I have been going through quite alot as of late, suffering from alot of the issues that surround Empty Sella Syndrome. I have been addressing my low thyroid by taking 100mcg of levothyroxine and my TSH dipped to 0.18 and my GP was not exactly over the moon with this happening! My T4 has not gone up above 15 however.
The bigger problem that I faced was my Cabergoline ran out and I had to get a replacement prescription. Well, I didn’t get the generic Cabergoline I actually got the original Dostinex brand. I know lots of people suggest that the Dostinex is better. Personally I felt an awful lot more of the side effects of using a Dopamine Agonist.
For this reason I consulted with my Endo and we discussed the possibility of trialling Norprolac which is the brand name for Quinagolide which is a Non Ergot derivative unlike Cabergoline and Bromocriptine.
I was pretty darn keen to try out the Norprolac as I was ok on Cabergoline but constipation and lack of sleep really was beginning to take it’s toll on me, not to mention feeling quite ‘flat’.
Starting Quinagolide and it’s side effects
Norprolac comes in a starter pack with 3 different doses. 25mcg, 5o mcg each of which has a three days supply. On the 7th day you are expected to go up to the 75mcg dose and that is the final maintenance dose.
My experience with Norprolac is currently quite limited as I took the 25mcg pill with a sandwich as suggested at bedtime and then went off upto bed. Could I sleep? HAHA NOOOOoo, NO Sleep for me whatsoever.. I felt like I had been damned and cursed to remain awake the whole night, through the wee hours and feeling wired to the moon. Now I don’t know how, but the insert suggests that it may be possible to suffer somnolence ( just dropping off to sleep) Sheesh I wish!
I had some feelings of having a flushed face and that was about it really. Aside from the Insomnia I felt ok. It’s just odd for me as I felt the same when I started taking Cabergoline. That’s why I had to go down on my dose of Cab to 0.25 once a week.
I may consider halving my doses of Quinagolide and see how this affects me and my sleep patterns.
TOP TIP:
If you cannot sleep while on Cabergoline or Norprolac, try taking the dose not just before bed. But early in the morning I found this the best way to actually get some sleep.
I am now starting to think that my testosterone is LOW because of my High Prolactin.
Now I don’t have reams and reams of test results, BUT my latest bloods were taken 4 weeks after stopping Cabergoline.
My prolactin has risen now to outside the normal range. My Testosterone reading has dropped to 7.9 the lowest they have been since trying to get better and stopping taking Testosterone replacement.
Here are my latest blood results:
By: Drew
