RE: Cortisol is not for me

[Guest guest]

Hi Grace,What are the side effects you are experiencing?  I can't tolerate cortisol, florinef, etc. - not even in very small amounts. After researching, I found that depending upon your metabolism & how balanced all the bacterial, fungal and viral critters are in your body, you can have some bad reactions to the cortisol, etc..  Since I have ongoing issues with all of those, the cortisol tends to " feed " them and thus the benefit is not enough to compensate for those reactions.  For me, the reactions are an exaberation of a broad range of symptoms - fatigue, brain fog, lack of focus, aches, increased gut issues, etc. - the neurological impacts are generally the most severe. 

.

 

Well, I don't think I am willing to put up with the side effects of the cortisol so far. Does anyone know how long it will be after stopping it before my labs will be more accurate again for ACTH?

Sent from Grace's iPhone

[Guest guest]

Hi ,I have had a lot more brain fog, but didn't even connect that with the cortisol. I've had swelling, weight gain and water retention, increased acne and facial hair, blood sugar imbalances and shakiness. I have also been more tired and completely wiped out by the time I get the kids to bed. I didn't take it yesterday or today and I was fully functional at 10 pm last night and have been able to think a lot more clearly today as well as finally get through some of my to dos. Household tasks had become overwhelming mountains again. I am much more interested in using herbs, supplements even homeopathy than getting on a zillion prescriptions. The doc was wanting me on thyroid (of course), plus cortisol and maybe estrogen and progesterone and then another drug for something else on top of it. My big red flag was that I told him being on progesterone caused me weight gain and a ton of cystic acne (i had none before) and he told me that was just coincidence and not caused by progesterone. I trust my body more than a doctor any day. Sent from Grace's iPhone

Hi Grace,What are the side effects you are experiencing? I can't tolerate cortisol, florinef, etc. - not even in very small amounts. After researching, I found that depending upon your metabolism & how balanced all the bacterial, fungal and viral critters are in your body, you can have some bad reactions to the cortisol, etc.. Since I have ongoing issues with all of those, the cortisol tends to "feed" them and thus the benefit is not enough to compensate for those reactions. For me, the reactions are an exaberation of a broad range of symptoms - fatigue, brain fog, lack of focus, aches, increased gut issues, etc. - the neurological impacts are generally the most severe.

.

Well, I don't think I am willing to put up with the side effects of the cortisol so far. Does anyone know how long it will be after stopping it before my labs will be more accurate again for ACTH?

Sent from Grace's iPhone

[Guest guest]

Hi ,I have had a lot more brain fog, but didn't even connect that with the cortisol. I've had swelling, weight gain and water retention, increased acne and facial hair, blood sugar imbalances and shakiness. I have also been more tired and completely wiped out by the time I get the kids to bed. I didn't take it yesterday or today and I was fully functional at 10 pm last night and have been able to think a lot more clearly today as well as finally get through some of my to dos. Household tasks had become overwhelming mountains again. I am much more interested in using herbs, supplements even homeopathy than getting on a zillion prescriptions. The doc was wanting me on thyroid (of course), plus cortisol and maybe estrogen and progesterone and then another drug for something else on top of it. My big red flag was that I told him being on progesterone caused me weight gain and a ton of cystic acne (i had none before) and he told me that was just coincidence and not caused by progesterone. I trust my body more than a doctor any day. Sent from Grace's iPhone

Hi Grace,What are the side effects you are experiencing? I can't tolerate cortisol, florinef, etc. - not even in very small amounts. After researching, I found that depending upon your metabolism & how balanced all the bacterial, fungal and viral critters are in your body, you can have some bad reactions to the cortisol, etc.. Since I have ongoing issues with all of those, the cortisol tends to "feed" them and thus the benefit is not enough to compensate for those reactions. For me, the reactions are an exaberation of a broad range of symptoms - fatigue, brain fog, lack of focus, aches, increased gut issues, etc. - the neurological impacts are generally the most severe.

.

Well, I don't think I am willing to put up with the side effects of the cortisol so far. Does anyone know how long it will be after stopping it before my labs will be more accurate again for ACTH?

Sent from Grace's iPhone

[Guest guest]

Hi ,I have had a lot more brain fog, but didn't even connect that with the cortisol. I've had swelling, weight gain and water retention, increased acne and facial hair, blood sugar imbalances and shakiness. I have also been more tired and completely wiped out by the time I get the kids to bed. I didn't take it yesterday or today and I was fully functional at 10 pm last night and have been able to think a lot more clearly today as well as finally get through some of my to dos. Household tasks had become overwhelming mountains again. I am much more interested in using herbs, supplements even homeopathy than getting on a zillion prescriptions. The doc was wanting me on thyroid (of course), plus cortisol and maybe estrogen and progesterone and then another drug for something else on top of it. My big red flag was that I told him being on progesterone caused me weight gain and a ton of cystic acne (i had none before) and he told me that was just coincidence and not caused by progesterone. I trust my body more than a doctor any day. Sent from Grace's iPhone

Hi Grace,What are the side effects you are experiencing? I can't tolerate cortisol, florinef, etc. - not even in very small amounts. After researching, I found that depending upon your metabolism & how balanced all the bacterial, fungal and viral critters are in your body, you can have some bad reactions to the cortisol, etc.. Since I have ongoing issues with all of those, the cortisol tends to "feed" them and thus the benefit is not enough to compensate for those reactions. For me, the reactions are an exaberation of a broad range of symptoms - fatigue, brain fog, lack of focus, aches, increased gut issues, etc. - the neurological impacts are generally the most severe.

.

Well, I don't think I am willing to put up with the side effects of the cortisol so far. Does anyone know how long it will be after stopping it before my labs will be more accurate again for ACTH?

Sent from Grace's iPhone

[Guest guest]

I got off cortisol last year after having been on it for five years. It took 6 months to wean myself off and then another month or two before If elt ok. I did a saliva test for adrenals and although it was much better than it had been 5 years previous, still a bit below normal in the mornings. I didn't notice much difference though after getting off of it except I am finally able to slowly lose weight and my shoulders hurt more - which is a bit of a bummer!

Steph

Cortisol is not for me

Well, I don't think I am willing to put up with the side effects of the cortisol so far. Does anyone know how long it will be after stopping it before my labs will be more accurate again for ACTH?

Sent from Grace's iPhone

------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

I got off cortisol last year after having been on it for five years. It took 6 months to wean myself off and then another month or two before If elt ok. I did a saliva test for adrenals and although it was much better than it had been 5 years previous, still a bit below normal in the mornings. I didn't notice much difference though after getting off of it except I am finally able to slowly lose weight and my shoulders hurt more - which is a bit of a bummer!

Steph

Cortisol is not for me

Well, I don't think I am willing to put up with the side effects of the cortisol so far. Does anyone know how long it will be after stopping it before my labs will be more accurate again for ACTH?

Sent from Grace's iPhone

------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

I got off cortisol last year after having been on it for five years. It took 6 months to wean myself off and then another month or two before If elt ok. I did a saliva test for adrenals and although it was much better than it had been 5 years previous, still a bit below normal in the mornings. I didn't notice much difference though after getting off of it except I am finally able to slowly lose weight and my shoulders hurt more - which is a bit of a bummer!

Steph

Cortisol is not for me

Well, I don't think I am willing to put up with the side effects of the cortisol so far. Does anyone know how long it will be after stopping it before my labs will be more accurate again for ACTH?

Sent from Grace's iPhone

------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

I was on it for a month - started at 5mg every day and my feet swelled so much I couldn't see my tendons (normally pronounced). I then went to every other day rather than stop it. I was okay, but started getting shaky and having blood sugar issues and weight gain in waist. Dr. said to try 2.5mg every day instead of every other day. After a couple of weeks I couldn't even recognize myself in the mirror because my face had gotten so round. I have also had acid burning in my stomach since starting it. I quit taking it three days ago and my face looks normal again, but my stomach still hurts (was taking with food). Now I am super-irritable and over-reacting to stress. I am assuming that my own production has gone down since being on the supplemental. I am hoping that things even out soon. I am also hoping that I haven't caused an ulcer and my stomach stops hurting.My thyroid levels are also a wreck, as my hair loss is starting again just a little. My hands and feet are freezing and my heart is beating fast and blood pressure has been up.I am really confused about what to do and who to see about any of it. I don't have the patience to work through the system at Dr. Spurlock's office where it takes so long to get in and it is so hard to get a copy of labs soon after they are taken. (The nurse told me they used to mail them to patients, but then they got too many calls with questions so they quit doing that.) Now they save them until you come in, but if the nearest appointment is 6 weeks away that doesn't really help. I've been there for three follow ups (2 for me and 1 for my husband) and at each one they couldn't even find the lab work and had to call labcorp to have it faxed over. Spurlock has told me he is hoping to move to his own office, but who knows when that will be. Since I don't want to overmedicate and would like to experiment with getting my TSH back I was thinking of trying Dr. Elmore? or maybe Alfred (but seems costly since out of network)? The only problem is I tend to develop a reverse T3 issue and I need someone willing to check that. I am thinking about trying a Naturopath for adrenals.Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome. I am on the timed release T3 and don't have any recent labs since making the change 8 weeks ago.

I got off cortisol last year after having been on it for five years. It took 6 months to wean myself off and then another month or two before If elt ok. I did a saliva test for adrenals and although it was much better than it had been 5 years previous, still a bit below normal in the mornings. I didn't notice much difference though after getting off of it except I am finally able to slowly lose weight and my shoulders hurt more - which is a bit of a bummer!

Steph

Cortisol is not for me

Well, I don't think I am willing to put up with the side effects of the cortisol so far. Does anyone know how long it will be after stopping it before my labs will be more accurate again for ACTH?

Sent from Grace's iPhone

------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

I was on it for a month - started at 5mg every day and my feet swelled so much I couldn't see my tendons (normally pronounced). I then went to every other day rather than stop it. I was okay, but started getting shaky and having blood sugar issues and weight gain in waist. Dr. said to try 2.5mg every day instead of every other day. After a couple of weeks I couldn't even recognize myself in the mirror because my face had gotten so round. I have also had acid burning in my stomach since starting it. I quit taking it three days ago and my face looks normal again, but my stomach still hurts (was taking with food). Now I am super-irritable and over-reacting to stress. I am assuming that my own production has gone down since being on the supplemental. I am hoping that things even out soon. I am also hoping that I haven't caused an ulcer and my stomach stops hurting.My thyroid levels are also a wreck, as my hair loss is starting again just a little. My hands and feet are freezing and my heart is beating fast and blood pressure has been up.I am really confused about what to do and who to see about any of it. I don't have the patience to work through the system at Dr. Spurlock's office where it takes so long to get in and it is so hard to get a copy of labs soon after they are taken. (The nurse told me they used to mail them to patients, but then they got too many calls with questions so they quit doing that.) Now they save them until you come in, but if the nearest appointment is 6 weeks away that doesn't really help. I've been there for three follow ups (2 for me and 1 for my husband) and at each one they couldn't even find the lab work and had to call labcorp to have it faxed over. Spurlock has told me he is hoping to move to his own office, but who knows when that will be. Since I don't want to overmedicate and would like to experiment with getting my TSH back I was thinking of trying Dr. Elmore? or maybe Alfred (but seems costly since out of network)? The only problem is I tend to develop a reverse T3 issue and I need someone willing to check that. I am thinking about trying a Naturopath for adrenals.Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome. I am on the timed release T3 and don't have any recent labs since making the change 8 weeks ago.

I got off cortisol last year after having been on it for five years. It took 6 months to wean myself off and then another month or two before If elt ok. I did a saliva test for adrenals and although it was much better than it had been 5 years previous, still a bit below normal in the mornings. I didn't notice much difference though after getting off of it except I am finally able to slowly lose weight and my shoulders hurt more - which is a bit of a bummer!

Steph

Cortisol is not for me

Well, I don't think I am willing to put up with the side effects of the cortisol so far. Does anyone know how long it will be after stopping it before my labs will be more accurate again for ACTH?

Sent from Grace's iPhone

------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

I was on it for a month - started at 5mg every day and my feet swelled so much I couldn't see my tendons (normally pronounced). I then went to every other day rather than stop it. I was okay, but started getting shaky and having blood sugar issues and weight gain in waist. Dr. said to try 2.5mg every day instead of every other day. After a couple of weeks I couldn't even recognize myself in the mirror because my face had gotten so round. I have also had acid burning in my stomach since starting it. I quit taking it three days ago and my face looks normal again, but my stomach still hurts (was taking with food). Now I am super-irritable and over-reacting to stress. I am assuming that my own production has gone down since being on the supplemental. I am hoping that things even out soon. I am also hoping that I haven't caused an ulcer and my stomach stops hurting.My thyroid levels are also a wreck, as my hair loss is starting again just a little. My hands and feet are freezing and my heart is beating fast and blood pressure has been up.I am really confused about what to do and who to see about any of it. I don't have the patience to work through the system at Dr. Spurlock's office where it takes so long to get in and it is so hard to get a copy of labs soon after they are taken. (The nurse told me they used to mail them to patients, but then they got too many calls with questions so they quit doing that.) Now they save them until you come in, but if the nearest appointment is 6 weeks away that doesn't really help. I've been there for three follow ups (2 for me and 1 for my husband) and at each one they couldn't even find the lab work and had to call labcorp to have it faxed over. Spurlock has told me he is hoping to move to his own office, but who knows when that will be. Since I don't want to overmedicate and would like to experiment with getting my TSH back I was thinking of trying Dr. Elmore? or maybe Alfred (but seems costly since out of network)? The only problem is I tend to develop a reverse T3 issue and I need someone willing to check that. I am thinking about trying a Naturopath for adrenals.Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome. I am on the timed release T3 and don't have any recent labs since making the change 8 weeks ago.

I got off cortisol last year after having been on it for five years. It took 6 months to wean myself off and then another month or two before If elt ok. I did a saliva test for adrenals and although it was much better than it had been 5 years previous, still a bit below normal in the mornings. I didn't notice much difference though after getting off of it except I am finally able to slowly lose weight and my shoulders hurt more - which is a bit of a bummer!

Steph

Cortisol is not for me

Well, I don't think I am willing to put up with the side effects of the cortisol so far. Does anyone know how long it will be after stopping it before my labs will be more accurate again for ACTH?

Sent from Grace's iPhone

------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

I usually take 5 mg four times a day. If I take one or two extra capsules a day, my feet start swelling on about the fifth day. I am not sure what causes that. I can't blame the fillers, because mine is in oil capsules.

How long have you been on the T3 only protocol? When all of the T4 is gone, you could be having hypothyroid symptoms, too.

> > > I got off cortisol last year after having been on it for five years. It took 6 months to wean myself off and then another month or two before If elt ok. I did a saliva test for adrenals and although it was much better than it had been 5 years previous, still a bit below normal in the mornings. I didn't notice much difference though after getting off of it except I am finally able to slowly lose weight and my shoulders hurt more - which is a bit of a bummer!> > > > > > Steph> > > > > > > > Cortisol is not for me> > > > Well, I don't think I am willing to put up with the side effects of the cortisol > > so far. Does anyone know how long it will be after stopping it before my labs > > will be more accurate again for ACTH?

[Guest guest]

I usually take 5 mg four times a day. If I take one or two extra capsules a day, my feet start swelling on about the fifth day. I am not sure what causes that. I can't blame the fillers, because mine is in oil capsules.

How long have you been on the T3 only protocol? When all of the T4 is gone, you could be having hypothyroid symptoms, too.

> > > I got off cortisol last year after having been on it for five years. It took 6 months to wean myself off and then another month or two before If elt ok. I did a saliva test for adrenals and although it was much better than it had been 5 years previous, still a bit below normal in the mornings. I didn't notice much difference though after getting off of it except I am finally able to slowly lose weight and my shoulders hurt more - which is a bit of a bummer!> > > > > > Steph> > > > > > > > Cortisol is not for me> > > > Well, I don't think I am willing to put up with the side effects of the cortisol > > so far. Does anyone know how long it will be after stopping it before my labs > > will be more accurate again for ACTH?

[Guest guest]

I usually take 5 mg four times a day. If I take one or two extra capsules a day, my feet start swelling on about the fifth day. I am not sure what causes that. I can't blame the fillers, because mine is in oil capsules.

How long have you been on the T3 only protocol? When all of the T4 is gone, you could be having hypothyroid symptoms, too.

> > > I got off cortisol last year after having been on it for five years. It took 6 months to wean myself off and then another month or two before If elt ok. I did a saliva test for adrenals and although it was much better than it had been 5 years previous, still a bit below normal in the mornings. I didn't notice much difference though after getting off of it except I am finally able to slowly lose weight and my shoulders hurt more - which is a bit of a bummer!> > > > > > Steph> > > > > > > > Cortisol is not for me> > > > Well, I don't think I am willing to put up with the side effects of the cortisol > > so far. Does anyone know how long it will be after stopping it before my labs > > will be more accurate again for ACTH?

[Guest guest]

Yes, that is what I was thinking about the T4. It has been 8 weeks now. The scary thing to me is that the dr was only going to check FT3. I noticed it as I was leaving and requested he also check FT4 and reverse T3. I don't have any appt until Jan 17th and don't really want to wait that long to get results.As for my stomach hurting...I was taking it with food, but I wonder since it is slow release if it was just constantly releasing cortisol to irritate my stomach.

I usually take 5 mg four times a day. If I take one or two extra capsules a day, my feet start swelling on about the fifth day. I am not sure what causes that. I can't blame the fillers, because mine is in oil capsules.How long have you been on the T3 only protocol? When all of the T4 is gone, you could be having hypothyroid symptoms, too. > > > I got off cortisol last year after having been on it for five years. It took 6 months to wean myself off and then another month or two before If elt ok. I did a saliva test for adrenals and although it was much better than it had been 5 years previous, still a bit below normal in the mornings. I didn't notice much difference though after getting off of it except I am finally able to slowly lose weight and my shoulders hurt more - which is a bit of a bummer!> > > > > > Steph> > > > > > > > Cortisol is not for me> > > > Well, I don't think I am willing to put up with the side effects of the cortisol > > so far. Does anyone know how long it will be after stopping it before my labs > > will be more accurate again for ACTH?

[Guest guest]

Yes, that is what I was thinking about the T4. It has been 8 weeks now. The scary thing to me is that the dr was only going to check FT3. I noticed it as I was leaving and requested he also check FT4 and reverse T3. I don't have any appt until Jan 17th and don't really want to wait that long to get results.As for my stomach hurting...I was taking it with food, but I wonder since it is slow release if it was just constantly releasing cortisol to irritate my stomach.

I usually take 5 mg four times a day. If I take one or two extra capsules a day, my feet start swelling on about the fifth day. I am not sure what causes that. I can't blame the fillers, because mine is in oil capsules.How long have you been on the T3 only protocol? When all of the T4 is gone, you could be having hypothyroid symptoms, too. > > > I got off cortisol last year after having been on it for five years. It took 6 months to wean myself off and then another month or two before If elt ok. I did a saliva test for adrenals and although it was much better than it had been 5 years previous, still a bit below normal in the mornings. I didn't notice much difference though after getting off of it except I am finally able to slowly lose weight and my shoulders hurt more - which is a bit of a bummer!> > > > > > Steph> > > > > > > > Cortisol is not for me> > > > Well, I don't think I am willing to put up with the side effects of the cortisol > > so far. Does anyone know how long it will be after stopping it before my labs > > will be more accurate again for ACTH?

[Guest guest]

Yes, that is what I was thinking about the T4. It has been 8 weeks now. The scary thing to me is that the dr was only going to check FT3. I noticed it as I was leaving and requested he also check FT4 and reverse T3. I don't have any appt until Jan 17th and don't really want to wait that long to get results.As for my stomach hurting...I was taking it with food, but I wonder since it is slow release if it was just constantly releasing cortisol to irritate my stomach.

I usually take 5 mg four times a day. If I take one or two extra capsules a day, my feet start swelling on about the fifth day. I am not sure what causes that. I can't blame the fillers, because mine is in oil capsules.How long have you been on the T3 only protocol? When all of the T4 is gone, you could be having hypothyroid symptoms, too. > > > I got off cortisol last year after having been on it for five years. It took 6 months to wean myself off and then another month or two before If elt ok. I did a saliva test for adrenals and although it was much better than it had been 5 years previous, still a bit below normal in the mornings. I didn't notice much difference though after getting off of it except I am finally able to slowly lose weight and my shoulders hurt more - which is a bit of a bummer!> > > > > > Steph> > > > > > > > Cortisol is not for me> > > > Well, I don't think I am willing to put up with the side effects of the cortisol > > so far. Does anyone know how long it will be after stopping it before my labs > > will be more accurate again for ACTH?

[Guest guest]

I would check with the pharmacy as to the fillers and whatever they put into it to make it timed release. Microcrystalline cellulose is no longer inert if they are making it from GMO crops or from cottonseed, which almost always GMO, but toxic in itself, too.

> > > > > > > I got off cortisol last year after having been on it for five years. It took 6 months to wean myself off and then another month or two before If elt ok. I did a saliva test for adrenals and although it was much better than it had been 5 years previous, still a bit below normal in the mornings. I didn't notice much difference though after getting off of it except I am finally able to slowly lose weight and my shoulders hurt more - which is a bit of a bummer!> > > > > > > > > > > > Steph> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Cortisol is not for me> > > > > > > > Well, I don't think I am willing to put up with the side effects of the cortisol > > > > so far. Does anyone know how long it will be after stopping it before my labs > > > > will be more accurate again for ACTH?> > > > > >>

[Guest guest]

I would check with the pharmacy as to the fillers and whatever they put into it to make it timed release. Microcrystalline cellulose is no longer inert if they are making it from GMO crops or from cottonseed, which almost always GMO, but toxic in itself, too.

> > > > > > > I got off cortisol last year after having been on it for five years. It took 6 months to wean myself off and then another month or two before If elt ok. I did a saliva test for adrenals and although it was much better than it had been 5 years previous, still a bit below normal in the mornings. I didn't notice much difference though after getting off of it except I am finally able to slowly lose weight and my shoulders hurt more - which is a bit of a bummer!> > > > > > > > > > > > Steph> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Cortisol is not for me> > > > > > > > Well, I don't think I am willing to put up with the side effects of the cortisol > > > > so far. Does anyone know how long it will be after stopping it before my labs > > > > will be more accurate again for ACTH?> > > > > >>

[Guest guest]

I would check with the pharmacy as to the fillers and whatever they put into it to make it timed release. Microcrystalline cellulose is no longer inert if they are making it from GMO crops or from cottonseed, which almost always GMO, but toxic in itself, too.

> > > > > > > I got off cortisol last year after having been on it for five years. It took 6 months to wean myself off and then another month or two before If elt ok. I did a saliva test for adrenals and although it was much better than it had been 5 years previous, still a bit below normal in the mornings. I didn't notice much difference though after getting off of it except I am finally able to slowly lose weight and my shoulders hurt more - which is a bit of a bummer!> > > > > > > > > > > > Steph> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Cortisol is not for me> > > > > > > > Well, I don't think I am willing to put up with the side effects of the cortisol > > > > so far. Does anyone know how long it will be after stopping it before my labs > > > > will be more accurate again for ACTH?> > > > > >>

[Guest guest]

Have you tried pregnenolone? It supports adrenal function without all the nasty side effects of cortisol supplementation. I also have an issue with aldosterone deficiency, so I keep my salt intake at about 2600 mg/day, which is just about enough to keep my blood pressure low, but still comfortable (vs. lightheadness and black spots before my eyes). The “extra salt” treatment was recommended by my old endo in Florida who also suffered from hypothyroidism and a similar problem with aldosterone. With the pregnenolone, I started at 10 mg and worked my way up to 30 mg/day. It seems to have helped quite a lot, although I do take other supplements too. From: Texas_Thyroid_Groups [mailto:Texas_Thyroid_Groups ] On Behalf Of Grace Sent: Sunday, December 12, 2010 13:56 PMTo: Texas_Thyroid_Groups Subject: Re: Cortisol is not for me I was on it for a month - started at 5mg every day and my feet swelled so much I couldn't see my tendons (normally pronounced). I then went to every other day rather than stop it. I was okay, but started getting shaky and having blood sugar issues and weight gain in waist. Dr. said to try 2.5mg every day instead of every other day. After a couple of weeks I couldn't even recognize myself in the mirror because my face had gotten so round. I have also had acid burning in my stomach since starting it. I quit taking it three days ago and my face looks normal again, but my stomach still hurts (was taking with food). Now I am super-irritable and over-reacting to stress. I am assuming that my own production has gone down since being on the supplemental. I am hoping that things even out soon. I am also hoping that I haven't caused an ulcer and my stomach stops hurting. My thyroid levels are also a wreck, as my hair loss is starting again just a little. My hands and feet are freezing and my heart is beating fast and blood pressure has been up. I am really confused about what to do and who to see about any of it. I don't have the patience to work through the system at Dr. Spurlock's office where it takes so long to get in and it is so hard to get a copy of labs soon after they are taken. (The nurse told me they used to mail them to patients, but then they got too many calls with questions so they quit doing that.) Now they save them until you come in, but if the nearest appointment is 6 weeks away that doesn't really help. I've been there for three follow ups (2 for me and 1 for my husband) and at each one they couldn't even find the lab work and had to call labcorp to have it faxed over. Spurlock has told me he is hoping to move to his own office, but who knows when that will be. Since I don't want to overmedicate and would like to experiment with getting my TSH back I was thinking of trying Dr. Elmore? or maybe Alfred (but seems costly since out of network)? The only problem is I tend to develop a reverse T3 issue and I need someone willing to check that. I am thinking about trying a Naturopath for adrenals. Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome. I am on the timed release T3 and don't have any recent labs since making the change 8 weeks ago. I got off cortisol last year after having been on it for five years. It took 6 months to wean myself off and then another month or two before If elt ok. I did a saliva test for adrenals and although it was much better than it had been 5 years previous, still a bit below normal in the mornings. I didn't notice much difference though after getting off of it except I am finally able to slowly lose weight and my shoulders hurt more - which is a bit of a bummer!Steph Cortisol is not for meWell, I don't think I am willing to put up with the side effects of the cortisol so far. Does anyone know how long it will be after stopping it before my labs will be more accurate again for ACTH? Sent from Grace's iPhone ------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

The doctor said my pregnenolone and aldosterone were fine and didn't recommend supplementing. My cortisol was in range low normal (11:00 am), but ACTH was just out of range high. DHEA and all those things were good according to the doc.I tried to tell him I am super sensitive to medication and that I wanted to try other things first, but he strongly suggested that he thought I really needed the HC. I know when I've tried licorice or adrenal extracts in the past I have ended up not being able to sleep. I wonder if there is another avenue or issue not yet addressed. I wonder what having my Free T3 way over range for 6-9 months did to my adrenals. What if the ACTH was high just because my body was trying to make enough cortisol to keep up with too much thyroid.Sorry to be so negative, just wishing I could go back in time to when a doc lowered my meds and started me on this crazy roller coster 4 years ago.Thanks for the feedback.

Have you tried pregnenolone? It supports adrenal function without all the nasty side effects of cortisol supplementation. I also have an issue with aldosterone deficiency, so I keep my salt intake at about 2600 mg/day, which is just about enough to keep my blood pressure low, but still comfortable (vs. lightheadness and black spots before my eyes). The “extra salt” treatment was recommended by my old endo in Florida who also suffered from hypothyroidism and a similar problem with aldosterone. With the pregnenolone, I started at 10 mg and worked my way up to 30 mg/day. It seems to have helped quite a lot, although I do take other supplements too. & n!

bsp; From: Texas_Thyroid_Groups [mailto:Texas_Thyroid_Groups ] On Behalf Of Grace Sent: Sunday, December 12, 2010 13:56 PMTo: Texas_Thyroid_Groups Subject: Re: Cortisol is not for me I was on it for a month - started at 5mg every day and my feet swelled so much I couldn't see my tendons (normally pronounced). I then went to every other day rather than stop it. I was okay, but started getting shaky and having blood sugar issues and weight gain in waist. Dr. said to try 2.5mg every day instead of every other day. After a couple of weeks I couldn't even recognize myself in the mirror because my face had gotten so round. I have also had acid burning in my stomach since starting it. I quit taking it three days ago and my face looks normal again, but my stomach still hurts (was taking with food). Now I am super-irritable and over-reacting to stress. I am assuming that my own production has gone down since being on the supplemental. I am hoping that things even out soon. I am also hoping that I haven't caused an ulcer and my stomach stops hurting. My thyroid levels are also a wreck, as my hair loss is starting again just a little. My hands and feet are freezing and my heart is beating fa!

st and blood pressure has been up. I am really confused about what to do and who to see about any of it. I don't have the patience to work through the system at Dr. Spurlock's office where it takes so long to get in and it is so hard to get a copy of labs soon after they are taken. (The nurse told me they used to mail them to patients, but then they got too many calls with questions so they quit doing that.) Now they save them until you come in, but if the nearest appointment is 6 weeks away that doesn't really help. I've been there for three follow ups (2 for me and 1 for my husband) and at each one they couldn't even find the lab work and had to call labcorp to have it faxed over. Spurlock has told me he is hoping to move to his own office, but who knows when that will be. Since I don't want to overmedicate and would like to experiment with getting my TSH back I was thinking of trying Dr. Elmore? or maybe Alfred (but seems costly since out of network)? The only problem is I tend to develop a reverse T3 issue and I need someone willing to check that. I am thinking about trying a Naturopath for adrenals. Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome. I am on the timed release T3 and don't have any recent labs since making the change 8 weeks ago. I got off cortisol last year after having been on it for five years. It took 6 months !

to wean myself off and then another month or two before If elt ok. I did a saliva test for adrenals and although it was much better than it had been 5 years previous, still a bit below normal in the mornings. I didn't notice much difference though after getting off of it except I am finally able to slowly lose weight and my shoulders hurt more - which is a bit of a bummer!Steph Cortisol is not for meWell, I don't think I am willing to put up with the side effects of the cortisol so far. Does anyone know how long it will be after stopping it before my labs will be more accurate again for ACTH? Sent from Grace's iPhone ------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

The doctor said my pregnenolone and aldosterone were fine and didn't recommend supplementing. My cortisol was in range low normal (11:00 am), but ACTH was just out of range high. DHEA and all those things were good according to the doc.I tried to tell him I am super sensitive to medication and that I wanted to try other things first, but he strongly suggested that he thought I really needed the HC. I know when I've tried licorice or adrenal extracts in the past I have ended up not being able to sleep. I wonder if there is another avenue or issue not yet addressed. I wonder what having my Free T3 way over range for 6-9 months did to my adrenals. What if the ACTH was high just because my body was trying to make enough cortisol to keep up with too much thyroid.Sorry to be so negative, just wishing I could go back in time to when a doc lowered my meds and started me on this crazy roller coster 4 years ago.Thanks for the feedback.

Have you tried pregnenolone? It supports adrenal function without all the nasty side effects of cortisol supplementation. I also have an issue with aldosterone deficiency, so I keep my salt intake at about 2600 mg/day, which is just about enough to keep my blood pressure low, but still comfortable (vs. lightheadness and black spots before my eyes). The “extra salt” treatment was recommended by my old endo in Florida who also suffered from hypothyroidism and a similar problem with aldosterone. With the pregnenolone, I started at 10 mg and worked my way up to 30 mg/day. It seems to have helped quite a lot, although I do take other supplements too. & n!

bsp; From: Texas_Thyroid_Groups [mailto:Texas_Thyroid_Groups ] On Behalf Of Grace Sent: Sunday, December 12, 2010 13:56 PMTo: Texas_Thyroid_Groups Subject: Re: Cortisol is not for me I was on it for a month - started at 5mg every day and my feet swelled so much I couldn't see my tendons (normally pronounced). I then went to every other day rather than stop it. I was okay, but started getting shaky and having blood sugar issues and weight gain in waist. Dr. said to try 2.5mg every day instead of every other day. After a couple of weeks I couldn't even recognize myself in the mirror because my face had gotten so round. I have also had acid burning in my stomach since starting it. I quit taking it three days ago and my face looks normal again, but my stomach still hurts (was taking with food). Now I am super-irritable and over-reacting to stress. I am assuming that my own production has gone down since being on the supplemental. I am hoping that things even out soon. I am also hoping that I haven't caused an ulcer and my stomach stops hurting. My thyroid levels are also a wreck, as my hair loss is starting again just a little. My hands and feet are freezing and my heart is beating fa!

st and blood pressure has been up. I am really confused about what to do and who to see about any of it. I don't have the patience to work through the system at Dr. Spurlock's office where it takes so long to get in and it is so hard to get a copy of labs soon after they are taken. (The nurse told me they used to mail them to patients, but then they got too many calls with questions so they quit doing that.) Now they save them until you come in, but if the nearest appointment is 6 weeks away that doesn't really help. I've been there for three follow ups (2 for me and 1 for my husband) and at each one they couldn't even find the lab work and had to call labcorp to have it faxed over. Spurlock has told me he is hoping to move to his own office, but who knows when that will be. Since I don't want to overmedicate and would like to experiment with getting my TSH back I was thinking of trying Dr. Elmore? or maybe Alfred (but seems costly since out of network)? The only problem is I tend to develop a reverse T3 issue and I need someone willing to check that. I am thinking about trying a Naturopath for adrenals. Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome. I am on the timed release T3 and don't have any recent labs since making the change 8 weeks ago. I got off cortisol last year after having been on it for five years. It took 6 months !

to wean myself off and then another month or two before If elt ok. I did a saliva test for adrenals and although it was much better than it had been 5 years previous, still a bit below normal in the mornings. I didn't notice much difference though after getting off of it except I am finally able to slowly lose weight and my shoulders hurt more - which is a bit of a bummer!Steph Cortisol is not for meWell, I don't think I am willing to put up with the side effects of the cortisol so far. Does anyone know how long it will be after stopping it before my labs will be more accurate again for ACTH? Sent from Grace's iPhone ------------------------------------