Intracranial Hypertension Induced by Megestrol Acetate Withdrawal

Intracranial hypertension has been associated with endocrine dysregulation in conditions such as obesity, pregnancy, oral contraceptive use, excess of Vitamin A, Addison disease, and corticosteroid use/withdrawal (1-6). Megestrol acetate (MA), commercially known as Megace, is a synthetic progesterone used as an appetite stimulant for cachexia secondary to cancer or AIDS and more recently used to treat failure to thrive (FTT) in the pediatric population (7-10). MA administration has been linked to adrenal insufficiency with variable clinical presentations (10-13). The use of MA in our patient links MA usage with intracranial hypertension.