Effect of megestrol acetate on the human pituitary-adrenal axis

A few previous reports have suggested that megestrol acetate, a synthetic progestational agent frequently used as an antineoplastic drug, suppresses serum cortisol concentrations in humans. To explore this concept further, we prospectively performed several measurements of the pituitary-adrenal axis...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inMayo Clinic proceedings Vol. 67; no. 12; p. 1160
Main Authors Loprinzi, C L, Jensen, M D, Jiang, N S, Schaid, D J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England 01.12.1992
Subjects
Humans
Hydrocortisone - blood
Megestrol - analogs & derivatives
Megestrol - pharmacology
Megestrol Acetate
Pituitary-Adrenal System - drug effects
Prospective Studies
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Summary:A few previous reports have suggested that megestrol acetate, a synthetic progestational agent frequently used as an antineoplastic drug, suppresses serum cortisol concentrations in humans. To explore this concept further, we prospectively performed several measurements of the pituitary-adrenal axis in patients receiving megestrol acetate (160 or 800 mg/day). The data from these evaluations demonstrate that megestrol acetate reversibly decreases serum cortisol concentrations in humans and that this effect seems to originate from a suppression of the pituitary-adrenal axis. Additional studies should be conducted to determine the implications of the low levels of serum cortisol.
ISSN:0025-6196
DOI:10.1016/S0025-6196(12)61145-8