Our team has extensive experience with off-label uses for Cushing disease.

This means the doctor uses a safe and FDA-approved medication for a reason other than its approved use. Adrenal-directed inhibition of steroidogenesis: Medications in this category are used off-label for Cushing disease.Your doctor will talk with you about risks and benefits. This medication is injected and can cause side effects, including high blood sugar and diabetes, in more than half of patients. Central-acting inhibitors of ACTH: Pasireotide (a somatostatin receptor ligand, or SRL) reduces ACTH to normal levels for about a quarter of patients.Medications for Cushing disease/syndrome include: Our team will monitor you closely and provide treatment if this happens. This can cause fatigue and muscle weakness, among other symptoms. All drugs used for Cushing disease/syndrome can potentially cause adrenal insufficiency, or a low level of adrenal hormones. Some patients may need a combination of medications. If you have too much ACTH, but a tumor doesn’t show up on imaging.

If you had surgery, but the neurosurgeon couldn’t remove the entire tumor or the removal didn’t solve the problem.

If you can’t have surgery because of other health reasons or risks.

Before surgery to control cortisol levels.

You may need medication for Cushing disease/syndrome: We may ask you to switch to a different type of birth control during testing.įor some patients, surgery isn’t an option or doesn’t fully solve the problem. Your doctor will also ask about use of birth control pills.

Trace possible causes: Your doctor will ask you if you use or have recently used steroid medications, creams or inhalers that contain hydrocortisone, prednisone or dexamethasone.

ACTH-independent: Caused by overactive adrenal glands or an adrenal tumor.

ACTH dependent: Caused by a pituitary tumor or, rarely, a tumor in another part of the body.

Find the source of the extra hormones: We’ll do tests to see if your disease is:.

We first need to confirm whether symptoms are linked to elevated ACTH and cortisol.

Rule out other disorders: Your symptoms may be related to another condition.

Because we’ve treated hundreds of patients with Cushing disease or syndrome, we have the skills to give you the right diagnosis so you can begin treatment. It’s not uncommon for us to see patients who have gone undiagnosed or who have been misdiagnosed for years. Cushing disease/syndrome can be challenging to diagnose because changes can happen slowly.

Overactive adrenal glands