Bromocriptine in Rheumatic Diseases: A Review

Hyperprolactinemia is frequent in rheumatic diseases. Bromocriptine (BRC) is an antagonist of prolactin 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, psoriatic 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 [morning 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.