Re: On being afraid of Cortef -

[Guest guest]

Oh, ! Thank yo so much for answering. Really....I mean it!

>

> I think you can use adrenal test even if you are mercury toxic.

> Cutler isn't the only expert on mercury, or adrenals. Read other

> people's stuff, and don't get boxed in by one person's opinion.

Oh, I do..I DO! I just have very little money, and wondered if the test

would even tell me anything at all...since I could not afford it inthe first

place!!!

...and I must mention, that even though I had previously been intollerant of

DMSA, last year, when I nearly died, I tried Andy's protocol of every 3 hour

dosing, and took it in teeny, minute quantities, and it totally saved my

life. I am thinking that if I had been on adrenal supplementaton even back

then, it would have helped a lot more, and would perhaps have spared me from

a lot of anguish. SO, what I am saying, is that I tend to put a fair amount

of stock in to what Cutler says, but not to the point that I have blinders

on. NO, not that far....

>

> I am mercury toxic, and had an adrenal saliva test done three times

> in four years.

>Each time the same pattern came back, and when I

> finally started on Cortef I had great improvement.

I seem to see improvement as well.

> Read

> 's book on Adrenal Fatigue, the 21st Century Syndrome.

Okay. I will get that one.

>It has

> loads of info on adrenal fatigue. Some people consider him to be an

> expert.

>

> I just wanted to give my opinion about Cortef. I think each of us

> individually has to try to unravel our thyroid problems, which

> understood is no easy task. If you have tried Armour for many

> months, and are not getting to a point of better health, I think it

> is time to investigate other things that might help. For some, that

> might be adrenal glandulars or Cortef. For me, so many of my

> problems have diminished since being on Cortef. I am at a stable

> dose of 12 1/2 mgs per day divided, and occasionally take a teeny

> bit more if very sleep deprived, or stressed by chemicals. It

> allows me to function better, and has diminished my muscle and joint

> pain and carpal tunnel so significantly that my sleep is vastly

> improved.

How did you finally decide on this particular dose? Just by feeling? Taking

the least amount that seemed to help?

>

> I look at the Cortef as a way to get better. I don't look at it as

> a forever thing. My husband has been on large doses of Prednisone

> (up to 75mgs. a day) for several months to a year twice. He got off

> the Prednisone, and I will get off the Cortef when the time is right.

Oh, that is SOOOOOoooooo encouraging to hear. I have been so worried about

creating even more problems for myself as I try to dig my way out.

>

> If a person has low thyroid as part of the complex of problems that

> goes along with mercury poisoning or other poisoning, the problems

> become very complex because the hormonal systems are affected, as

> are the liver and nervous system.

Yes..Yes! It is not just the thyroid for me/us...I know that!

> I think it is important to try to

> have faith in what you are trying to do, to not try too many things

> at once, to stick with one type of medication long enough to see if

> it is working for you, and to try other things when you reach a

> wall.

Okay. That is exactly what I was thinking and have been trying to do,but

this whole CORTISONE thing had really scared me, because I seem to need it

so much, and I was afraid of becoming dependant and/or doing even more

damage. Also, I can actually FEEL the effects of Cortisone, whereas from the

ARMOUR,I feel nothing. So maybe that scared me too

>It is probably a good idea to have your liver function tested

> also, as this can greatly influence how you handle toxicities in

> your body, and how symptomatic you might be.

The CORTISONE seems to make me a lot less allergic, and I don't crave starch

and sugar like a fiend when I use it. I think the low adrenal function had a

lot to do with the attacks I was getting last year too.

>

> I have found that the longer I have been on Armour, the more

> familiar I have become with what effects it has on me, and this

> helps me greatly to decide what I need to do next, or if I need an

> increase.

I have beenon it for nearly 4 years now, but only started increasing my

doses aove 2 grains, last summer. I am up to 4 1/2 now, but have seen little

or no difference. The cortisone gives me the impression it is going to help

that.

>

> Also, when combining Cortef and Armour, the two medications sort of

> weave together, but of course that doesn't happen right away or

> necessarily easily.

>When I first started on Cortef,

>>>it gave me low adrenal symptoms

GREAT!! THANKS! That is exaclty what I needed to know. I have had some of

those too, and it really confused me. I decided yesterday to stick to about

12.5 mg and ride it out for awhile and see what happens.

Did you ever wake up in the wee hours with your heart pounding from it? I

have taken about 1 mg of CORTEF at about 4:oo Am to stop this, and it seems

to work. Do you think that is okay?

>just like when I was on too little Armour it gave

> me low thyroid symptoms. I stuck with it, because I knew for me the

> Armour was not " doing it " , and after a couple weeks I felt much

> better and got to the dose my DR. said was good for me, and have

> pretty much stayed at it.

Which liver tests have you used? All I have ever had the done were our basic

liver enzyme tests.

Do you know of any I can get done without a doctor?

Thank you sooooo very much for helping me with this.

I ACTUALLY FEEL SO MUCH BETTER, knowing that what I am doing is probably

right for me at this time.

Whew! I have been scared to say the least. Mercury almost took me out last

year, and I wouldn't want to go bakwards after coming this far. You know, I

crashed and became terribly ill after having some severe stress...so maybe

the adrenals have been at play far more than I realized. I spent all the

money Ihad on medical help form a biointegrative doctor at the time,but she

never suggested the adrenals. In fact, she told me to stop the thyroid that

she had put meon, becasue she said my body wasn't usig it anyway, and she

said we needed to clean it out. The rest of my savings went on EDTA, which I

could no longer tolerate, and then some other infusions. SO, I thinkwhat she

was saying is that my receptor sites were blocked off.

A big huge hug for you for answering my post. I feel so much better now!

Off to order that book...

Inga

>

> R.