Adrenal Problems and Hydrocortisone

[punxweb]

I have been seeing my HRT doc for about a year and a half now. I was diagnosed with low test, hypothyroid, and adrenal issues. I did a 4 specimen cortisol test through Diagno-Techs. My results follow:
6:00-8:00AM 7 ref 13-24nM ->low
11:00-noon 3 ref 5-10nM ->low
4:00-5:00PM 4 ref 3-8nM
10:00-midnight 2 ref 1-4nM

My doctor had me on some desicated adrenal tabs but refused to give me anything other than that. I decided to try Reset AD. It worked well. I quit drinking coffee and actually felt awake when I woke up. The one side effect I had was that I sweat terribly all day. I quit taking the Reset AD and I felt good for about 2 months. After that I started to drag ass again in the morning. Last visit with the doctor, I asked him if he wouldn't mind if I started some HC. This morning was the first time I took it. I was dragging ass when I woke up as usual. I took the 5mg HC and within an hour, I felt wide awake. I did sweat alittle excessivly today. I felt pretty alert and actually had quite a bit of drive in the gym tonight. My questions are for the guys that take HC. How long after you take it can you feel begin to work? How does it make you feel? Do you sweat excessivly when you do take it? Thanks for any input.

 

[The Matrix]

I have been seeing my HRT doc for about a year and a half now. I was diagnosed with low test, hypothyroid, and adrenal issues. I did a 4 specimen cortisol test through Diagno-Techs. My results follow:
6:00-8:00AM 7 ref 13-24nM ->low
11:00-noon 3 ref 5-10nM ->low
4:00-5:00PM 4 ref 3-8nM
10:00-midnight 2 ref 1-4nM

My doctor had me on some desicated adrenal tabs but refused to give me anything other than that. I decided to try Reset AD. It worked well. I quit drinking coffee and actually felt awake when I woke up. The one side effect I had was that I sweat terribly all day. I quit taking the Reset AD and I felt good for about 2 months. After that I started to drag ass again in the morning. Last visit with the doctor, I asked him if he wouldn't mind if I started some HC. This morning was the first time I took it. I was dragging ass when I woke up as usual. I took the 5mg HC and within an hour, I felt wide awake. I did sweat alittle excessivly today. I felt pretty alert and actually had quite a bit of drive in the gym tonight. My questions are for the guys that take HC. How long after you take it can you feel begin to work? How does it make you feel? Do you sweat excessivly when you do take it? Thanks for any input.

Start slow and taper your way up give pmgamer some time he will post up the titration schedule for HC.

 

[pmgamer18]

You need to work up slow on HC starting with 2.5 mgs and going up every 4 to 5 days until your taking 5 mgs 4x's a day. If you jump on this you will sweat and you feeling like this because your dumping all your Thyroid hormones from your blood into your cells we call the a Thyroid Dump and you can feel dam sick from this even feel like your having a heart attack so go slow. In this link is a FAQ's about Adreanls I helped with read this.
Link and the FAQ's learn about stress dosing your HC on days your stressed out from over doing it or hearing bad news it can keep you out of the ER.
http://livingnetwork.co.za/hormones/adrenal-fatigue/
I ended up in the ER 2 times in Adrenal Crisis so keep a list of your meds on you and say you have Adrenal Insufficiency it can save your life.

 

[punxweb]

Pmgamer, is it necessary to work up to 20mg? If my labs showed that I was only low in the morning, would I adjust the dose so that I am getting the HC only in the morning? I have read that link you sent and it does have some great info on it. Do you taper your dose as stated in the link or are you on HC all the time?

 

[pmgamer18]

I am on HC for life I have a Pituitary problem my brain dose not send the ACTH to my Adrenals to tell them to make enough cortisol.

As to your question you need to support your Adrenals there are stages of Adrenal Fatigue. It starts with your body making to much Cortisol then your Adrenals get over worked and can't keep up with the demand of ACTH your brain is sending to them do to the stress in ones life.

So they poop out and the next stage is low levels in the morning as time goes on your end up low all day.

What you need to do to treat your Adrenals is to fix your life if you don't have a Pituitary problem and to take enough HC to support your Adrenals so they can rest. Taking say 10 mgs in the morning will only give you relief in the morning then your Adrenals for the rest of the day will struggle to keep your levels up the rest of the day.

So it's best to support them with at least 20 mgs. or 5mgs 4x's a day do this for about 6 months then come off the HC 2.5mgs at a time lower your dose 2.5mgs each week until your off them if you can come off them and do labs again to see if your Adrenals healed.

In this link are the stages of this read all the stages and you will see now this happens.
http://www.chronicfatigue.org/ASI 1 .html

 

[punxweb]

Thanks for the info man. I am starting to recognize that I do have alot of the symptoms that are described with adrenal fatigue. I may have a pituitary issue. I am going to get a MRI after the first of the year. I also have low DHEA levels. I started taking some DHEA recently. I will try to talk my doc into upping my dose of HC so that I can get the 20mg dose.

 

[pmgamer18]

Great here is a link to the best parts of Dr. Jeffries book "Safe Use's of Cortisol" he is the founder of using HC for Adrenal problems. And this web site is full of good info about Adrenal problems.
http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/safe-uses/

 

[Gutterpump]

Is it safe to use about 12-15 tabs of isocort per day? I ran out of HC and am now using this many instead (5/4/3/3), and taking it with bioperine to increase absorption in the gut. I don't trust the reported amount of cortisone that is supposed to be in isocort, feels like less, so I take more.

 

[pmgamer18]

I don't feel good about doing over 8 pills a day don't know what all is in it. Try getting some HC cream 2% a tsp full is good to add to your arms or legs with 8 pills of Icocort this will keep your levels up.

 

[Gutterpump]

Yeah I have no idea if there's more than just cortisone in it. I'm also using licorice root extract liquid drops.

 

[pmgamer18]

Why are you out of HC this is dam crazy if I ran out and did not have anything to keep my lives up I would end up in the ER.

 

[Gutterpump]

Because my clinic will not prescribe me HC, so I order it myself from Europe.. I kind of self-treat my adrenals and thyroid.

I forgot to order in time, so I got some isocort and have been double dosing it. Seems to have been working, but luckily I got that HC order in today! 2 month's worth for $80 if I don't stress dose, not too bad. My clinic also only wants to supply me 1/2 grain of nature thyroid, so I order my T3 from Europe and take Iodoral along with it..battling reverse t3 from years of low adrenals. Taking 60mcg T3, think I should increase this before getting next labs? I don't think 60mcg is a replacement dose, but I'm also not sure if a replacement dose of T3 is needed to lower RT3.

Sorry, I should probably make my own thread, although it is relevant to this topic.

 

[The Matrix]

Because my clinic will not prescribe me HC, so I order it myself from Europe.. I kind of self-treat my adrenals and thyroid.

I forgot to order in time, so I got some isocort and have been double dosing it. Seems to have been working, but luckily I got that HC order in today! 2 month's worth for $80 if I don't stress dose, not too bad. My clinic also only wants to supply me 1/2 grain of nature thyroid, so I order my T3 from Europe and take Iodoral along with it..battling reverse t3 from years of low adrenals. Taking 60mcg T3, think I should increase this before getting next labs? I don't think 60mcg is a replacement dose, but I'm also not sure if a replacement dose of T3 is needed to lower RT3.

Sorry, I should probably make my own thread, although it is relevant to this topic.

60 mcgs is going to shut your shbg way up making bio T basically ground zero
your battle reverse t3 most likely because your problem still has not been isolated which we are finding that altered gut imbalances are at majority of causes of prolonged and unresolved adrenal isssues. That will be the first place to start. WE have revamped our program on focusing on healing the gut to help relieve the excessive inflammation depleting ones cortisol level. I feel in the future once the gut is healed thyroid and cortef may be decreased in alot of people.

 

[punxweb]

How does one go about healing the gut? I also have high RT3 values. I was wondering how one would bring those down? I take a 1 grain T3 & T4 pill and also 10mcg T3 on top of that and my values are still like 250.

 

[The Matrix]

identify food allergies, intestinal malaborption, remove all gluten for 2 months..
Most people with non resolve rt3 tend to have hidden infections mainly with in the gut.

 

[Gutterpump]

I'm only doing T3 alone for a few months before going back to Nature Thyroid. I have never tried to lower RT3 in the past, but I did have adrenal issues for years because of my lifestyle and abuse of caffeine and almost no sleep while working too much under too much stress. I might have gut issues, but I doubt it's the cause of my RT3 when compared to the other issues I've had in my life. It pales in comparison to the other factors. This is just a first time attempt, so we will see if any RT3 will linger on.

Is 60mcg T3 ok? Or should I go higher? I don't feel hyper at all on this dose while on 20mg HC....but 60mcg of T3 isn't even a replacement dose...so how can this shoot up SHBG? My SHBG has been pretty low in the past anyhow and there is no ED atm, so I think it is ok. Trying to get tests this week before the holidays.

 

[punxweb]

I have done allergy testing and I am aware of the allergies I have. How would you find out if you have intestinal malabsorption? I have been gluten free for almost a year now.