactin-benign secreting adenomas of the pituitary gland ;
• Oligomenorea, unspecified.

It should also be noted that this medication is prescribed to suppress postpartum or already established lactation.

Contraindications to the use of medicament

What kind of contraindications should a patient know before using Agalates medication? The doctors' reviews particularly point to the following prohibitions:

• Hypersensitivity to the components of the drug;
• Postpartum arterial hypertension;
• Lactose intolerance;
• Disturbances in liver function;
• Psychosis in the anamnesis;
• Adolescence (up to 16 years);
• Eclampsia and preeclampsia;
• Application of antibiotic agents - macrolides;
• Heart valve lesions, which arose against the background of cabergoline therapy.

Preparation "Agalates": instructions for use

Price, reviews about this medication you can see at the very end of the article. As for this section, in it we will tell you how to use the medicine in question.

For the treatment of hyperprolactinemia appoint 0.5 mg of the drug per week. Take it in one or two doses. After that, the dosage is increased. During the first month of treatment, the amount of the drug can be increased by another 0.5 mg.

When using a drug more than 1 mg per week, it should be divided into several receptions (2-3). The highest dose per week is 4.5 mg. As supportive, 1 mg is used.

It should be specially noted that the experience of treating elderly people (over 65 years of age) with this drug has not been studied. Therefore, you can take the medicine at this age only under the strict supervision of the doctor.

How do you use Agalates medication for other indications? Reviews (cessation of lactation occurs after taking the 1st pill), specialists say that it is necessary to take such a drug only after consulting a specialist (obstetrician). To completely stop the established lactation medication is prescribed in a dosage of 0.25 mg twice a day. Take this medicine should be for two days.

If it is required to stop lactation after childbirth, then the patient is given 1 mg of the drug immediately after the birth of the child.

Symptoms of an overdose of Agalates

To date, cases of overdose have not been documented. Although in the case of a large amount of a drug, there is a possibility of vomiting, nausea, psychosis, a decrease in blood pressure or hallucinations. When expressed signs of an overdose, it is necessary to prescribe medications such as Domperidone and Bromopride.

Adverse events after taking medication

What side effects occur after taking this drug? If the drug has been used to suppress or prevent lactation, then undesirable effects such as severe dizziness, nausea, headaches, abdominal pain, a slight decrease in blood pressure and drowsiness may occur.

With the systematic administration of tablets (during the treatment of hyperprolactinaemia), headaches, asthenia, nausea, dizziness, gastritis, dyspepsia, constipation, abdominal pain, breast tenderness, vomiting, lowering blood pressure, "hot flashes", depression and paresthesia may also occur.

If treatment with Agalates is delayed, then against the background of long-term pills, patients may complain of the following side effects:

• Skin rash;
• Sleep disorders, hallucinations, dizziness, headache, drowsiness, increased libido, depression;
• Nausea, dyspepsia, abdominal pain, epigastric pain, constipation, vomiting;
• Disturbances in liver function;
• Heart beat, hypotension, pericarditis with effusion, angina pectoris, damage to the heart valves, peripheral edema;
• Weakness, asthenia;
• Pleural effusion, dyspnea;
• Impaired vision.

Drug Interactions

Tablets "Agalates" is not recommended to be taken together with such antagonists of dopamine receptors, as "Phenothiazine", "Metoclopramide" and "Tioxanten".

Also it should be noted that it is forbidden to prescribe the drug together with macrolides. This is due to the fact that there is a high probability of an increase in the concentration of cabergoline in the blood. In addition, it is highly recommended not to take the drug for a long time at the same time as other ergot alkaloids.

With special care, "Agalates" pills are prescribed together with antihypertensive drugs. No drug interaction with "Levodopa" was found.

Special Recommendations

With special care, Agalates is prescribed to patients with Raynaud's syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, gastrointestinal ulcer, renal dysfunction, internal bleeding, serious psychiatric disorders in the history, and in conjunction with the use of antihypertensive drugs.

To prevent or suppress lactation, it is highly not recommended to prescribe this medication to patients with preeclampsia and during postpartum hypertension.

Agalates: reviews

The cessation of lactation (it needs to be expressed before taking the pills) is the main indication for the use of this medication. According to the patients' feedback, this drug copes with the task quite effectively.

Most women with hyperprolactinemia respond to the drug "Agalates" only on the positive side. According to them, the course of treatment with this drug brings in order practically all the tests.

Also, patients say that this medication is tolerated fairly well by them. However, there are also such reviews, where the fairer sex complains of the occurrence of dizziness and headaches. In this case, doctors recommend either canceling the medicine, or replacing it with a safer means of health.

How much is the drug Agalates? This drug is quite expensive. In pharmacies in Moscow and the Moscow region, the price of two tablets of 0.5 mg can range from 330 to 470 rubles.