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Double-blind, placebo-controlled study of single-dose metergoline in depressed patients with seasonal affective disorder.

A role for serotonin in season affective disorder (SAD) has been explored with a variety of serotonergic pharmacologic agents. The authors initially hypothesized that metergoline, a nonspecific serotonin antagonist, would exacerbate depressive symptoms. In a small, open-label pilot study, the authors observed the opposite effect. They decided to follow up on this finding with this formal study. The study followed a double-blind, randomized cross-over design. Sixteen untreated, depressed patients with SAD received single oral doses of metergoline 8 mg and of placebo, spaced 1 week apart. Fourteen patients were restudied after 2 weeks of light treatment. Depression ratings using the Structured Interview Guide for the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-Seasonal Affective Disorder Version were performed at baseline and at 3 and 6 days after each intervention. These data were analyzed by baseline-corrected repeated measures with analysis of variance. In the off-lights condition, severity of depression was diminished after metergoline compared with placebo administration (p = 0.001). Patient daily self-ratings suggested that the peak effect occurred 2 to 4 days after study drug administration. In contrast, after 2 weeks of treatment with bright artificial light, metergoline did not demonstrate a significant effect on mood. These data suggest that single doses of metergoline may have antidepressant effects that last several days. Possible mechanisms include 5-hydroxytryptamine(2) receptor downregulation and dopamine agonism.

Adult↗

The behavioural response to intrathecal serotonin is changed by acute but not by repeated treatment with zimelidine or metergoline.

The behavioural response to intrathecal serotonin (5-HT) was examined in mice after acute and after withdrawal of repeated treatment with the 5-HT uptake inhibitor zimelidine or the 5-HT receptor antagonist metergoline. Intrathecal 5-HT elicits a response consisting of biting or licking of the lower part of abdomen and reciprocal hindlimb scratching, indicative of nociceptive stimulation. Acute injection of zimelidine (20 mg/kg) significantly increased the response to intrathecal 5-HT (0.25-1 micrograms) whereas a single dose of metergoline (5 mg/kg) completely blocked the response to intrathecal 5-HT (2 micrograms). The behavioural response to intrathecal 5-HT (0.25-2 micrograms) was not significantly changed 48 hr after withdrawal of repeated treatment with zimelidine (2 x 10 mg/kg/day for 14 days) or metergoline (2 x 2.5 mg/kg/day for 14 days). In the present experiments acute zimelidine appeared to increase nociceptive responsiveness, whereas metergoline had the opposite effect. This study does not provide evidence that long-term treatment with zimelidine or metergoline leads to adaptive changes in the response to spinal cord 5-HT receptor stimulation.

Animals↗

Metergoline in the inhibition of puerperal lactation.

Seventy-eight mothers who did not want to breast-feed their newborn infants took part in a trial to assess whether metergoline could effectively suppress puerperal lactation. Metergoline 8 mg/day was given to 69 women within 24 hours after delivery and continued for five days to prevent lactation. The remaining nine women were given a course of metergoline once lactation had started. The drug was effective in both preventing and suppressing lactation. Milk secretion, engorgement, and pain were significantly reduced in women taking metergoline. Metergoline has a similar effect to bromocriptine in suppressing lactation, but its mechanism of action remains unknown.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗

Inhibition of puerperal lactation by metergoline: interactions with methylergobasine maleate.

Metergoline, a prolactin (PRL) lowering drug, is used in the puerperal period to inhibit lactation. Methylergobasine maleate (MEM), widely employed in the puerperium to promote uterine contractions, has also been reported to decrease PRL release and to reduce lactation. To evaluate the possible interactions of the two drugs, groups of 6-11 puerperae each received no treatment, metergoline alone (8 or 12 mg/day for 5 days), MEM alone (0.2 mg i.v. at delivery followed by 0.5 mg/day p.o. for 5 days) and metergoline plus MEM. Metergoline fully prevented lactation and significantly reduced PRL release, the higher dose inducing effects faster. MEM was without effect on PRL release and lactation, and did not modify the effect of metergoline.

Adolescent↗

Metergoline in the management of hyperprolactinemic amenorrhea and anovulation.

84 patients with elevated serum PRL levels, ranging from 25 to 253 ng/ml, were treated with an antiserotonin agent, metergoline, at the dose of 12 mg/day for 90 days. The clinical complaint was of amenorrhea in 70 cases (plus galactorrhea in 44 cases) and of anovulation in 14 cases (plus galactorrhea in 6 cases). Hyperprolactinemia was due to a pituitary adenoma in 18 cases; in 53 cases it was of unknown origin, while in 7 cases it followed treatment with neuroleptics or with oral contraceptives and in 6 cases it followed a puerperium. In patients with amenorrhea, metergoline induced the appearance of menses in 61 cases (94%), and of ovulation in 46 cases (82%). In 13 of the 14 patients with anovulation, ovulation was restored. Galactorrhea disappeared in 40 out of 50 patients. Metergoline normalized serum PRL levels (less than 20 ng/ml) in 46 cases and significantly reduced serum PRL levels in all but 3 of the remaining patients. In spite of suggested nonhormonal contraceptive measures, 14 patients became pregnant; 2 had abortions and the remaining 12 patients completed by vaginal delivery, uneventful pregnancies. These results indicate metergoline as a safe and effective drug in the management of hyperprolactinemic amenorrhea and anovulation. 49 patients were followed for 2 additional months, receiving no treatment (24 cases) or metergoline at a reduced daily dosage (8 mg/day, 25 cases). Within 60 days, 60% of the first group had relapse of the clinical condition and a rebound elevation of serum PRL levels while only 20% of the second group experienced relapse of amenorrhea and rebound elevation of serum PRL levels (p less than 0.01).

Amenorrhea↗

Effect of an antiserotoninergic drug, metergoline, on the ACTH and cortisol response to insulin hypoglycemia and lysine-vasopressin in man.

The effect of metergoline, a specific antiserotoninergic drug, on ACTH secretion was investigated in 29 normal volunteers and in 4 patients with increased ACTH production (3 with Addison's disease, 1 with Cushing's disease). In 15 normal subjects, a 4-day treatment with 10 mg daily of metergoline significantly blunted the ACTH response to insulin hypoglycemia. Mean peak ACTH values before and after treatment were, respectively, 333 +/- 39.2 (SE) and 235 +/- 38.8 pg/ml (P less than 0.05). The corresponding values of plasma cortisol were 29.6 +/- 2.96 and 20.5 +/- 2.67 mug/100 ml (P less than 0.05). In contrast, metergoline failed to affect the ACTH response to lysine-vasopressin (LVP) administered iv (8 subjects studied) and im (6 subjects studied). In 3 patients suffering from Addison's disease, an appreciable although not statistically significant lowering of the plasma ACTH levels was noted during metergoline administration. The mean pre- and post-treatment values of plasma ACTH in these patients were, respectively, 1116 +/- 192.2 and 666 +/- 100.8 pg/ml, 4240 +/- 50.0 and 3398 +/- 368.0 pg/ml, and 431 +/- 44.0 and 352 +/- 23.9 pg/ml. In one patient with Cushing's disease caused by a pituitary adenoma, metergoline did not appreciably modify plasma ACTH levels. Taken together, these results lend support to the concept of a physiological stimulating effect of serotonin on ACTH secretion. Moreover, they are compatible with the view that serotonin exerts its action chiefly at the hypothalamic level while LVP promotes ACTH release by a primary action on the pituitary.

Addison Disease↗

Effect of bromocriptine and metergoline in the treatment of hyperprolactinaemic states.

The effects of bromocriptine or metergoline treatment were evaluated in 80 hyperprolactinaemic patients (62 women and 18 men). The patients were subdivided into 4 groups: group A) 16 women with idiopathic hyperprolactinaemia; group B) 19 women with untreated Prl-secreting microadenomas; group C) 27 women with unsuccessfully operated prolactinomas; group D) 18 men with unsuccessfully treated macroprolactinomas. Sixty-eight patients were given bromocriptine (2.5-20 mg/day) for 3-58 months and 33 patients were given metergoline (4-16 mg/day) for 3-19 months. Bromocriptine and metergoline were equally effective in the treatment of functional hyperprolactinaemia and of untreated microadenomas, while bromocriptine showed a more potent Prl-lowering effect than metergoline in patients with higher Prl levels and large prolactinomas; both drugs restored the gonadal function to a similar extent, though metergoline was effective in some cases, even in the absence of full Prl suppression. Bromocriptine seems to exert an antitumoral effect, as documented by CT scan in some patients with macroadenomas, but the precise role of both drugs with respect to dose, length of treatment and effectiveness after withdrawal needs to be evaluated further.

Adenoma↗

Metergoline as an inhibitor of prolactin release.

In a randomized, double-blind study, 12 and 16 mg of metergoline and 5 mg of bromoergocriptine were given daily to three groups of 100 women each for ten consecutive days to prevent lactation. Excellent or good results were obtained in 86%, 90% and 83%, respectively. Serum prolactin (PRL) levels were evaluated in three settings. The first was after a single dose in four groups of patients (4, 6 and 8 mg of metergoline and 2.5 mg of bromoergocriptine were studied for ten hours). Second, for a study of the suckling reflex, PRL levels were measured 15, 30 and 60 minutes after breast stimulation in four groups of five patients each: two groups on the fourth postpartum day with and without metergoline treatment and two groups on the eighth postpartum day (the reflex was suppressed in the two groups treated with metergoline). Third, serum PRL levels rose after the intravenous administration of 200 mg of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) in another two groups of ten patients, one treated with metergoline and the other not so treated. TRH stimulation was not blocked in the treated groups.

Bromocriptine↗

Effect of two antiserotoninergic drugs, methysergide and metergoline, on gastric acid secretion and gastrin release in healthy man.

The effects of acute oral administration of the antiserotoninergic drugs methysergide (3 mg) and metergoline (4 mg) on basal, submaximal (0.6 micrograms/kg i. m.) and maximal (6 micrograms/kg) pentagastrin-stimulated gastric acid secretion, as well as on basal and food-induced gastrin release, have been evaluated in healthy volunteers. Methysergide significantly increased basal and submaximal pentagastrin-stimulated gastric acid secretion, and metergoline significantly inhibited gastric acidity in all experiments. Basal and stimulated serum gastrin concentrations were not modified by either drug. The effect of methysergide on gastric acid secretion was opposed to that of serotonin and was probably dependent on its antiserotoninergic action, but the decrease in gastric acidity caused by metergoline is not easily explained. Although the effect is similar to that of a dopamine infusion, it does not depend on dopamine infusion, it does not depend on dopamine receptor stimulation, since it was not influenced by pretreatment with metoclopramide. It is suggested that it might be due to the weak anticholinergic and/or antihistaminic properties of metergoline.

Adult↗

Metergoline antagonizes fluoxetine-induced suppression of food intake but not changes in the behavioural satiety sequence.

In this study continuous monitoring was used to yield a true behavioural record. This allows a bidimensional account of drug effects on every unit of behaviour. Behavioural dimensions of duration (dur) and frequency (frq) measures were utilized to monitor the effects of an ED50 anorectic dose of fluoxetine (10 mg/kg i.p.) on the behavioural satiety sequence and the effect of a metergoline (1 mg/kg i.p.) challenge. Fluoxetine reduced food intake by 45% (p < 0.005). The local eating rate was also reduced (p < 0.001), demonstrating a marked slowing of eating behaviour. Eating behaviour was reduced (frq p < 0.05) as was grooming (frq p < 0.05) and activity. Resting was increased (dur p < 0.05) and temporally advanced. There was no gross disruption of behaviour and the profile was adjusted in a way consistent with the expression of satiety. Fluoxetine-induced changes were very similar to those produced by prefeeding. Metergoline antagonised fluoxetine's effect on intake and eating duration (dur p < 0.05). However, metergoline did not antagonise the effect of fluoxetine on the frequency of eating (frq p < 0.005), thus increasing the amount consumed per eating episode. Grooming (frq p < 0.005) and activity also remained reduced. At this dose fluoxetine-induced suppression of eating is serotonin dependent as it is reversed by metergoline. Fluoxetine-induced suppression of eating at this dose is consistent with the normal operation of satiety. Fluoxetine-induced slowing of behavior appears to be mediated by a separate mechanism.

Animals↗

Puerperal lactation, gonadotropin release and estradiol release: effects of metergoline and bromocriptine.

The exact cause of amenorrhea during the puerperium is still a matter of debate. PRL might inhibit primarily the release of FSH and LH or their stimulating effects on the ovary. In the study presented here, 28 healthy women were investigated, 13 of them lactating puerperae. In the other 15, lactation was prevented by drugs (metergoline in 9, bromocriptine in 6). The women's serum PRL, FSH, LH, beta-HCG and 17 beta-estradiol as well as their FSH and LH response to LHRH (100 micrograms i.v.) were tested 1, 3, 7 and 14 days after vaginal delivery. Serum PRL levels remained elevated in the lactating puerperae and dropped in the puerperae treated with metergoline or bromocriptine. The pattern of FSH, LH and beta-HCG levels as well as the FSH and LH response to LHRH were superimposable in lactating and in nonlactating women. 17 beta-estradiol levels dropped in all puerperae from day 1 to 7, but rose from day 7 to 14 only in the puerperae treated with metergoline or bromocriptine and not in the lactating women. These data indicate that PRL directly affects the ovarian response to FSH and LH, whereas the release of FSH and LH remains unaffected. A stimulatory effect of metergoline and bromocriptine on the ovarian steroidogenesis cannot be excluded.

Adult↗

Metergoline in the management of normoprolactinemic secondary amenorrhea. A multicentric controlled trial.

In a multicentric study, the effect of the antiserotoninergic agent metergoline was evaluated in the management of patients with idiopathic normoprolactinemic secondary amenorrhea (NSA). The awareness that psychological factors might lead to a spontaneous reappearance of menses was also taken into account, and all the patients, after physical, gynecological and laboratory examinations, and the performance of the progesterone withdrawal bleeding test (100 mg i.m.) and the clomiphene citrate test (100 mg p.o./day for 5 days), were treated for 60 days with placebo; only patients showing no menses during placebo administration were later treated with metergoline. 108 patients entered the trial: of these, 48 experienced menses on admission or during placebo administration, and were withdrawn. Of the 60 patients not responding to placebo, 50 were treated for 90 days with metergoline (4 mg t.i.d.), and 23 had menses, ovulatory in 68.4% of cases. A new placebo treatment was accompanied, in the majority of cases, by recurrence of amenorrhea. These results indicate that many patients with NSA may experience a spontaneous disappearance of the disease: in cases more seriously affected metergoline might be a useful therapeutic agent.

Amenorrhea↗

Metergoline as an alternative to bromocriptine in amenorrhoea.

The results of this study offer further evidence that metergoline is a valuable alternative to bromocriptine in the suppression of excessive prolactin secretion. Forty-nine hyperprolactinaemic and 44 normoprolactinaemic women with amenorrhoea took part in a double-blind trial to compare the efficacy of metergoline 12 mg/day and bromocriptine 7.5 mg/day in restoring menstruation and ovulation. All the women had normal results on conventional tomography of the sella turcica, normal gonadotrophin levels and normal androgen levels. In the hyperprolactinaemic group, metergoline and bromocriptine were equally effective, with 84 and 75% respectively achieving menstruation, and 76 and 67% respectively achieving ovulation, within 4 months. In the normoprolactinaemic group, 47% menstruated and 40% ovulated on metergoline, against comparative figures of 36 and 21% for bromocriptine and 20 and 13% for placebo, but the differences were not statistically significant. Side effects were not a major problem.

Adult↗

[Plasma prolactin concentration and the effect of metergoline in pseudopregnant Afghan hounds].

The effects of metergoline, a 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotinin) antagonist, on the plasma concentrations of prolactin in overtly pseudopregnant Afghan hounds and on the clinical symptoms of overt pseudopregnancy were studied. Plasma concentrations of prolactin and progesterone were determined in six Afghan hounds with signs of overt pseudopregnancy for 2-3 weeks and in three Afghan hounds that were not pseudopregnant at the time of blood sampling. In the overtly pseudopregnant bitches the plasma concentrations of prolactin before treatment (35.5 +/- 8.5 micrograms l-1) were significantly higher than the plasma concentrations of prolactin of the three bitches that were not pseudopregnant (6.3 +/- 0.5 micrograms l-1); the latter values were similar to those of non-psueodopregnant beagle bitches during the total luteal phase. The six pseudopregnant Afghan hounds were treated for 10 days with the antiserotoninergic drug metergoline. At 2 h after the onset of treatment with metergoline, the mean plasma concentration of prolactin had decreased to 10.8 +/- 2.9 micrograms l-1. The plasma concentrations of prolactin continued to decline to 5.4 +/- 1.0 micrograms l-1 at 4 h and to 1.0 +/- 0.1 microgram l-1 during treatment days 3-10. Signs of pseudopregnancy, such as swelling of the mammary glands and digging, decreased during the treatment period. The treatment was associated with mild behavioural side effects such as whimpering and aggressiveness. These side effects are probably not related to suppression of prolactin but are due to a direct effect on serotoninergic pathways in the brain. It is concluded that high plasma concentrations of prolactin are associated with the development and maintenance of pseudopregnancy. The serotonin antagonist metergoline strongly suppresses plasma concentration of prolactine in pseudopregnant dogs and decreases the clinical signs of pseudopregnancy.

Animals↗

Pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of metergoline in healthy volunteers after single i.v. and oral administration.

Concentrations of unchanged metergoline and its main metabolite, 1-demethylmetergoline, were measured by HPLC and fluorescence detector in the plasma of 13 healthy male volunteers. The subjects received on various occasions the following single-dose metergoline treatments: 4 mg by i.v. infusion (n = 7), 8 mg orally as aqueous solution (n = 7) and 8 mg orally as two different formulations of film-coated tablets (Formulation A, n = 12; Formulation B, n = 12). The mean plasma t 1/2 of metergoline and of 1-demethylmetergoline were about 50 min and 100 min, respectively, independent of the route of administration. A considerable first-pass effect was evident from the data, with about 75% of metergoline being metabolized by the liver before reaching the systemic circulation. However, the availability of the drug in terms of 1-demethylmetergoline was similar for the i.v. and oral routes of administration indicating a complete absorption of the solution from the gastrointestinal tract. Very low plasma levels of another metabolite (12-hydroxymetergoline) were detected in some patients. The bioavailability of film-coated tablets in Formulation B was slightly better than for Formulation A with regard to both relative absorption (A vs B = 82%) and lower interpatient variation. Compared with oral solution, the absorption of Formulation B was slightly slower but practically complete.

Administration, Oral↗

Metergoline as a lactation inhibitor.

For the prevention of lactation we administered metergoline, 12 to 16 mg per day for five to ten days, to six groups of 100 patients each with excellent or good results in 95% to 99% of the cases. In addition, metergoline was given to 100 patients in order to suppress previously established lactation, with excellent or good results in 100% of the cases. The decrease of prolactin during the first 21 days of metergoline administration was compared with that in a group given bromoergocriptine (5 mg per day) and with that in a breast-binding control group. Metergoline is effective and does not have secondary effects in the inhibition and suppression of lactation due to its antiserotonin and dopaminergic effects.

Bromocriptine↗

[The treatment of pseudopregnancy in the bitch with prolactin inhibitors metergoline and bromocriptine].

In the present study, the prolactin inhibitor Metergoline was compared with Bromocriptine and tested against a placebo in 63 pseudogravid bitches. Bromocriptine has already been tested successfully in numerous investigations on the therapy of canine pseudogravidity, but--probably because of its high price and vomitus as a frequent side effect--it has not been really introduced as a therapeutical device in canine practice. It can be deduced from the results presented herein that prolactin is essential for maintaining the pseudogravidity, but keeping up the lactation process--especially galactopoiesis--can probably not be ascribed solely to prolactin. However, prolactin definitely plays an essential role in the hormonal scenario, the detailed regulating mechanisms of which are not known until today. Thus, no statistically convincing therapy outcome could be achieved by the prolactin inhibitors compared to the placebo group. A tendency towards earlier regression of the symptoms "mammogenesis", "behavioural change" and "galactorrhea" was however present in the treated animals. A striking difference was the much more lively behaviour of the bitches with 53% being more lively in the Metergoline group, 37% in the Bromocriptine and 10% in the placebo group. There were also clear differences in the compatibility of the drugs; in the Bromocriptine group, 30% of the animals vomited, in the Metergoline only 6.3%. This however did not lead to termination of the therapy in any case. In two cases of the Metergoline group (6.3%), the medication was ended due to extreme restlessness.

Animals↗

Plasma concentrations of prolactin in overtly pseudopregnant Afghan hounds and the effect of metergoline.

The effect of metergoline, a 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) antagonist, on the plasma concentrations of prolactin in overtly pseudopregnant Afghan hounds and on the clinical symptoms of overt pseudopregnancy were studied. Plasma concentrations of prolactin and progesterone were determined in six Afghan hounds with signs of overt pseudopregnancy for 2-3 weeks and in three Afghan hounds that were not pseudopregnant at the time of blood sampling. In the overtly pseudopregnant bitches the plasma concentrations of prolactin before treatment (35.5 +/- 8.5 micrograms l-1) were significantly higher than the plasma concentrations of prolactin of the three bitches that were not pseudopregnant (6.3 +/- 0.5 micrograms l-1); the latter values were similar to those of non-pseudopregnant beagle bitches during the total luteal phase. The six pseudopregnant Afghan hounds were treated for 10 days with the antiserotoninergic drug metergoline. At 2 h after the onset of treatment with metergoline, the mean plasma concentration of prolactin had decreased to 10.8 +/- 2.9 micrograms l-1. The plasma concentrations of prolactin continued to decline to 5.4 +/- 1.0 micrograms l-1 at 4 h and to 1.0 +/- 0.1 microgram l-1 during treatment days 3-10. Signs of pseudopregnancy, such as swelling of the mammary glands and digging, decreased during the treatment period. The treatment was associated with mild behavioural side effects such as whimpering and aggressiveness. These side effects are probably not related to suppression of prolactin but are due to a direct effect on serotoninergic pathways in the brain. It is concluded that high plasma concentrations of prolactin are associated with the development and maintenance of pseudopregnancy. The serotonin antagonist metergoline strongly suppresses plasma concentrations of prolactin in pseudopregnant dogs and decreases the clinical signs of pseudopregnancy.

Animals↗