What Causes Pituitary Apoplexy?

Certain Medications

Pituitary apoplexy can be induced due to certain medications as an adverse but severe side effect. Medications that increase the risk of bleeding excessively that are taken for frequent blood clots, hypercoagulability, heart disease, heart defects, high blood pressure, previous stroke, and high risk of stroke can also cause a bleed in the pituitary gland and neighboring tissues. These medications include anticoagulants, antithrombotic drugs, and thrombolytic agents. Medications that cause an individual to have elevated estrogen such as birth control and medications for post-menopausal women can cause sudden changes in the pituitary gland tissue that may result in pituitary apoplexy. Certain medications that may be used when a patient undergoes a form of diagnostic testing referred to as dynamic pituitary gland testing can cause an overload of the pituitary gland. The medications known to produce this stressful condition that leads to pituitary apoplexy include thyrotropin-releasing hormone, bromocriptine, and gonadotropin-releasing hormone.

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