Tag: Pheochromocytoma

In pheochromocytoma, tumors produce excessive catecholamines, leading to severe and potentially fatal hypertensive crises. Phentolamine is an alpha-adrenergic blocker used to mitigate these life-threatening events by rapidly and effectively lowering dangerously high blood pressure.

Phentolamine, a non-selective alpha-adrenergic antagonist, was initially explored for general hypertension but is now primarily used for more specialized, acute conditions. It is a powerful vasodilator used to treat severe hypertensive crises related to excess catecholamines and to reverse local vasoconstriction caused by other medications.

Over half of all patients undergoing adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma were treated with phenoxybenzamine in 2008, highlighting its importance in managing this condition. **What is Phenoxybenzamine used for?** It is a powerful alpha-adrenergic blocker with a primary application in treating high blood pressure caused by specific adrenal gland tumors.

First synthesized in the mid-20th century, phentolamine is a drug that serves as a nonselective alpha-adrenergic antagonist, most notably used for treating hypertensive emergencies caused by excess catecholamines and reversing certain drug effects. The medication's rapid action and vasodilatory properties make it a powerful tool in specific clinical settings.

Metyrosine (Demser), first approved by the FDA in 1979, is an enzyme inhibitor that can reduce catecholamine biosynthesis by as much as 80% in patients with certain tumors. The action of metyrosine is to decrease the production of epinephrine and norepinephrine, thereby mitigating the severe hypertension and other symptoms associated with excess hormone release.