Unaltered stimulation of pituitary adrenocorticotrophin secretion by corticotrophin-releasing factor following sodium valproate administration in a patient with Nelson's syndrome.

A 53-year-old woman with Nelson's syndrome was treated with 600 mg sodium valproate daily. Her plasma ACTH was effectively decreased, whilst the response of plasma ACTH to corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) was unaltered. The result of the CRF test suggested that sodium valproate, at least in the present patient, acted at the hypothalamic level.