Bromocriptine in Rheumatic Diseases: A Review

Hyperprolactinemia is frequent in rheumatic diseases. Bromocriptine (BRC) is an antagonist of pro-
lactin and was studied in a few rheumatic diseases with controversial results. The aim of the present
study was to review articles on BRC in rheumatic diseases. Articles on lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, pso-
riatic arthritis (PsA), and reactive arthritis were found. Fourteen articles were found. In lupus, 5 articles
evaluated BRC in a 2.5-7.5 mg/day dosage. The follow-up varied from 6 to 14 months. They showed
improvement in lupus disease activity (Lupus Disease Activity Index or Lupus activity measure scores)
in 4/5; a trend was verified in another article, 1/5, and one study evaluated improvement in the mood
of the systemic lupus erythematosus patients. In RA, there are 4 articles with 119 patients. The BRC
dosage ranged from 5 mg/day to 10 mg TID. About 2/4 of the articles showed improvements [morn-
ing stiffness and Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ)], and 2/4 did not show any difference.
Regarding PsA and reactive arthritis, 5 articles with 43 patients were found. The BRC dose varied from
2.5 to 30 mg/day. All studies showed improvements of the studied diseases. Side effects were mild
and infrequent. In conclusion, BRC seems to be efficacious in a few rheumatic diseases (lupus, PsA, RA,
and Reiter's), with mild side effects. Future studies with a larger number of participants and in other
rheumatic diseases are needed.

Cite this article as: Freire de Carvalho J, Tereza Amoedo Martinez A. Bromocriptine in rheumatic diseases: A review. Eur J Rheumatol. 2025, 12(2), 0080, doi: 10.5152/eurjrheum.2025.24080.