Metyrapone is an adrenal steroid synthesis inhibitor, which has a good clinical effect on the clinical treatment of adrenal insufficiency, adrenal tumors, Cushing's syndrome and other diseases in adult and pediatric patients. Patients with the above drug indications can take drugs under the guidance of a doctor to avoid improper medication affecting their health.

Metyrapone is effective in treating what diseases

Adrenal insufficiency

Metyrapone can also be used to treat adrenal insufficiency, that is, diseases caused by too little hormone produced by the adrenal cortex. It controls the condition by promoting the synthesis of adrenocortical hormones and increasing hormone levels.

Adrenal tumors

Metyrapone treatment of adrenal tumors can inhibit cortisol synthesis and alleviate patients' symptoms to a certain extent, such as improving cortisol secretion symptoms (patients may have symptoms such as centripetal obesity, moon face, skin purple lines, buffalo back, fatigue, hirsutism and facial acne), aldosterone secretion symptoms (aldosteronoma patients present with hypertension, muscle weakness, paralysis, increased nocturia, increased blood and urine aldosterone levels, decreased serum potassium and renin levels, and some patients may have dizziness, headache, tetany or even periodic paralysis, etc.), abnormal catecholamine secretion symptoms (patients present with hypertension and metabolic disorders, patients often have high blood sugar, urine glucose, increased free fatty acids and cholesterol in the blood, and a few may have hypokalemia), abnormal secretion of sex hormones.

Pituitary ACTH hypersecretion

Metyrapone can be used to treat excessive pituitary secretion of ACTH, which causes overactivity of the adrenal cortex and leads to Cushing's syndrome. It controls excessive hormone secretion by inhibiting the pituitary gland secretion of ACTH and reducing the synthesis and release of adrenocorticotropic hormones.

In patients with Cushing's syndrome, severe hypercortisolism is a life-threatening endocrine disorder that is often associated with the concomitant episode of one or more comorbidities and requires rapid normalization of cortisol concentrations and aggressive treatment of associated complications. It is mainly but not exclusively caused by ectopic ACTH syndrome, and the diagnosis of severity is more accurate when the clinical course and manifestations of the disease, cortisol levels, and a systematic search for comorbidities are assessed simultaneously. Once the severity and imminent danger to life has been determined, urgent treatment must be initiated and the etiological investigation must be postponed until the patient is stabilized. Adrenal steroidogenesis inhibitors (mainly etomidate, Metyrapone) alone or in combination are usually first-line agents for severe hypercortisolemia because they are rapid-acting, efficacious, and safe.

Metyrapone drug ingredients

The oral dose of Metyrapone is 250 mg. Its chemical name is 2-methyl-1,2-di-3-pyrin-1-acetone. Metyrapone is a white to pale amber crystalline powder with a characteristic odor. It is slightly soluble in water and soluble in methanol and chloroform. It forms a water-soluble salt with acids and its molecular weight is 226.27.

Inactive ingredients include ethyl vanillin, gelatin, glycerin, polyethylene glycol 400, polyethylene glycol 4000, p-methoxyacetophenone, purified water, ethyl cool sodium p-light benzoate, propyl cool sodium p-light benzoate, dioxide, red ink (aluminum chloride hexahydrate, carmine, propylcellulose, propylene glycol, sodium hydroxide).

Medication for special populations

It should be noted that Metyrapone is not recommended for pregnant women to avoid adverse reactions to the fetus. Metyrapone crosses the placenta and may reduce fetal cortisol production. The Metyrapone test was performed on pregnant women in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, and the fetal pituitary gland was found to respond to enzyme blockade. Transplacental transfer of Metyrapone has been demonstrated in humans and the drug can impair fetal and placental steroid biosynthesis. A small number of published reports have shown that babies exposed to intrauterine exposure are born with low cortisol levels after long-term use of Metyrapone by pregnant women.

In addition, breastfeeding women should avoid breastfeeding during the medication, otherwise the drug may be metabolized into the milk and affect the baby's health. Patients with cirrhosis should use with caution under the guidance of a physician, as the response to Metyrapone may be impaired in patients with cirrhosis.