Short answer: Cycloset starts at one 0.8 mg tablet once daily, taken within two hours after waking with food. It goes up by one tablet each week until 6 tablets (4.8 mg) or the highest number tolerated between 2 and 6 tablets. The recommended dose is 1.6 mg to 4.8 mg a day. If the morning dose is missed, the usual dose is taken the next morning, not doubled.
This is what the FDA label says. Follow your prescriber. Your prescriber may use a different dose or pace than the label's standard schedule.
What Cycloset is approved for: Cycloset is an ergot derivative, a dopamine receptor agonist, approved along with diet and exercise to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes (section 1). It should not be used for type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. Efficacy data with thiazolidinediones are limited, and efficacy with insulin has not been confirmed.
Source
CYCLOSET (bromocriptine mesylate) tablets, for oral use, prescribing information and Patient Information. VeroScience (distributed by Avvisto Therapeutics). DailyMed, version published January 14, 2026. DailyMed setid e42ba916-16b9-4d1c-8d09-9d2fbb1b6c20
Cycloset is taken by mouth once daily within two hours after waking in the morning, with food to possibly reduce nausea (section 2.1).
It comes as a 0.8 mg tablet, so the daily dose is a number of tablets (section 3).
Standing blood pressure is checked before starting and from time to time after (section 5.1).
The table below is the label's schedule, from the Dosage and Administration section. Numbers are copied exactly; the section is in brackets.
| Step | Daily dose |
|---|---|
| Start | One tablet (0.8 mg) once daily |
| Each week | Increase by one tablet (0.8 mg) |
| Target | Maximal tolerated number of tablets between 2 and 6 per day (1.6 mg to 4.8 mg) |
| Maximum | 6 tablets (4.8 mg) once daily |
With a moderate CYP3A4 inhibitor such as erythromycin, the Cycloset dose should not exceed 1.6 mg once daily. Strong CYP3A4 inhibitors, such as azole antifungals and HIV protease inhibitors, are avoided, with adequate washout before starting Cycloset.
Low blood pressure and fainting are more likely when starting or with a dose increase, so early in treatment the label advises slow changes of position.
Cycloset is not used with syncopal migraine, after giving birth, or while breastfeeding.
Tablets are stored at 20 to 25 C (68 to 77 F) in a tight, light-resistant container.
If the morning dose is missed, the usual dose is taken the following morning. Doses of Cycloset should not be doubled the following morning.
More on this: missed a dose of Cycloset.
In Dose Track you set up Cycloset as a protocol with the dose and schedule your prescriber gave you. A protocol can hold dose steps, each with its own dose and length in days or weeks, so a step-up plan like the one on the label can be entered once and the app moves to the next step on its own. Reminders follow the schedule, and every dose is logged with the date and time, so you can see which step you are on and when your last dose was. The app follows what you enter; it does not choose or change a dose.
This page is what the FDA label says, in plain words. It is not medical advice. Follow your prescriber, and ask them or your pharmacist about anything here.