PUERPERAL INHIBITION OF LACTATION BY METE RGOLINE AND BROMOCRIPTINE

In a controlled, randomised, prospective, clinical study, the effect o f prolactin suppression and clinical course of the lactation suppresso rs Bromocriptine and Metergoline were investigated. During 7 months 15 0 patients were studied. 81 of those patients, who did not nurse, were treated by Bromocriptine (primary lactation suppression: n=62, second ary suppression: n=19) and 69 of the patients were treated by Metergol ine (primary suppression: n=54, secondary suppression: n=15). The drug s were administrated orally to all subjects, dosed 2x2.5 mg/d of Bromo criptine for 14 days and 3x4 mg/d of Metergoline for 10 days, starting in average after 13 hours. Puerperal suppression of prolcatine were c ompared with radomised breast feeding subjects (n=30). In Bromocriptin e treated women the average plasma prolactin level decreased from 78.4 +/-22 ng/ml to 17.0+/-3.3 ng/ml during five days of treatment. In Mete rgoline treated women the plasma prolactin level decreased from 129.7/-15.1 ng/ml to 56.9+/-10.0 ng/ml during the first days of treatment. Prolactin level of breast feeding subjects decreased from 233.6+/-21.4 ng/ml to 185.8+/-23.7 ng/ml during the same period (p<0.05). There is no statistical trend was seen. With Bromocriptine treated women were suppressed efficiencily in 71 of 81 cases, 10 refused. Refusals were d eivded in two quality levels, level I with subjects with moderate comp laints and little puerperal lactation, level II with subjects with con siderable complaints including strong puerperal lactation. With Meterg oline suppressed women, treatment was efficiencily in 51 of 69 cases, but refusals of level I were observed in 11 cases and refusals of leve l II were observed in 7 cases. The results show that bromocriptine and Metergoline are effective on suppression of lactation. Under the curr ent drug dose of Metergoline an advantage of Bromocriptine were observ ed. Only further studies could investigated, whether an adaption of dr ug dose would improve the clinical efficiency of Metergoline.