Pain medication for cushings & arthritis

by Nathan Wei, MD, FACP, FACR

Nathan Wei is a nationally known board-certified rheumatologist and author of the Second Opinion Arthritis Treatment Kit. It's available exclusively at this website... not available in stores.

Click here: Second Opinion Arthritis Treatment Kit

Cushing's syndrome is a condition that results from an excess of cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal glands.

The most common cause of Cushing's syndrome is Cushing's disease caused by excessive production of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) by the pituitary gland. ACTH stimulates the adrenal glands to produce cortisol.

Cushing's syndrome can be caused by a tumor of the pituitary gland, a tumor of the adrenal gland, a tumor somewhere other than the pituitary or adrenal glands (ectopic Cushing's syndrome), or by long-term use of corticosteroids (drugs commonly used to treat conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and asthma).

Risk factors are adrenal tumor or pituitary tumor, long-term therapy with corticosteroids, and being female. While pain is not a typical complaint in patients with Cushing’s syndrome, it can be managed using over the counter analgesics such as acetaminophen. Non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) probably should be avoided if possible because of the possible risk of peptic ulcer disease.

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