Quick Reference: Pituitary Disorders

Pituitary Disorder	Major Signs and Symptoms	Key Laboratory Tests	Conventional Therapies	Naturopathic Therapies
Pituitary Deficiency:
Hypothyroidism	Fatigue	Low TSH	T4: 1-1.25 mg q.d.	T3: 30 mcg b.i.d. or Armour 1-6 grains T4: 1-1.25 mg q.d.
Adrenal Insufficiency	Fatigue Low blood pressure	Low ACTH	Hydrocortisone 20 mg AM and 10 mg PM	Hydrocortisone 20 mg AM and 10 mg PM Licorice solid extract
Hypogonadism (male and female)	Infertility Impotence No menses	Low L Low FSH Low estrogen, testosterone, progesterone	Depo-testosterone 300 mg intramuscularly ever 3 weeks Testosterone patch: 6 mg q.d. Estradiol patch: 0.05-0.1 mg b.i.d.	Bio-indentical hormone therapy
Diabetes insipidus	Polyuria Excessive thirst	ADH deficiency	Desmopressin 0.1 ml intranasally 102 times q.d.	Desmopressin 0.1 ml intranasally 102 times q.d.
Growth Hormone Insufficiency	Low body mass and stature	Low GH Low IGF-1 (somatomedin)	0.30 GH mg/kg/week	0.30 GH mg/kg/week Amino acid therapy
Pituitary Excess:
Prolactinoma	Enlarged breasts in men Infertility in men and woman Milk in breasts (when not lactating)	High levels of GH	Bromocriptine, 2.5 mg t.i.d. Surgery	Vitex agnus Vitamin B-6 Magnesium Adaptogens
Acromegaly	Enlarged hands and feet Sleep apnea Hypertension Diabetes	High levels of GH	Surgery The dopamine agonist drugs, bromocriptine and cabergoline, improve symptoms but are not very effective in lowering growth hormone and IGF-1 levels to normal (< 10%).	Vitex agnus Vitamin B-6 Magnesium Adaptogens
Cushing’s Disease	Weight gain Muscle mass loss Easy bruising	High levels of ACTH	Surgery	Vitex agnus Adaptogens
Hyperthryoidism	Anxiety Heart palpitations	High TSH	Surgery	Vitex agnus Adaptogens

Note: Many naturopathic therapies for hormone deficiency are similar to conventional therapies. In cases of pituitary excess, specific naturopathic approaches would use dosing of Vitex agnus castus (chasteberry) from 20-200 mg t.i.d. and adaptogenic herbs 500 mg –3 grams t.i.d. However, in severe cases surgery might still be needed.