Hydrocortisone ‘sick day rules’: what are ‘sick day rules’? ‘Sick day rules’ give you advice about how to manage your usual tablet treatment if you are ill for another reason (for example, if you have ‘flu’). What is hydrocortisone?Hydrocortisone is similar to cortisol, one of the body’s natural steroid hormones (chemical messengers). Cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands just …
Read moreInsulin stress test (insulin tolerance test)
20th October 2016Why do I need this test? Your doctor has recommended that you take this test to help with the diagnosis and the management of your condition. Please would you read this carefully and ask us about anything that is not clear or if you would like more information. What is the purpose of the test?This test will tell us if …
Read moreGrowth hormone response to an oral glucose tolerance test
20th October 2016Why do I need this text?Your doctor has recommended that you take this test to help with the diagnosis and the management of your condition. Please would you read this carefully and ask us about anything that is not clear or if you would like more information. What is the purpose of the test? This test is used to check …
Read moreGraves disease
20th October 2016What is the thyroid?The thyroid is a gland in the front of the neck which makes thyroid hormone. Hormones are chemical messengers produced by your glands and carried in the blood. Thyroid hormone controls the body’s metabolism (use of energy). What is Graves’ disease?Graves’ disease is an over activity of the thyroid gland, named after a Dr Graves. It is …
Read moreGHRH-arginine test
20th October 2016Why do I need this test? Your doctor has recommended that you take this test to help with the diagnosis and the management of your condition. Please would you read this carefully and ask us about anything that is not clear or if you would like more information. What is the purpose of the test?This test is used to assess …
Read moreDexamethasone CRH test
20th October 2016Why do I need to take this test? Your doctor has recommended that you take this test to help with the diagnosis and the management of your condition. Please would you read this carefully and ask us about anything that is not clear or if you would like more information. What is the purpose of the test? This test will …
Read moreCarbimazole propylthiouracil (PTU) warning
20th October 2016To the patient: warning- please read this now.Carbimazole/PTU treatment and sore mouth/throat. You have been started on carbimazole treatment for an overactive thyroid. This is a very safe treatment that has been used for over 50 years. However, very rarely, a patient reacts to the drug with a sudden loss of white blood cells (‘neutrophils’) from the blood. This puts …
Read moreCabergoline treatment
20th October 2016Why has my doctor recommended cabergoline treatment? Cabergoline is a tablet treatment used to reduce the production of a hormone called prolactin by the pituitary gland (a gland at the base of the brain). If you have a prolactinoma (overproduction of prolactin by a cluster of cells in the pituitary), cabergoline treatment is also used to shrink the size of …
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