RE: HORMONE TEST PREPARATION?

[Guest guest]

Adam,

I really think you need to contact the clinic about this. It may even be that

the clinic don't even need you to be off pred?

As you know, the DHEA should be taken in the evenings for 3 days before the test

including the night before the test and you need to stop taking the vitamins for

in the week before the urine test, as per the instructions for that urine test.

Are you having problems getting in touch with a doctor at the clinic?

Chris

>

> Hi,

> How long do you have to stay off hormone replacements to avoid

> invalidating a hormone test?

> Specifically, I am taking 10mg Prednisolone and 50mg DHEA per day.

[Guest guest]

Hi I tried calling the clinic on Friday but they didn't seem to be open. I will try again on Monday. The clinic has requested that I stop vitamin supplementation 8 days before the samples are taken. Also I remember reading one of Sheila's posts where she recommended coming off Cortef 2 weeks before a hormone test. So I'm thinking that I may come off everything except fish oil and the Pentasa Mesalazine (maintenance drug for my Ulcerative Colitis). Then go back on them as soon as the samples are taken. Hopefully this will be sufficient to avoid invalidating the blood and urine tests. AdamI really think you need to contact the clinic about this. It may even be that the clinic don't even need you to be off pred? As you know, the DHEA should be taken in the evenings for 3 days before the test including the night before the test and you need to stop taking the vitamins for in the week before the urine test, as per the instructions for that urine test.Are you having problems getting in touch with a doctor at the clinic?Chris

[Guest guest]

Ok but if you can't cope without the meds and have to be on them, make sure you

write down the dose that you were taking at the time of the tests so the clinic

knows (sorry to labour this point) and also take them as per the clinics

instructions - DHEA at night (not sure about when you'd take pred, probably

after you got the blood draw ?). It's a good idea to record everything such as

when you last took pred (if you do stop it) before the samples are taken. I am

forgetful and need to write those kind of things down as I cannot remember.

if you need pred and feel better with it, then that really says a lot , I think.

I am not sure how much taking pred will affect all the other tests as you will

be tested for a lot of things such as testosterone and thyroid: i'd have

thought that if you are only taking physiological doses of pred then they can

take this into account when interpreting the results - cortisol is just one of

many tests. I guess that supraphysiological doses of anything may skew the

results but from what you're saying, you're not taking supra physiological doses

of Pred or DHEA (35mg of DHEA got my DHEA-S levels to mid range, so 50mg should

may get yours up a bit higher, I suppose)

Chris

>

> Hi

> I tried calling the clinic on Friday but they didn't seem to be open. I

> will try again on Monday.

> The clinic has requested that I stop vitamin supplementation 8 days

> before the samples are taken. Also I remember reading one of Sheila's

[Guest guest]

You can continue to take your minerals and vitamins but you need

to stop the Pred. for at least two weeks before you have the adrenal test.

Luv - Sheila

How

long do you have to stay off hormone replacements to avoid invalidating a

hormone test?

Specifically,

I am taking 10mg Prednisolone and 50mg DHEA per day. I do not want to stay off

the Prednisolone for more than I have to as a rely heavily on them to function.

I have the hormone test booked for early December. It will also test vitamins,

which I am also currently taking.

[Guest guest]

For this test, yes. It's for a laboratory in Belgium, testing for many

things....

Chris

>

> I have not heard that anybody should stop their minerals and vitamins prior

> to such a test, but if anybody else has, please let me know

>

> Luv - Sheila

>

[Guest guest]

This is the Steroid Prednisalone you are talking about, isn't it? I would

recommend talking to a doctor about coming off it as stopping steroids of this

strength too suddenly can kill you, to put it bluntly. It nearly did my husband,

it gave him an ian Crisis of epic proportions and had him in ITU

overnight when he reduced his dosage to quickly.

In case this seems backward, my husband was on Prednisalone for Rheumatoid

Arthritis, by taking the Prednisalone long term, his own cortisone slowed and

stopped production. By stopping the pred too soon his own body didn't have ANY

Cortisol to keep running on. He had cascade failure of all his hormone systems.

I nearly lost him.

Stopping any strong steroid that has been taken for any length of time has to be

done slowly and in stages.

Please get further advice.

2

>

> You can continue to take your minerals and vitamins but you need to stop the

> Pred. for at least two weeks before you have the adrenal test.

>

> Luv - Sheila