Hormone Medications And Endocrine Health Latest Updates

The endocrine system controls many of our body’s functions, including growth, metabolism, menstrual cycles, and reproduction. As we grow older, most of us will develop one or more hormone disorders.

These imbalances can be treated with prescription medications, including formulations like estrogen, testosterone, and synthetic versions of the adrenal hormone.

Hormone disorders are medical conditions usually resulting from the body’s inability to produce or regulate certain hormones. However, other factors can contribute to disease and dysfunction.

This article discusses the latest innovations in endocrine treatments and the newest information regarding medications that may help manage these conditions.

What’s In The Article?

• Hormone Disorders: A Quick Review

• New Treatment Guidelines

• U.S. Drug Updates

• Final Thoughts

Hormone Disorders: A Quick Review

The glands of the endocrine system produce certain kinds of hormones that are known to be essential for keeping normal metabolism, growth, development, and reproduction in the human body.

Several diseases, mostly derived from tumors or inflammation, may affect the endocrine glands and lead to the enlargement or obstruction of hormones’ pathways. They may also cause hormonal dysfunction in many other body organs, such as the heart and the liver.

The following are some of the hormone disorders that require medications:

• Diabetes mellitus

  : the inability of the body to produce optimal insulin levels or abnormal response to insulin that results in high blood sugar levels

• Hypothyroidism

  : low levels of thyroid hormone due to the inability of the thyroid gland to create enough levels for the body

• Hyperthyroidism

  : the thyroid gland produces more than enough thyroxine for the body to handle and eventually presents with

• symptoms such as arrhythmia and unintended weight loss

• Gigantism

  : excess production of growth hormone during the early years of life that results in an accelerated and abnormal growth rate (National Library of Medicine, 2019)

• Cushing syndrome

  : excess cortisol production due to adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) secretion of a pituitary tumor

• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

  : the ovaries produce excessive amounts of androgens that may or may not lead to cyst development and may lead to other issues, such as problems with ovulation and menstrual cycles

Aside from the prescribed medications, patients with hormone disorders are also commonly required to have a balanced diet and to have their regular exercise routines. In most cases, medical professionals also recommend that patients have a regular sleep schedule and may even advise on managing their stress and possible triggers. In other words, these lifestyle changes are highly recommended to help improve the hormonal balance in the patients’ bodies.

New Treatment Guidelines

The new guidelines focus mainly on proper diagnosis to determine the best treatment unique to the needs of each patient. These are what the Endocrine Society released for the last couple of years:

Osteoporosis Management in Postmenopausal Women

• If the patient has high cholesterol levels, consider statins over hormone therapy.

• Evaluate the patient’s risk of having lipid and cardiovascular diseases if they underwent menopause before 40 years old. Ask for the patient’s history of fractures or falls and provide treatment as needed.

• Prioritize re-evaluation during and after hormone therapy to determine the effectiveness of the current treatment plan.

• If the patient is at high risk of having fractures, consider prescribing bisphosphonates and re-evaluate effectiveness after three to five years. Re-assess the patient’s bone mineral density (BMD) every one to three years if their baseline value is at the low end.

• On the other hand, assign drug holidays for women with low to moderate risk of having fractures.

• Vitamin D and calcium should be incorporated into the patient’s diet. They may also be given supplements as needed.

Lipid Level Management

• Patients with known endocrine disorders should undergo lipid profiling to prevent the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease ASCVD).

• Some patients with endocrine disorders may need to be prescribed statins and lipid-lowering medications to manage the risks and the symptoms that come with them. It applies to patients with conditions such as diabetes mellitus and Cushing syndrome.

• Assess the patient for hypothyroidism to ensure they can be given lipid-lowering drugs. If their thyroxine is within normal limits, re-assess their lipid profile.

U.S. Drug Updates

The following are some of the drug updates for endocrine medications:

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provided Orphan Drug Designation to Amolyt Pharma’s AZP-3601, a treatment for hypoparathyroidism.

• FDA also approved Zegalogue injection for hypoglycemia in patients six years and above.

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• Probiotic interventions, such as the Pendulum Glucose Control, may improve management choices for patients with diabetes mellitus by improving the circulation of ursodeoxycholic acid (UCDA) and butyrate acid, resulting in better glucose control.

• Experts are looking into the potential of Semglee, an interchangeable biosimilar insulin intervention, that may help improve the glycemic control for the following groups:

  • Pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes

  • Adults patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes

Final Thoughts

There are no known cures for hormone disorders. However, the medications available today provide the best care and management that medical professionals can provide based on the current standard of practice and guidelines.

Although the future of hormone medications is hard to predict, the medical field must take a proactive stance toward developing the endocrine health care system. Only with this knowledge can we hope to treat the conditions proactively and effectively.

To widen your knowledge about thyroid function and how it interacts with other endocrine system organs, AchieveCE offers a Thyroid Function course designed primarily for clinical laboratory personnel. This three-hour online course covers the history of Thyroid Function, thyroid anatomy, thyroid hormones, and thyroid gland disorders.