Best treatments for cushing syndrome
4 products may treat cushing syndrome. Ranked below by our independent recall-safety rating (rated where FDA data exists) — not medical advice; always consult a professional.
Quick answer: Of the 4 drugs we list for cushing syndrome, none are yet flagged as generics in our price data. They’re ranked by each drug’s FDA recall-safety record — not clinical effectiveness for cushing syndrome — so confirm the right choice with your prescriber.
Understanding cushing syndrome
Cushing syndrome is a hormonal disorder that develops when the body is exposed to too much of the hormone cortisol over a long period. Cortisol is made by the adrenal glands. The most common cause is not a tumor but medication: long-term, high-dose use of cortisol-like glucocorticoids. Among cases not caused by glucocorticoid medicines, about 8 out of 10 come from a pituitary tumor that makes ACTH, the hormone that tells the adrenal glands to make cortisol; doctors call this form Cushing's disease. Less often, an adrenal tumor makes too much cortisol directly, or a tumor that develops outside the pituitary gland produces ACTH. The signs are easy to blame on something else: upper body obesity with thin arms and legs, a round face, wide purple stretch marks, easy bruising, severe fatigue and muscle weakness, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar. Women may develop excess hair on the face, neck, chest, abdomen, and thighs; men may have decreased fertility and erectile dysfunction. Cushing syndrome that comes from the body's own cortisol rather than from medicine is rare, with estimates ranging from about 40 to 70 people out of every million. It most often affects adults, usually aged 30 to 50, and affects about three times as many women as men. Tests used in diagnosis include the 24-hour urinary free-cortisol test, the late-night salivary cortisol test, and the low-dose dexamethasone suppression test. Before biochemical testing, the Endocrine Society advises a thorough drug history to exclude excessive exogenous glucocorticoid exposure. This is general information, not medical advice.
First-line treatment
The Endocrine Society's 2015 clinical practice guideline Treatment of Cushing's Syndrome, co-sponsored by the European Society of Endocrinology, sets the goal of care as normalizing cortisol levels or action at its receptors to eliminate the signs and symptoms of the syndrome. For disease driven by the body's own cortisol, it recommends initial resection of the primary lesion(s) underlying Cushing's disease and ectopic and adrenal causes, unless surgery is not possible or is unlikely to significantly reduce glucocorticoid excess. In ACTH-dependent disease where surgery was not possible or was not curative, the guideline calls for a shared decision-making approach because there are several available second-line therapies, and lists repeat transsphenoidal surgery, radiotherapy, medical therapy, and bilateral adrenalectomy. When the cause is a glucocorticoid medicine rather than a tumor, MedlinePlus notes that a lower dose may control symptoms. Which path applies to a given person, including any change to a steroid regimen, is a decision made by a treating clinician for that individual patient.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Class | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Tablet | — | No data | — | View → | |
| 2 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Tablet | — | No data | — | View → | |
| 3 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Injectable | — | No data | — | View → | |
| 4 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Kit | — | No data | — | View → |
Full ranking · 4 treatments
isturisa
PrescriptionFDA-sourced
Isturisa (Osilodrostat Phosphate) is a medication used to treat Cushing Syndrome.
Price varies
lysodren
Boxed warningPrescriptionFDA-sourced
Lysodren (Mitotane) is a medication used to treat Cushing Syndrome, Adrenocortical Carcinoma.
Price varies
signifor
PrescriptionFDA-sourced
Signifor (Pasireotide Diaspartate) is a medication used to treat Cushing Syndrome.
Price varies
signifor lar kit
PrescriptionFDA-sourced
Signifor Lar Kit (Pasireotide Pamoate) is a medication used to treat Cushing Syndrome.
Price varies
Frequently asked
- What treats cushing syndrome?
- Our catalog lists 4 products that may treat cushing syndrome, based on NIH RxClass (MED-RT “may treat”) drug-classification data — not the verbatim FDA label. They're rated where FDA recall-safety data exists.
- What is the best-rated treatment for cushing syndrome?
- Ratings appear as FDA recall-safety data accumulates for the products that may treat cushing syndrome.
- How are these treatments ranked?
- By our independent score, currently based on FDA regulatory recall-safety data (the methodology blends additional sources as they come online). See the How we rate page.
Treatment associations are derived from NIH RxClass (MED-RT “may treat”) drug-classification data — not the verbatim FDA label. This is general reference, not medical advice — always consult a licensed professional.
Sources
The clinical overview above is written from these authoritative public-health and medical-society sources, independently reviewed against each.
- Cushing's Syndrome — National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), NIH ↗
- Cushing's Syndrome — MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine ↗
- Treatment of Cushing's Syndrome: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline (2015) — Guideline resource page ↗
- Treatment of Cushing's Syndrome: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline — J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2015;100(8):2807 ↗
- The Diagnosis of Cushing's Syndrome: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline — J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2008;93(5):1526 ↗