The Best Ways To Treat Pituitary Tumors

You know about pituitary tumors. Yes, men, they grow exactly where you think: your pituitary gland! They're not good, not good at all. They mean your gland can't control your hormones right. They'll make you have too much or not enough! The good news? Many, many men don't get cancerous ones, just adenomas! That means they won't grow too much outside the pituitary gland.

So many men take medications for pituitary tumors! Yes, surgery for pituitary tumors is on the table too. Men, you'll even get some natural remedies for pituitary tumors as a huge, huge support for what your doc recommends! But hold your horses, the best treatment for pituitary tumors changes from man to man. You've got to understand all your pituitary treatment options and go over them with your doc!

Craniotomy

You're going to get your pituitary tumor removed with surgery. Yes, men, this is very, very common. So common! It's called a craniotomy. You're going to be under general anesthesia for it. You won't feel a thing. Not a thing! Men, your surgeon's going to shave part of your head. They need to clear the area, obviously. They'll drill a hole and remove part of your skull. It's all to let them get a visual on your tumor! Then, it's just a matter of removing it carefully. Men, you know they're going to shoot for the stars and get all of it out. But when they can't? They'll remove as much as they can without triggering brain damage! And yes, they'll repair your skull! Many, many men get plates, screws, or wires in their head for this. Win!

Stereotactic Radiosurgery

Stereotactic radiosurgery is huge, so huge, for pituitary tumors. Men, it's a great type of radiation! Your doc's going to try it if meds don't work for you. They'll also bring in this gun when your tumor's a huge growth risk! And if surgery doesn't remove all of your tumor? You guessed it, this is what they'll use on you! Your tumor's going to be gone before you know it, men. Yes! This one's great, so great. You don't need as many doses as you would with traditional radiation! Just 1 to 5, men, that's all. This method's super focused too. That's great for you! You'll get this radiation with a gamma knife or linear accelerator. Awesome, so easy!

Dopamine Agonists

Men, you know what dopamine is. Every man does! It's a huge, huge neurotransmitter. It's responsible for so many things, like your mood and behavior. Memory too, even your movement! Men, pituitary tumors impact your dopamine. You won't get enough in many, many cases. So many cases! That's why your doc's going to prescribe dopamine agonists. These meds are going to mimic dopamine for you. The older versions, though? They've got lots of cardiovascular side effects. The new ones don't have nearly as much. Not nearly as much! And guess what? The new ones get to more specific dopamine receptors too. What a win, right?

Obviously, though, these meds have other side effects. Sleepiness and dizziness are huge ones! Men, they're obviously why you've got to avoid driving at first. You need to know how you react! You'll need to talk to your doc about coming off them too. Yes, they'll trigger withdrawal symptoms like pain and organ failure! Men, watch your dose too, and follow what your doc says. When your dose is way, way too high? Expect compulsive behaviors and mental health issues to take over. Don't let them, though! You've got that power.

Somatostatin Analogs

Men, you know you need somatostatin. This is a hugely important substance. Hugely important. Your body makes it. It does! It makes it in your stomach, pancreas, hypothalamus, and bowels. This one's going to slow down how much gut hormone, insulin, and growth hormone your body makes. It'll even make sure your stomach and bowels empty right. Yes! But men? Pituitary tumors can force your body into making way too many hormones. Yes, way too many! That's why you'll get something like carcinoid syndrome.

The good news? Your doc's going to fix it by prescribing somatostatin analogs. This med's giving you some artificial somatostatin in your body! It'll work wonders when you've got a pituitary tumor. You'll get so much control over your symptoms, like skin flushing and diarrhea. Men, your hormones will be under control again. Win! But wait, there's more! Many, many men say this med even shrinks their pituitary tumor. Awesome, right? A nurse will give you an injection every 4 weeks with this med.

External Beam Radiation

Yes, it's true. Most of these tumors aren't cancerous, men. But some are! That's where your doc's going to bring in external beam radiation. This is great, so great, for cancerous pituitary tumors! Men, the radiation is going to shrink it for you! It'll destroy the cancerous cells too! Yes! Obviously, they use a special X-ray machine for this one. It moves around your head at the perfect angles! It'll even customize the beams to your tumor, making it so effective. So effective!

Men, this radiation machine is never even going to touch you. You knew that, right? Of course! It's all in the name external beam radiation! Many, many men get a targeted version of this. It lowers organ damage and damage to the healthy tissue around your tumor! This is so, so important since your pituitary gland is right by your brain.