Analgesic effect of octreotide in headache associated with acromegaly is not mediated by opioid mechanisms. Case report

Abstract We report a patient with acromegaly who had severe, intractable headache unrelated to tumor size which dramatically resolved with the somatostatin analog octreotide. The analgesic effects of octreotide were neither related to significant inhibition of growth hormone nor influenced by naloxone. Our data suggest that octreotide should be considered in patients with intractable headache associated with pituitary adenomas. Mechanisms other than tumor size or interaction with the opioid system, such as non-opioid algesic peptide secretion, may be the explanation for severe head pain in some pituitary adenomas.