*Unable to get off steroids (was: Re: Help, I may have damaged my eye!!

February 27, 2005

> I hear it both ways...and now I jsut started taking CORTEF about 2

1/2 weeks

> ago....should I quit immediately?

>

> Is this the same for ISOCORT then?

_____________________

You have to be on cortisones about 4 weeks total before you become

dependent. So, you can get off of it quite easily now.

This issue is not resolved. There is lots of debate. New research

indicates that the healthy adrenals makes about 20 mg a day. But,

then there is research and clinical experieince dating back at least

to the 1940's that found people with 's did well on 35 to 40

mg a day. Other research has found that the daily needs of people

vary hugely. So, yes you are taking a risk of secondary s at

20 mg a day. If you want to stay on Cortef or IsoCort, then it would

be safest to just use 10 mg Cortef or 4 Isocort a day. This would

insure that you are still using your own pituitary/hypothalamus and

adrenals to make part of your daily hormone needs and would reduce

your risk of problems, probably. Or, since you have been on it for

only 2-1/2 weeks, you can taper off over several days and get off

it. Keep in mind that you will then have to make thyroid dose raises

very tiny and wait a long time between them. It will take you a lot

longer to get your thyroid dose levels up to optimal. But, if you

can tolerate this without having a totally miserable life, it is

probably the best thing.

Since I bacame a total insomniac without it and had to leave my job,

I found that Cortef and IsoCort helped me greatly. There have been

quite a few studies done on synthetic cortisones and the ability of

people to get off them. The majority of people can get off of them

after being on them for some time. But, there is a small percentage

that will develop secondary 's. So, to totlaly avoid this

risk, then you must avoid them.

Tish

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