Guest guest Posted February 25, 2008 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 Negative effects of steroids only occur at doses higher than the ones used here, which are below the amount of cortisol put out by the adrenals themselves. We use relatively SMALL amounts of bio- identical cortisol as essential hormone replace that is ONLY enough to replace what the adrenals cannot produce. Used this way, the body's cortisol amount is returned to what it normally is, which has a number of POSITIVE benefits. The drug inserts don't mention this because no-one does studies on low doses of cortisol.. The adrenals MUST be supported before starting Armour. Cortisol is also required for the thyroid hormones in Armour to even work as well. Cotef is different than Medrol, Prednisone, etc. Cotef is indentical to what your own adrenals produce, Prednisone and other drugs are not. These drugs last longer in the system, and probably are more likely to cause adrenal suppression because of this. Cotef is optimally dosed every 3-4 hours, and the dose is decreased throughout the day. This helps to keep the natural adrenal output " alive " . I *highly* recommend the book " Safe Uses Of Cortisol " by Dr. Jeffries. (if you get if from the publisher directly it is cheaper than from Amazon) This explains the same uses of small doses of cortisol, and a number of the benefits of such therapy. Morning cortisol should be at least 20 in women. The rest of the numbers are low, except for midnight, which is high. This is probably becase the body isn't producing enough coritsol early, and so by midnight it manages to create enough to make that number high. Herbs can only work with what cortisol you already have. Glandulars might be able to help a bit, but probably not enough to allow the adrenals to heal. Jim > Please help me - I'm freaking out. > I have Hashi's and pretty severe adrenal exhaustion: > My Saliva Test Results: > > Cortisol: > Morning 13 (13-24) > Noon 1 (5-10) > Afternoon <1 (3-8) > Midnight 7 (1-4) > > Cortisol burden = 22 > DHEA = 3 > > I'm s'posed to start HC this week, and now I'm freaking > out about it! > > I've always treated everything herbally and now I feel > like I'm about to embark upon a really heavy duty > RX treatment! > All this was compounded by reading this this morning: > > GETTING OFF STEROIDS > http://fourfoldhealing.com/2007/11/08/getting-off-steroids/> > > " The side effects of cortisone, prednisone, and similar drugs are > legendary. They include diabetes, osteoporosis, edema of the face, > mood > swings, stomach ulcers and, very importantly, adrenal suppression. In > other words, your own adrenal glands shut off their production of > these > valuable hormones. Why not, since they essentially have been > " told " by the prednisone that the adrenals are no longer needed. > This bargain, then, becomes a nightmare as the effectiveness of the > drugs wears off, side effects become more serious and the patient is > unable to stop taking the medication.Of all the tragic situations I > have > dealt with in my practice, this all-too-common occurrence stands at > the > top of the list. " > > I guess I'm looking for someone to talk me down! > > Are Cortef and Medrol different than Prednisone? > Do those of you on them regret it? > > I am really wanting to start Armour, and I guess I need to support > adrenals w. HC first???? > > Are my adrenals too tired to use herbs or glandulars? > > Is HC going to put my adrenals asleep forever and cause all those side > effects??? > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 25, 2008 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 Negative effects of steroids only occur at doses higher than the ones used here, which are below the amount of cortisol put out by the adrenals themselves. We use relatively SMALL amounts of bio- identical cortisol as essential hormone replace that is ONLY enough to replace what the adrenals cannot produce. Used this way, the body's cortisol amount is returned to what it normally is, which has a number of POSITIVE benefits. The drug inserts don't mention this because no-one does studies on low doses of cortisol.. The adrenals MUST be supported before starting Armour. Cortisol is also required for the thyroid hormones in Armour to even work as well. Cotef is different than Medrol, Prednisone, etc. Cotef is indentical to what your own adrenals produce, Prednisone and other drugs are not. These drugs last longer in the system, and probably are more likely to cause adrenal suppression because of this. Cotef is optimally dosed every 3-4 hours, and the dose is decreased throughout the day. This helps to keep the natural adrenal output " alive " . I *highly* recommend the book " Safe Uses Of Cortisol " by Dr. Jeffries. (if you get if from the publisher directly it is cheaper than from Amazon) This explains the same uses of small doses of cortisol, and a number of the benefits of such therapy. Morning cortisol should be at least 20 in women. The rest of the numbers are low, except for midnight, which is high. This is probably becase the body isn't producing enough coritsol early, and so by midnight it manages to create enough to make that number high. Herbs can only work with what cortisol you already have. Glandulars might be able to help a bit, but probably not enough to allow the adrenals to heal. Jim > Please help me - I'm freaking out. > I have Hashi's and pretty severe adrenal exhaustion: > My Saliva Test Results: > > Cortisol: > Morning 13 (13-24) > Noon 1 (5-10) > Afternoon <1 (3-8) > Midnight 7 (1-4) > > Cortisol burden = 22 > DHEA = 3 > > I'm s'posed to start HC this week, and now I'm freaking > out about it! > > I've always treated everything herbally and now I feel > like I'm about to embark upon a really heavy duty > RX treatment! > All this was compounded by reading this this morning: > > GETTING OFF STEROIDS > http://fourfoldhealing.com/2007/11/08/getting-off-steroids/> > > " The side effects of cortisone, prednisone, and similar drugs are > legendary. They include diabetes, osteoporosis, edema of the face, > mood > swings, stomach ulcers and, very importantly, adrenal suppression. In > other words, your own adrenal glands shut off their production of > these > valuable hormones. Why not, since they essentially have been > " told " by the prednisone that the adrenals are no longer needed. > This bargain, then, becomes a nightmare as the effectiveness of the > drugs wears off, side effects become more serious and the patient is > unable to stop taking the medication.Of all the tragic situations I > have > dealt with in my practice, this all-too-common occurrence stands at > the > top of the list. " > > I guess I'm looking for someone to talk me down! > > Are Cortef and Medrol different than Prednisone? > Do those of you on them regret it? > > I am really wanting to start Armour, and I guess I need to support > adrenals w. HC first???? > > Are my adrenals too tired to use herbs or glandulars? > > Is HC going to put my adrenals asleep forever and cause all those side > effects??? > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 25, 2008 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 HC is much different than prednisone and how the body reacts to it. I took prednisone a couple of years ago with terrible consequences. My body completely freaked out on it. I am also severely adrenal fatigued. I have been taking HC from my local compounding pharmacy for about 3 months now and it is wonderful. My latest saliva test showed improvement in my adrenals and I feel it also. Much improved. I have a ways to go, but I'm on the right track. Deborah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 25, 2008 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 HC is much different than prednisone and how the body reacts to it. I took prednisone a couple of years ago with terrible consequences. My body completely freaked out on it. I am also severely adrenal fatigued. I have been taking HC from my local compounding pharmacy for about 3 months now and it is wonderful. My latest saliva test showed improvement in my adrenals and I feel it also. Much improved. I have a ways to go, but I'm on the right track. Deborah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 25, 2008 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 Thank you so much Jim & Deborah for your explanations! They really shed a lot of light on the issue for me. I think I feel better about starting Cortef this week now. There's so much conflicting info out there it's hard to know what to believe. But using physiological doses of bioidentical substances that my body isn't able to produce right now does make sense. I'm so eager to get on Armour and give my body the much needed thyroid hormones it's been lacking for so long now. Thank you very much for talking me out of my tree!!! xoxoxoxo > > HC is much different than prednisone and how the body reacts to it. I > took prednisone a couple of years ago with terrible consequences. My > body completely freaked out on it. I am also severely adrenal > fatigued. I have been taking HC from my local compounding pharmacy for > about 3 months now and it is wonderful. My latest saliva test showed > improvement in my adrenals and I feel it also. Much improved. I have > a ways to go, but I'm on the right track. > > Deborah > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 25, 2008 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 Just don't be too eager to get started on Armour thyroid. I did this without knowing the terrible consequences. Forgot to mention that in my last post. I went to a dr. that had no clue that I needed to get my adrenals strengthened first before starting Armour. I felt worse than I have ever felt after taking Armour while having severe adrenal fatigue. It lasted for several weeks and it's a lesson I'll never forget. I am totally focused on taking the hydrocortisone and getting my adrenals in a better place. I used to barely be able to get out of bed in the morning, I felt so much fatigue. I can really tell an improvement since taking the HC. Hang in there. You will feel better, just be patient. Deborah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 25, 2008 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 Thanks Deborah! And I'm glad you're feeling better. Hope you can get optimized on Armour soon > > Just don't be too eager to get started on Armour thyroid. I did this > without knowing the terrible consequences. Forgot to mention that in > my last post. I went to a dr. that had no clue that I needed to get my > adrenals strengthened first before starting Armour. I felt worse than > I have ever felt after taking Armour while having severe adrenal > fatigue. It lasted for several weeks and it's a lesson I'll never > forget. I am totally focused on taking the hydrocortisone and getting > my adrenals in a better place. I used to barely be able to get out of > bed in the morning, I felt so much fatigue. I can really tell an > improvement since taking the HC. Hang in there. You will feel better, > just be patient. > > Deborah > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 27, 2008 Report Share Posted February 27, 2008 Thing is, to continue working your job or supporting your family in some way, you have to keep on trucking. If you take a break, go live in a mountain with good air and water from there, along with no responsibilities, the adrenals will heal I can guarantee it. There are some underlying causes of course, perhaps such as sex hormones being off and of course your hashi's stressed you out. It will be safe and you will be ok if you keep the dosage low. What is " low " is different for everyone. Personally I stayed around 10mg cortef and felt good there. For my body size I don't think I should ever go past 20mg for example. Just move up slowly as Val mentions and you will find a sweet spot that lets your adrenals calm down. You also have to make a change in your lifestyle and personality when it's regarding stressful situations. Every time you hit the " fight or flight " button in your body, or ask for more energy, you are damaging the adrenals. Take a break from workouts, quit a few clubs/hobbies, as soon as possible. It's possible to heal it naturally, but unless you quit and take a 2 year vacation from life's responsibilities it may not work and not many of us have this priviledge to take a break. Cortisol supplementation let me continue working full time as I found out about my crash. In fact, I'm very doing very well now at work and can play sports when before I couldn't. > > Please help me - I'm freaking out. > I have Hashi's and pretty severe adrenal exhaustion: > My Saliva Test Results: > > Cortisol: > Morning 13 (13-24) > Noon 1 (5-10) > Afternoon <1 (3-8) > Midnight 7 (1-4) > > Cortisol burden = 22 > DHEA = 3 > > I'm s'posed to start HC this week, and now I'm freaking > out about it! > > I've always treated everything herbally and now I feel > like I'm about to embark upon a really heavy duty > RX treatment! > All this was compounded by reading this this morning: > > GETTING OFF STEROIDS > http://fourfoldhealing.com/2007/11/08/getting-off-steroids/> > > " The side effects of cortisone, prednisone, and similar drugs are > legendary. They include diabetes, osteoporosis, edema of the face, mood > swings, stomach ulcers and, very importantly, adrenal suppression. In > other words, your own adrenal glands shut off their production of these > valuable hormones. Why not, since they essentially have been > " told " by the prednisone that the adrenals are no longer needed. > This bargain, then, becomes a nightmare as the effectiveness of the > drugs wears off, side effects become more serious and the patient is > unable to stop taking the medication.Of all the tragic situations I have > dealt with in my practice, this all-too-common occurrence stands at the > top of the list. " > > I guess I'm looking for someone to talk me down! > > Are Cortef and Medrol different than Prednisone? > Do those of you on them regret it? > > I am really wanting to start Armour, and I guess I need to support > adrenals w. HC first???? > > Are my adrenals too tired to use herbs or glandulars? > > Is HC going to put my adrenals asleep forever and cause all those side > effects??? > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 researchinmachine wrote: > It's possible to heal it naturally, but unless you quit and take a 2 > year vacation from life's responsibilities it may not work and not > many of us have this priviledge to take a break. > It seems to me that once such a healing break was over, going back to a regular daily life would just trash them all over again, no? sol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 If they behave and are treated similarily once returning, yes. Theoretically though, once you get out of the cycle you should be good to go and not fall back again. The hormones in the body all play a very fine line in balancing each other. Adrenal fatigue disrupts all of this and actually makes itself worse and worse. What I'm surprised is that the body has no natural healing mechanism for this as it does for cases of disease and failure. I guess we haven't figured it out yet other than sleeping on some mountain. Or, we plain weren't designed to live in a " civilized " country with toxins. > > It's possible to heal it naturally, but unless you quit and take a 2 > > year vacation from life's responsibilities it may not work and not > > many of us have this priviledge to take a break. > > > It seems to me that once such a healing break was over, going back to a > regular daily life would just trash them all over again, no? > sol > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 29, 2008 Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 Thank you so much for the replies. Greatly appreciated! I'm calmer now and have taken my first 2 doses of cortef 2.5 /day for 2 days now and it felt wondrful! It really calmed me down a lot when I read the Peatfield book cover to cover in the bath tub the other night! I had let myself get spooked by the idea of being on a steroid - and one that I could die if I just stopped taking it. " Life alert bracelets " and " impaired immune function " and " adrenals put to sleep " kept creeping thru my foggy brain! Once I understood the dif between using physiological doses of bioidentical vs using therapeutic doses of prednisone etc I felt much better. I will take it super slow and be on the lookout for that sweet spot. I am convinced that along w the stresses of modern living, being perimenopausal (erratic hormones) and hypo/hashi's being under/wrongly treated for so long by T4 only meds really did in the adrenals. My labs show that my poor bod has been trying to convert all that storage hormone to something usable, and my tired adrenals probably ran out of steam, and cortisol, and progesterone, etc... Thanks again very much for your information, experience, and words of support. they really mean the world to someone up a tree! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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