Adrenal support

[pb323]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Is it possible to treat hypoadrenalism without a steroid? I've been reading about adrenal insufficiency (not Addison's). Are these terms interchangable or are they distinguished by the degree of severity?

'm talking about an acquired situation such as an overtrained athlete that is clearly deficient with an ACTH stim test.

've been reading about nutritional support, but is that intended more for prevention? Are there other treatment options? Obviously, in the case of complete failure, there is not. I'm finding broad but vague information; or with the deeper research it rings of the chicken versus the egg in regards to the rest of the endocrine system.

I'm not yet a pharm student, so I apologize if I show ignorance to something obvious.

 

[sdn1977]

Is it possible to treat hypoadrenalism without a steroid? I've been reading about adrenal insufficiency (not Addison's). Are these terms interchangable or are they distinguished by the degree of severity?

'm talking about an acquired situation such as an overtrained athlete that is clearly deficient with an ACTH stim test.

've been reading about nutritional support, but is that intended more for prevention? Are there other treatment options? Obviously, in the case of complete failure, there is not. I'm finding broad but vague information; or with the deeper research it rings of the chicken versus the egg in regards to the rest of the endocrine system.

I'm not yet a pharm student, so I apologize if I show ignorance to something obvious.

To your first question - yes - there is a difference between hypoadrenalism & adrenal insufficiency.

If we tx an asthmatic or rheumatoid arthritic or any of the many other immunologic diseases with a steroid & taper too quickly - that will induce an adrenal insufficiency & exacerabete the disease. The reason is because we've suppressed the "normal" feedback mechanism the body has for the release of hormones when they're required. We have to allow sufficient time for the body to get its diurnal cycle back again.

For hypoadrenalism, this is a specific (rather many specific) diseases which involve extensive testing - not just ACTH.

The tx involves finding the primary cause - is it in the brain or the end organ?? What is the reason for the failure - a tumor, a primary failure, a secondary failure...

So - the tx will depend on the dx.

We don't dx in our end of things. We facilitate treatment. Nutritional support, whether it is via the GI system or intravenously is required only to provide the proper nutrients to make the whole physiology work. It is not a specific treatment for adrenal sufficiency in & of itself.

You'd have to ask this question of an endocrinologist I think.