E27.3: Drug-induced adrenocortical insufficiency

The adrenal glands are at the top of the kidneys. The adrenal glands form the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol has many effects in the body. For example, cortisol is important for the sugar level in the blood and for blood pressure. The adrenal glands also form a hormone that controls the amount of blood salts. Blood salts help regulate the moisture content in the body. The adrenal glands also form sex hormones. Every person has female and male sex hormones in their body.

You are taking a drug that affects the adrenal glands. It is often a drug that works similarly to the stress messenger substance cortisol. If you are taking this drug, enough of the messenger substance effect is in your body. Because of this, the adrenal glands have stopped producing the messenger substance altogether or are only producing small amounts of it. If you suddenly stop taking this drug, there won’t be enough messenger substances from the adrenal gland in your body.

There may be various symptoms as a result. For example, you may lose weight, become weaker and have low blood pressure. The skin may also have a bronze discoloration. The symptoms may become more intense with stress. The symptoms may be very severe. It is also possible that you will have no symptoms at all. That depends on how much of the drug you had taken previously.