Cortisol Pump for Adrenal Disease

What is Adrenal Insufficiency?

Adrenal Insufficiency is a disease in which the adrenal glands don't produce enough cortisol. Symptoms can include: fatigue, nausea, headache and vomiting, stomach pain, muscle weakness, dizziness or fainting upon standing up suddenly (orthostatic hypotension), low blood pressure, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), salt craving, and weight loss. Cortisol is released in response to stress or low blood glucose levels. It raises the glucose concentration by promoting gluconeogenesis and ketogenesis, and also causes protein breakdown in order to release amino acids for production of glucose. Furthermore cortisol stimulates the uptake of glucose into the cell. If the adrenal glands are not producing enough cortisol, then you will have chronic fatigue and low blood glucose levels. Other common symptoms include nausea and vomiting, headache and stomach pain.

How is Adrenal Insufficiency Diagnosed?

Diagnosis can be done with a simple blood test that measures the amount of cortisol in the body over 24 hours (24-hour Dexamethasone Suppression Test). If the cortisol level is low, it is most likely caused by a condition called adrenal insufficiency.

What is a Cortisol Pump?

Cortisol Pumps are used to deliver steroids such as solu-cortef through a pump that slowly releases it into the body over 24 hours. This will allow for people with adrenal insufficiency to maintain a more constant supply of cortisol without the ups and downs in their cortisol levels.

What is Solu-Cortef?

Solu-Cortef is a medication that you inject into yourself, usually in your abdomen (belly). It can be used for conditions such as adrenal insufficiency, arthritis, asthma, skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis, and inflammatory bowel disease. Solu-cortef is a form of cortisol (hydrocortisone), a steroid hormone that controls the body's blood pressure and water and salt balance. 

Solu-Cortef used in an insulin pump.

Solu-cortef solubility forms are combinations of solu-cortef with other solubility forms to form a medicine that can be used in an insulin pump. Tandem Diabetes Care has approved solu-cortef solubility forms such as solu-cortef and solu-cortril with their insulin pumps. Solu-cortef solubility forms are beneficial for people who can not take solu-cortef by mouth. 

Design Your Own Solu-Cortef Pump

Utilizing the 'create your own' feature on www.peelz.com is the perfect way to distinguish a normal insulin pump from a solu-cortef pump. Simply use the text tool to write in 'Not an insulin pump' or 'Solu-Cortef Pump'. Click here for more information.