Treatment for Acromegaly
Health ConditionsHormones & Metabolic Disorders

Acromegaly Treatment: Surgery, Medication, and More

Acromegaly Treatment: Surgery, Medication, and More
Everyday Health
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Published on April 27, 2026
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Many treatments are available for acromegaly, a disorder caused by a tumor in the brain’s pituitary gland that causes excess growth of bones and tissues. To treat the tumor producing the extra growth hormone (GH), your healthcare provider may recommend a combination of surgery, medications, and radiation.

With the right treatment, you can lower growth hormone levels, improve symptoms, and prevent long-term health complications. Your treatment plan will be personalized to you, depending on factors like your symptoms, age, current GH levels, and the size of the tumor.

Surgery

The most common first treatment offered for acromegaly is surgery, which removes the tumor that’s causing the high growth hormone levels.

“All patients with a GH-producing pituitary tumor undergo surgery, because high levels of GH and IGF-1 (another growth hormone) are associated with complications,” says Priyadarshini Balasubramanian, MD, an endocrinologist at Yale Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.

After a successful surgery, your growth hormone levels may return to normal in about three months. Surgery to remove small tumors leads to a cure in about 85 percent of people who have it done. With a large tumor, it’s about 40 to 50 percent.

 But, even if surgery doesn’t cure you, it can still help other treatments work better.

Growth hormone levels may either remain high or rise again after surgery, in which case you’ll need other treatments, like medication or a second surgery.

Acromegaly surgery has some risks too. It can cause complications like:

  • Bleeding
  • Leaking of fluid from around your brain and spinal cord
  • Meningitis
  • Imbalanced sodium levels
  • Low pituitary hormones

Your doctor can help you find a good endocrinologist and endocrine surgeon who will discuss all complications you might have and recommend a surgical option that minimizes these risks.

Endoscopic Transsphenoidal Surgery

The most common surgical option for tumor removal is endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery, says Dr. Balasubramanian.

In this procedure, your surgeon places a long thin tube (endoscope) through a small incision in your nose or upper lip. This tube has a light and a camera attached, plus tiny surgical tools, which can help the surgeon see the tumor from all angles and remove more (or all) of it.

Graphic titled Transsphenoidal Surgery. Illustrated points include pituitary tumor, sphenoid sinus, nasal cavity, and endoscope. Everyday Health logo bottom middle.
Everyday Health; Adobe Stock

Transsphenoidal Microscopic Surgery

In transsphenoidal microscopic surgery, your surgeon’s view of the tumor is magnified from outside the incision, and there’s a larger pathway for them to use their instruments and bring out the tumor. This type of surgery may require a larger incision and longer recovery time than an endoscopic procedure.

Craniotomy

If your pituitary tumor is very large, spreads to neighboring areas, or sits near bulging blood vessels that increase surgical risk, your provider may recommend a craniotomy. This procedure is typically only used if the tumor can’t be removed fully through the nose, says Balasubramanian.

During a craniotomy, your surgeon opens the front of your skull and gently works around your brain to remove the tumor. Overall, this option has more risks (such as brain injury) than transsphenoidal surgery, but it’s safer for certain tumor types.

Medications

Medications for acromegaly can lower growth hormone levels, and some can also keep the tumor from growing. Your doctor may recommend a single medication or a combination.

Somatostatin Analogs

Somatostatin analogs (SSAs) slow down GH release and can sometimes shrink the pituitary tumor. SSAs are taken as injections or pills. They include:

  • octreotide (Mycapssa, Sandostatin)
  • lanreotide (Somatuline Depot)
  • pasireotide (Signifor LAR)
  • paltusotine (Palsonify)
Side effects of SSAs can include gas, abdominal pain, diarrhea, gallstones, blood sugar abnormalities, and hair loss. Symptoms are typically mild and may improve over time.

Dopamine Agonists

Dopamine agonists both block tumor growth and slow down GH production. These medications are taken by mouth and work best for people who have a smaller increase in growth hormone levels, because they aren’t as effective as SSAs. Dopamine agonists used for acromegaly include:

  • cabergoline (Dostinex)
  • bromocriptine (Parlodel)

Side effects of dopamine agonists include nausea, tiredness, dizziness, headache, mood changes, and problems sleeping.

Growth Hormone-Receptor Antagonists

Growth hormone-receptor antagonists stop GH from telling your body to make more IGF-1. The only such drug approved for acromegaly is pegvisomant (Somavert), which is taken as a daily injection.

Liver problems are this medication’s main side effect. While taking it, your doctor may recommend getting regular blood tests to check liver function. You’ll also need imaging tests to monitor any residual pituitary tumor. Pegvisomant lessens the effects of GH but doesn’t shrink the tumor, and in some cases it might even cause it to grow.

DRUG CLASS
HOW IT WORKS
POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS

Somatostatin analogs (octreotide, lanreotide, pasireotide, paltusotine)

  • Taken by mouth or injection
  • Slows release of growth hormone
  • Can shrink a tumor
  • Gas
  • Abdominal pain
  • Diarrhea
  • Gallstones
  • Hair loss
  • Glucose abnormalities

Dopamine agonists (cabergoline, bromocriptine)

  • Taken by mouth
  • Slows release of growth hormone
  • Can shrink a tumor
  • Nausea
  • Tiredness
  • Dizziness
  • Headache
  • Mood changes
  • Problems sleeping

Growth hormone-receptor antagonists (pegvisomant)

  • Daily injection
  • Stops overproduction of IGF-1
  • Liver problems

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy for acromegaly targets your pituitary tumor with energy waves. It’s typically only used if you can’t have surgery, or your surgery didn’t remove the entire tumor, and medications aren’t working well enough to control your symptoms. A common side effect is loss of function in your pituitary gland, and you may need treatment to replace other hormones it makes. Rarely, radiation therapy can cause vision loss, stroke, or other kinds of brain tumors.

Stereotactic

Stereotactic radiation therapy (sometimes called radiosurgery) uses 3D images to aim a high dose of radiation at a specific spot. This precision helps protect nearby tissues. Stereotactic radiation may take several years to work, and it is best for smaller tumors.

Conventional

Conventional radiation therapy also targets your tumor, but with less precision than the stereotactic kind. This treatment is given in smaller doses in several sessions over four to six weeks. Conventional radiation can also take years to reach its full effect, and it has a higher risk of damaging the pituitary gland.

Proton Beam

Proton beam radiation (PBT) uses protons (very small particles) to target your pituitary tumor. Like stereotactic radiation, this option has a lower risk of damage to the pituitary gland and nearby tissues. Both stereotactic and proton beam radiation are equally effective, but PBT causes less damage to nearby brain tissue, so it’s reserved for tumors that are very close to the optic nerve, says Balasubramanian.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor

  • What treatment approach do you recommend?
  • What is my prognosis with this treatment type?
  • Will I need any ongoing tests during treatment?
  • How soon could my treatment work?
  • After treatment, will I look and feel like I did before I noticed my acromegaly symptoms?
  • What are the possible long-term effects and complications from my treatments?
  • How can I best manage acromegaly with my other health conditions?
  • Who should I notify if I experience side effects?
  • Which side effects should I report?
  • How will this treatment affect my day-to-day life?
  • What can help me feel better emotionally throughout treatment?
  • Can you recommend any support groups or resources for acromegaly?

Mental Health Treatment

When you live with acromegaly, it’s common to feel intense emotions around your diagnosis and the changes you experience. In one study of 261 people with acromegaly, more than half reported chronic stress, anxiety, and low self-esteem.

But many find support through patient groups, advocacy organizations, and mental health care. You can also ask your provider to recommend a counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist.

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Anna L. Goldman, MD

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Anna L. Goldman, MD, is a board-certified endocrinologist. She teaches first year medical students at Harvard Medical School and practices general endocrinology in Boston.

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Abby McCoy, RN

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Abby McCoy is an experienced registered nurse who has worked with adults and pediatric patients encompassing trauma, orthopedics, home care, transplant, and case management. She is...

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Resources
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