Condition

Addison's Disease

Adrenal insufficiency - Adrenal glands produce insufficient hormones

1.2M
People Affected
15
Active Trials
12K
New Cases/Year
1,000
Deaths/Year

Treatment Rankings

Ranked by evidence volume first. Medicine has spent centuries ranking things by vibes. This is an improvement.

1
Hydrocortisone
98% Effectiveness• 98% Confidence• 58% Safety• 18 trials• 50K participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 15-25 mg daily, divided into 2-3 doses
Find Trials

Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
58
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

immediate

Duration

lifetime

Response Rate

98%

Remission Rate

%

Common Side Effects:

Weight gain: 15%
Osteoporosis: 10%
Insomnia: 8%
Fluid retention: 8%
Mood changes: 7%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$200

Monitoring

$450

Side Effects

$50

Total Annual

$700

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

30

Cost per Responder

$714.29

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Fatigue Severity (FACIT-Fatigue Scale)20/52 (indicating severe fatigue)
+60% (+12 points (to 32/52))
Systolic Blood Pressure90 mmHg
+22.2% (+20 mmHg (to 110 mmHg))
Gastrointestinal Symptom Score (e.g., Nausea/Vomiting/Abdominal Pain Severity)7/10 (indicating severe symptoms)
-50% (-3.5 points (to 3.5/10))
Muscle Strength (Medical Research Council Scale)3/5 (indicating moderate weakness)
+33.3% (+1 point (to 4/5))
Secondary Benefits
Quality of Life (SF-36 Physical Component Summary)30/100 (indicating poor physical health)
+30% (+9 points (to 39/100))
Skin Hyperpigmentation Severity (0-3 scale)2/3 (moderate hyperpigmentation)
-50% (-1 point (to 1/3, mild))
Serum Sodium130 mEq/L (hyponatremia)
+3.8% (+5 mEq/L (to 135 mEq/L))
Common Side Effects
Weight gain
+15%
Osteoporosis
+10%
Insomnia
+8%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
2
Fludrocortisone
97% Effectiveness• 98% Confidence• 68% Safety• 200 trials• 20K participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 0.05-0.2 mg daily
Find Trials

Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
68
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

hours to days

Duration

lifetime

Response Rate

97%

Remission Rate

%

Common Side Effects:

Hypertension: 10%
Edema/Fluid retention: 7%
Headache: 8%
Hypokalemia: 3%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$100

Monitoring

$800

Side Effects

$30

Total Annual

$930

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

30

Cost per Responder

$134.02

Treatment Outcomes
Efficacy Outcomes
Overall Effectiveness
+97%
Response Rate
+97%
Common Side Effects
Hypertension
+10%
Edema/Fluid retention
+7%
Headache
+8%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
3
Prednisone
96% Effectiveness• 95% Confidence• 52% Safety• 2 trials• 40K participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 2.5-5 mg daily, once in the morning
Find Trials

Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
52
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

immediate

Duration

lifetime

Response Rate

96%

Remission Rate

%

Common Side Effects:

Weight gain: 20%
Osteoporosis: 15%
Insomnia: 12%
Fluid retention: 12%
Mood changes: 10%
Increased risk of infection: 8%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$150

Monitoring

$800

Side Effects

$75

Total Annual

$1,025

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

30

Cost per Responder

$234.38

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Addison's Disease Fatigue Scale (ADFS) Score25/30 points (higher is worse)
-60% (-15 points)
Systolic Blood Pressure95 mmHg
+15% (+14 mmHg)
Body Weight50 kg
+8% (+4 kg)
Secondary Benefits
SF-36 Physical Component Summary (PCS) Score30/100 points (lower is worse)
+40% (+12 points)
Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) Score25/63 points (moderate depression)
-50% (-12.5 points)
Serum Sodium130 mEq/L
+3.8% (+5 mEq/L)
Common Side Effects
Weight gain
+20%
Osteoporosis
+15%
Insomnia
+12%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
4
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
65% Effectiveness• 75% Confidence• 85% Safety• 2 trials• 5K participants
MODERATE EvidenceGood ValueDose: 25-50 mg daily, in the morning
Find Trials

Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
85
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

3-6 months

Duration

lifetime

Response Rate

60%

Remission Rate

%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

7

Common Side Effects:

Acne: 8%
Hirsutism: 7%
Oily skin: 6%
Hair loss: 2%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$300

Monitoring

$50

Side Effects

$20

Total Annual

$370

Cost-Effectiveness

GOOD

QALYs Gained

1.5

Cost per Responder

$616.67

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) score50/63
-25% (-12.5 points)
General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) score18/36
-22.2% (-4 points)
Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) score20/63
-25% (-5 points)
Serum Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate (DHEA-S)5 µg/dL
+400% (+20 µg/dL)
Secondary Benefits
Lumbar Spine Bone Mineral Density (BMD)0.80 g/cm² (T-score -1.5)
+3% (+0.024 g/cm²)
Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) total score15/36
+16.7% (+2.5 points)
Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) score20/56
-20% (-4 points)
Common Side Effects
Acne
+8%
Hirsutism
+7%
Oily skin
+6%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 3Phase 4