Re: Treating Adrenal insufficiency:Cortef is best approach

[Guest guest]

Re Cortef dosing, I have also read (as indicated below) that about 20g per day

is the max. From recall, I think Simpson took 10mg in the am and then

5mg at noon and 5 mg in the late afternoon or early evening. Or possibly it was

someone else who told me that dosing....

There seem to be mixed reports on how long people need to stay on it--I know a

couple of people who have stayed on it indefinitely (a couple years or more

now), alhtough theoretically I have read a couple of months can give your

adrenals a rest and then you can goo off of them. Most people I heard about have

said when they tried to go off they had a problem....I saw below that Jefferies

said 9 months may be sufficient.

I am looking forward to trying the Cortef (my blood cortisol is very low) and my

energy level can be debilitating. Oh it would be so wonderful to have normal or

semi-normal energy again! Even with my other symptoms, just to have normal

energy could let me be able to work again.

>

>

> Note his statement: " Cortef is much more effective than prednisone in

> CFIDS/FMS. "

>

> Highly Effective Treatment of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I know how desperately you want to feel better.....I am hoping you can

get there very soon!

Here is a suggestion from the Group on treating adrenals

naturally:

NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/

You can opt to use the common OTC hydrocortisone cream in place of the

Cortef, according to this site, so you may want to join and ask a few

questions about this. This is one of their files.

HC Cream FAQ

Where do I buy it?

How do I dose it?

Where do I rub it in?

Does it work as well as HC pills?

Can I switch directly from HC cream to the pills or vice versa?

Can I use a combination of pills and cream?

Where do I buy it?

1% Hydrocortisone cream can be purchased at any drug/grocery store. It

will be found in

the anti-itch section, as the cream is typically used for bug bites and

other skin irritations.

Cortisone-10 is a well-known brand that you may be familiar with, but

you do not have to

buy this brand.

When making a decision on which tube to buy, look at the extra

ingredients and make

sure there are none that you are allergic/sensitive to. Also make sure

you are buying

cream and not ointment. Some people do not like the residue that is left

behind from the

creams that contain aloe, so you may want to avoid one with aloe in it

– but this is merely

a preference. It will not affect how the product works. And lastly, make

sure that it

contains 1% hydrocortisone (some brands contain less or more than this

amount).

How do I dose it?

The most accurate way to measure HC cream is with a dosing syringe:

These syringes can typically be purchased at pharmacy counters or

online. Here is one

online retailer who sells them:

http://westmariculture.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id= & products_i\

d=51 & osCs

id=cc400594aecf8b7f71de2ed47634c01a

It is not advisable to get one that goes higher than 3ml, as it will

make dosing anything

less than 1ml difficult.

1cc (or 1ml) is equal to 10mg HC. Please ask your doctor how much you

should be using

per day, how many times a day you should use it and what times of day

you should apply

it.

Please watch the following short video to see how to fill the syringe

with HC cream:

It is typically easiest to place the tip of the syringe into the

tube's opening, then squeeze

the tube with one hand, while pulling the syringe's plunger with the

other hand.

Where do I rub it in?

For normal dosing, rub the cream into a fatty area such as the thighs,

abdomen or

buttocks until it disappears. This will allow the cream to absorb slowly

and evenly.

For stress dosing, when you need the cream to be absorbed quickly, rub

it into a veiny

area where the skin is thin, such as the neck or wrists.

Be sure to rotate your dosing sites, as long-term use of hormone cream

can thin the skin

over time.

If you are bothered by the film/residue left on your skin that does not

wash off with soap

and water, feel free to use a loofah or sponge to buff it off. But this

step is not necessary –

merely a preference.

Does it work as well as HC pills?

Everyone's body is different, so a blanket yes or no cannot be made

to this question.

There may be some people who do not absorb anything well through their

skin. On the

other hand, there may be people with digestive issues who would absorb

HC through

their skin much better than they would through their stomach. But

barring abnormalities,

yes HC cream works just as well as HC pills. There are many people who

have had

success using it to treat their low cortisol.

Can I switch directly from HC cream to the pills or vice versa?

If you are using cream and want to switch to the pills but have never

used the pills before,

it may be wise to switch out one of your daily doses every few days and

slowly switch

over. This way, you can monitor your temperatures and symptoms to look

for any

changes. That is the only way to know if you absorb it better one way or

the other. This

would also apply when switching from the pills to the cream.

Can I use a combination of pills and cream?

If you have used both and know that both methods work the same for you,

then yes, it is

fine to use a combination of pills and cream. Since the cream is much

cheaper than the

pills, some people do this to cut costs. For example, they may use cream

for their waking

and bedtime doses, and use pills for their mid-day and afternoon doses

(as carrying

around a tube of cream and a syringe can be more cumbersome than

carrying a small pill

container).

> >

> >

> > Note his statement: " Cortef is much more effective than prednisone

in

> > CFIDS/FMS. "

> >

> > Highly Effective Treatment of Fibromyalgia and Chronic

Fatigue

>

[Guest guest]

Oh, just a warning about this Adrenal group....they get TONS and TONS of

messages....it's very hard to keep up, but the files are worth looking

at.

Patty

> > >

> > >

> > > Note his statement: " Cortef is much more effective than prednisone

> in

> > > CFIDS/FMS. "

> > >

> > > Highly Effective Treatment of Fibromyalgia and Chronic

> Fatigue

> >

>