Treatment

The first step in treating hypopituitarism is often medication to help your hormone levels return to normal. This is usually called hormone replacement, because the dosages are set to match the amounts that your body would produce if it didn't have a pituitary problem. You may need to take the medication for the rest of your life.

In some cases, treatment of the condition causing hypopituitarism may lead to a complete or partial recovery of your body's ability to produce pituitary hormones.

Medications

Hormone replacement medications may include:

• Corticosteroids. These drugs, such as hydrocortisone (Cortef) or prednisone (Rayos), replace the adrenal hormones that aren't being produced because of an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) deficiency. You take them by mouth.
• Levothyroxine (Levoxyl, Synthroid, others). This medication treats the low thyroid hormone levels (hypothyroidism) that a thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) deficiency can cause.
• Sex hormones. These include testosterone in men and estrogen or a combination of estrogen and progesterone in women. Testosterone is administered either by injection or through the skin with a patch or a gel. Female hormone replacement can be administered with pills, gels or patches.
• Growth hormone. Also called somatropin (Genotropin, Humatrope, others), growth hormone is administered through an injection beneath your skin. It promotes growth, which helps produce a more normal height in children. Adults with symptoms of growth hormone deficiency also may benefit from growth hormone replacement, but they won't grow taller.
• Fertility hormones. If you've become infertile, gonadotropins can be administered by injection to stimulate ovulation in women and sperm production in men.

Monitoring and adjusting medication

A doctor who specializes in endocrine disorders (endocrinologist) may monitor your symptoms and the levels of these hormones in your blood to ensure you're getting the appropriate amounts.

If you're taking corticosteroids, you'll need to work with your doctor to adjust your medication dosage during times of major physical or emotional stress. During these times, your body would usually produce extra cortisol hormone to help you manage the stress.

The same kind of fine-tuning of dosage may be necessary when you have the flu, experience diarrhea or vomiting, or have surgery or dental procedures. Adjustments in dosage may also be necessary during pregnancy or with marked changes in weight.

Surgery or other procedures

You may need periodic CT or MRI scans to monitor a pituitary tumor or other diseases causing hypopituitarism. Treatment for pituitary tumors may involve surgery to remove the growth. In some cases, radiation treatment or medications are recommended to control the underlying cause.

In case of emergency

If you have hypopituitarism, it's important to wear a medical alert bracelet or pendant and carry a special card notifying others — in emergency situations, for example — of your condition. This is especially important if you're taking corticosteroids for an ACTH deficiency.