title: A retrospective drug use evaluation of cabergoline for lactation inhibition at a tertiary care teaching hospital in Qatar.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Breastfeeding is considered as gold standard for infant nutrition and should be interrupted only when a compelling indication exists. Certain medical conditions such as abortion, stillbirth, HIV infection, or infant galactosemia and certain medications such as chemotherapy necessitate lactation inhibition to protect the health of mother and infant. Drug use evaluation (DUE) studies are done to explore the current practice in a setting and help to identify areas in which further information and education may be needed by clinicians.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to conduct a DUE of cabergoline to assess indications for lactation inhibition, dosage regimen, and its safety.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective cross-sectional DUE study was conducted over a period of 4 months from September 1, 2013, till December 31, 2013, at the Women's Hospital, Qatar. All cabergoline prescriptions written for lactation inhibition within 10 days of delivery or abortion were included in the study. A descriptive data analysis was undertaken.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 85 patients included, stillbirth (50.6%) was considered as the main reason for lactation inhibition, followed by abortion (27.1%) and neonatal death (12.9%). The remaining 9.4% of the patients had live baby, and the majority of them were prescribed cabergoline for lactation inhibition because their maternal medical conditions required the use of drugs with insufficient safety data (n=6). Seventy-four percent of patients received cabergoline at accurate time and dose. However, 14% of the patients had preexisting hypertensive disorder and 58.3% of them were diagnosed as uncontrolled hypertension.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current DUE study found that cabergoline was mainly used to inhibit lactation for patients with stillbirth, abortion, and neonatal death. In mothers who use medications for other medical conditions, benefits and risks of breastfeeding should be carefully balanced before prescribing cabergoline. Current prescribing pattern can be further enhanced through informing health care providers regarding appropriate cabergoline dosage regimen and its safety in patients with uncontrolled hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Women's Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Doua
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: AlSaad
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Women's Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Samah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: ElSalem
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Women's Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Palli Valapila
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Abdulrouf
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Women's Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar; Department of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK.
authors.forename: Binny
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Tayseer
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Alsaad
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Women's Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Afif
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: Clinical Support Service Unit, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Moza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: AlHail
keywords: breastfeeding inhibition; cabergoline; drug use evaluation; lactation inhibition