Adrenal insufficiency

[Guest guest]

and all -

I take hormones because my thyroid and adrenal glands

are not producing them on their own. IN addition to

1.5 grains of Armour Thyroid I have been taking 10 to

20 mg of Cortef daily for a little over a year. When

I started I had been having terrible mid-back pain for

months, which vanished almost immediately after

starting the Cortef. I think it was adrenal pain. My

plan, with my doctor's agreement, is to let my

adrenals heal and eventually stop the Cortef. But the

amount is so small that I have had no side effects

such as moon face - I'm just replacing what my body

does not make. I would use caution with these - my

blood work shows my adrenal hormones as very low (I

also take DHEA). I wouldn't have taken these

otherwise.

I also would point out that there is some controversy

among the well-known physicians who treat CFIDS about

adrenal supplementation. Teitelbaum is an advocate of

low-dose supplementation and I happen to agree with

him. However, if there are long-term side effects I

want to know more - can anyone enlighten me?

Best, Jennie F.

> el wrote:

>

> Jennie Floyd wrote:

>

> > About a year

> > later was diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis

> and

> > adrenal insufficiency. I take hormones for

> both...

>

> I am in a state of confusion about adrenal

> insufficiency. The standard

> endocrinology references talk about supplementing

> mineralocorticoids and

> glucocorticoids (florinef and cortef?). But Drs

> Cheney and Poesnecker

> talk about those hormones actually hurting PWCs in

> the long-term.

>

> What hormones/dosages do you take for adrenal

> insufficiency, and are you

> worried about any long-term harm?

>

> adTHANKSvance,

>

> --

>

> el - andrea@...

> (IFF " FNORD " appears - remove it from my email

> address to reply)

>

> " ...wake now! Discover that you are the song that

> the morning brings... "

>

>

>

>

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Hi Kris thanx for the information. I bet if u get back in touch with cfids

mds in your area they will start refering you paients again and i have a

vague feeling i was given your name years ago .. good luck tealk

> [Original Message]

> From: a Dahl <kristinadahl@...>

> < >

> Date: 5/29/2004 6:57:18 PM

> Subject: adrenal insufficiency

>

> Hi,

>

> i just thought I would share my experience on this topic in case it helps

> someone else. I have been diagnosed as having adrnal insufficiency by

using

> a test that almost no one uses anymore. That is the metapyrone test. I

saw

> Dr. Streeten several years ago. He is an endocrinologist and one who

wrote

> in 1993 about delayed orthostatic hypotension, first linking it to CFS,

> though the Hopkins folks later put the topic on the map. He told me that

> even the endorinology textbooks now mistakenly taught that the metapyrone

> test was not needed to diagnose adrenal insufficiency, that if the usual

> stimulation test (forget the name of it) is negative, then the diagnosis

was

> ruled out. He was retiring and I was his last research patient, so could

> not do it for me. He put me on replacement as he strongly suspected the

> diagnosis and said I needed to get the metapyrone test within two months,

> else the result would be wrong because of the replacement. I could not

find

> anyone that was willing to do the test, so went off the steroids.

>

> It is now several years later. (Sadly, Dr. Streeten died a few years

ago.)

> I had given up on the whole idea, but saw an endocrinologist who just

> happened to have known Dr. Streeten and had a lot of respect for him. So,

> when I told him the story, he did the metapyrone test, and it was

positive.

> Now I am on replacement, and it has made a huge difference.

>

> So, this is food for thought. I am a neurologist who used to have a

> practice specializing in the treatment of CFS and was involved in research

> for several years in the area as well. Currently, I haven't worked in a

> year but am now looking for a job.

>

> HOpe this helps someone.

>

> Kris

>

>

>

>

> This list is intended for patients to share personal experiences with

each other, not to give medical advice. If you are interested in any

treatment discussed here, please consult your doctor.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

I've just watched an interesting programme this afternoon called

Speed ( with son) and he was talking to Damon Hill

(former British Formula 1 racing driver). It was interesting because

Damon Hill says that he now has to find a way of getting a massive

adrenalin rush EVERY DAY to compensate for the adrenalin he used to

get when he was racing fast cars years ago.

When you think about it...this can't be much different to people who

were maybe once hyperthyroid (whether knowingly or unknowingly) and

now find themselves in a hypothyroid state. The body must surely be

craving the withdrawal of cortisol it used to get from the adrenal

glands. I can see that are many people on this forum who also seem to

be having a problem getting their cortisol levels in sync.

It made me think about whether this is actually the reason for my

hypo condition and high antibodies as my behaviour was always very

hyper in my younger years. I am now so laid back that if I went any

faster I would go backward.

Thyroid and adrenal insufficiency goes hand in hand so I am wondering

now if do seriously need to get my adrenals checked good and proper.

Perhaps I also need a daily jump start to kick my adrenals into

touch?

I'll be interested to read your ideas about this.

Best wishes,

Gillian

PS: I'm not in the habit of watching these kinds of programmes by the

way...I don't own the remote in our household so I didn't get any

choice!!