Guest guest Posted February 27, 2004 Report Share Posted February 27, 2004 I have 's disease (treated with cortef) and I felt compeled to try to help. Cortef (a brand name of hydrocortisone) is usually prescribed at 20 to 30 mg for 's patients (used by 80% of 's). I've used it but use prednisolone now (4 times stronger than cortef) ---------------------------------- Here are the boards I use for 's. If I can't help you, you can try these boards. http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/addisonsdisease/messages/? viscount=100 http://www.healthboards.com/boards/forumdisplay.php?f=8 http://www.teleplexus.com/ ---------------------------------- Can you tell us what kind of doctors you two are seeing, the diagnosis for both of you and what the test results were for both of you. I find it odd that you both are starting it at the same time. Could you fill us in a little more. For your husband, I am surprised that 10 mg is making him gain weight, but it is a side effect. The steroid can make your appetite I can tell you when I see your tests. Oh and if that saliva test was through the mail, then I can tell you I put no stock in those. Here's what to expect if you really don't need the medicine. It could give you symptoms of cushings disease (adrenals produce to much cortisol). Symptoms of to much cortef/hydrocortisone are obesity (especially around the stomach); a round face; increased hair growth (especially around the face); acne; bruising; increased blood pressure; swollen hands, feet, or ankles (fluid retention); and sore or weak muscles. The worst it can do is cause osteoporosis and diabetes. See this site for more info. http://www.peacehealth.org/kbase/multum/d00254a1.htm No one can really answer you until you tell us the details. I'll be looking for your reply. Chris > To All: > > My husband and I started Cortef two weeks ago tomorrow. We are taking only 10 mg per day in 5 mg doses. I seem to be doing fine on it although at this early stage I am not seeing any miracles. > > My husband on the other hand has put on 7 lbs., is bloated, uncomfortable. Could it be possible that he does not need it? He did a 24 hour saliva cortisol test that showed he was low. I realize that it is a steroid and they certainly can put weight on one. Do you think he should continue even with the uncomfortable side effects? We don't really know what to expect. > > Thanks, > > Deborah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 27, 2004 Report Share Posted February 27, 2004 I have never heard of a GP treating anyone for either problem. A GP is supposed to send you to another doctor with things like that. I think he maybe to ambitious. I find it very interesting that you both have the same exact problems and need the same exact treatment. I highly recommend you ask for all your tests and take them with you to another doctor, (environmental, holistic, osteopath, or endocinologist) to see what they think. Either you both being the same is incredible coincidence or the doctor you two see is off his rocker. Lets put it this way, if he is wrong he could royally screw both of you up!!! Remember doctors can be wrong and they can be insane. Don't put your trust in him until you get a second opinion. I'm very worried about both of you. Post the test results of the cortisol and thyroid on here so we can help you figure it out. Chris > > To All: > > > > My husband and I started Cortef two weeks ago tomorrow. We are > taking only 10 mg per day in 5 mg doses. I seem to be doing fine on > it although at this early stage I am not seeing any miracles. > > > > My husband on the other hand has put on 7 lbs., is bloated, > uncomfortable. Could it be possible that he does not need it? He > did a 24 hour saliva cortisol test that showed he was low. I realize > that it is a steroid and they certainly can put weight on one. Do > you think he should continue even with the uncomfortable side > effects? We don't really know what to expect. > > > > Thanks, > > > > Deborah > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2004 Report Share Posted February 28, 2004 I'm sorry you feel ganged up on, but what good would this board be if we didn't warn people when merited. I am new and I thought that Cortef thread was your first post. I went looking for you post with the labs and took the liberty of posting it here for you. Your saliva test and DHEA look good, but what matters is how you feel and if you are having symptoms. If not then I would suggest getting off the steroid. You should not take if not needed. Your Thyroid test I'm much more concered about. You look hyperthyroid. In rare cases of hyperthyroid the T3 is higher than the T4. That is why your TSH is so low, you don't need more thyroid hormones so the pituitary is not sending the TSH signal for the thyroid to make it. If TSH and T3 and T4 were low or (secondary hypo or caused by failure of pituitary) or if TSH was high but T3 and T4 were low (primary), then you would by hypo. So basically you need antithyroid not armour, you are going the wrong direction with the treatment. My guess is that the doctor is going strictly by what your TSH value is and that is a big mistake. The TSH can almost be ignored. It gives an indicator of what is the cause after T3 and T4 is looked at. Many doctors look at just TSH and not the whole picture. Who's ever test this is is hyper and the armour will make it worse. You definately need to find another doctor here. I would be interest in seeing the other test, I you would like me to comment on it. Chris ===================================================================== To All: I just received my saliva adrenocortex stress profile. The results are as follows: 7am-9am - 0.94; range 0.27 - 2.06. 11am-1pm - 0.20; range 0.03 - 0.77. 3pm-5pm - 0.13; range 0.03 - 0.56. 10pm-12am - 0.04; range 0.03 - 0.50. DHEA 7am-9am - 168; range 14 - 277. My last labs were as follows: TSH 0.05; range .50 - 5.00 Free T4 1.34; range .71 - 1.85 Free T3 553 range 230 - 420. Ferritin was 54; range 10-300. I have not spoken with my doc about the saliva test and what she recommends. I wanted ya'lls opinions first. I think I need, at least for awhile, some adrenal support. I was up to 3 grains on Armour and had to back down to 2 grains because of having terrible headaches. When I backed down the headaches stopped. I think that indicates adrenal involvement. Also, I am not feeling any better on just the Armour. Opinions please. Deborah ====================================================================== > Maybe I am being overly sensitive but reactions like this is why I don't post much. I have posted before all of our test results and gotten very little response. As far as I can tell from reading posts most of you guys self-medicate or go to GP's. I posted my saliva results and the few answers I got most said they had no experience with saliva tests. My husband is on testosterone replacement. > > As far as both of us having the same diagnosis I can't see why that is so incredible. I believe that several women on this site and the natural site have spouses that are hypo too. My husband's TSH was out of limits and so he is being treated. I have and so does he almost all the symptoms of hypo. So I guess we are just lucky to both have it!! > > We are trying to learn about hypo from being on these two support groups and I am educating my GP from what I learn here. I feel very lucky that she is willing to listen to us and treat on symptoms and read all the articles that I bring in. We have been spared the nightmares of going through numerous doctors as most of the women here have done. She is at least willing to learn along with us; I don't think I can ask for more. > > Deborah > Re: Re: Cortef > > > > > Both of us are seeing a GP for hypothyroidism. We are on armour 2.5 grains. > > We did do a saliva test. From my reading I was given to believe that it was the most accurate test. We both tested very low for 4 different readings. Hence, the cortef. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2004 Report Share Posted February 28, 2004 Maybe if you hear what I told you from another person, you might come around. Post your tests on this board http://www.healthboards.com/boards/forumdisplay.php?f=122 In the thread title put this " Meep could you please comment " Meep is an expert, I have not run across anyone that is more knowledgable at interpreting tests too. Plus there are other very knowedgable people there you might hear from too. This board could really use someone like him. I highly suggest you have him look at both your tests. Chris > Topper, > > Thanks for the words, you are always a sane voice in the insane world of hypos. > > I thought that I had posted previously that both of us had hypo symptoms and that our cortisol test came back low. That is why we are on Armour and Cortef. My husbands TSH was actually out of range but mine was not. That is why we have gone on symptoms more for me than him but he has them too. > > We both came from abusive homes which Dr. Derry believes makes ones metabolic system crazy. Another reason for our self diagnosis. > > What I have gotten from the posts is that it is symptoms, symptoms, symptoms that are reliable not tests. So that is what we have based things on. I was lucky enough to find a GP open minded enough to listen to our symptoms, read articles posted, and believe in us enough to treat us. We started out conservatively on the Cortef, 10mg instead of 20mg, because the doctor and I are both not fans of steriods and we wanted to be cautious. > > My husband has been gaining weight, which we know is a symptom of steriod use, but it really bothers him as he can not lose weight no matter what. He has also been irritable this last week. So we just wondered if it could be the Cortef. He is also on testosterone replacement due to low levels. It could be that. He has only been on the Cortef for 2 weeks and is on his second month of testosterone. It could just be hypo symptoms too and I am just not into this long enough to recognize them all yet. > > The endocrine system is so very complex and hormones so mysterious as to all there functions, complications, interactions, etc. that I just wanted someones opinion, not a lecture on why we both couldn't be hypo. > > It maybe strange that both of us are hypo but I do believe that we are not the only ones on this group or the natural group. Since there is such a great number of hypos out there I wouldn't believe it to be that fantastic anyway. > > Deborah > Re: Re: Cortef > > > Deborah... > > Please try to remember that many, many of us have been badly abused by docs and are very analytical (is that the word that I want?). It's unusual for two folks to have the same diagnosis... so the parts of us that are skeptical call attention to that..... > > We're not trying to be mean or judgmental to you... just over protective of one of our family...... So the eyebrows are raised and the question comes out - are you sure that you both have the same symptoms? If you do... great..... and if the doc is on top of things and working with both of you - FANTASTIC! > > .... forgive those of us that are gun shy? Please? > > shy smile > > Topper () > > On Sat, 28 Feb 2004 08:45:04 -0500 " son " <mdstephenson@v...> writes: > Maybe I am being overly sensitive but reactions like this is why I don't post much. I have posted before all of our test results and gotten very little response. As far as I can tell from reading posts most of you guys self-medicate or go to GP's. I posted my saliva results and the few answers I got most said they had no experience with saliva tests. My husband is on testosterone replacement. > > As far as both of us having the same diagnosis I can't see why that is so incredible. I believe that several women on this site and the natural site have spouses that are hypo too. My husband's TSH was out of limits and so he is being treated. I have and so does he almost all the symptoms of hypo. So I guess we are just lucky to both have it!! > > We are trying to learn about hypo from being on these two support groups and I am educating my GP from what I learn here. I feel very lucky that she is willing to listen to us and treat on symptoms and read all the articles that I bring in. We have been spared the nightmares of going through numerous doctors as most of the women here have done. She is at least willing to learn along with us; I don't think I can ask for more. > > Deborah > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2004 Report Share Posted February 28, 2004 Look at post 5888 (scrowl to the middle to find tests, think its husbands). I explain in post 5888 why he is hyper and not hypo. TSH tells you (after looking at T3 and T4) if the pituitary is the cause or not. To treat the thyroid you don't even need the TSH level really. Take his TSH out of the picture and the T3 and T4 still shout hyper. Then throw in the TSH. If TSH is High along with high T3 and T4,then pituitary is causing the hyper (hyperthyroid secondary to pituitary also called secondary hyperthyroidism). If TSH is low, then you know that the thyroid itself it causing the hyper (primary hyperthyroid). The pituitary stops making TSH because thyroid does not need it, the thyroid went crazy and is making T3 and T4 anyway without any help from pituitary. That is why his TSH was bottomed out, his thyroid is sending signal to hypothalimus " look at me, I don't need any help " , so hypothalimus does not release TRH to the pituitary " thyroid is fine or to high so pituitary don't manufacture TSH " . --------------------------- If he were HYPO, then His T3 and T4 would be at the low end of the range or beyond the low end. If the pituitary is low TSH along with low T3 and T4 Then Pituitary is causing the low thyroid. If the pituitary is high TSH with T3 and T4 being low, then the pituitary is trying get the thyroid to work, but the thyroid can't produce no matter how how high the pituitary TSH goes. So if the doctor does this right he ignores the TSH, and looks at the T3 and T4. If they are in range, but the patients exhibits symptoms of hyper or hypo and if he has a brain he will treat them. I know someone personally who was turned away by an endo because her T3 and T4 were just within the lower range and her TSH was 5.5 (sitting on edge of upper range for TSH), plus the hypo symptoms were major. Most endos won't touch you if you if you are within range, they tell you it's all in your head, see a shrink. I never seen posted anywhere this detailed an explanation. You all may have to read this more than once, I suggest you make a chart on paper to help if need. It wasn't long ago I thought interpreting Thyroid test was mind boggling, but it really isn't. If you have real questions or want to give me what if questions, I'll be happy to help. Chris > Well, my brain is definitely not working today----I think I just posted the answer to Chris's instead of where it should have been, to you! Anyway, as I was telling (as she looks at me with much puzzlement as to why I posted it to her!), the progesterone (for you), testosterone for both of you, and DHEAs give the bigger picture, but I'm of course, not remembering what they are at this point. Anyway, a lot of us who have been abused by doctors are REALLY into the " Mother Hen " Syndrome. We don't want to see what happened to us happen to anyone else, so we go into very forceful reactions sometimes. It's like " Please---don't go there! I don't want to see you get hurt! " But it was the experience, I guess, that got all of us on these boards. I have not had these tests, due to lack of funds, etc...in that category, else I would have one of the more wonderful thyroid docs, I suppose. I would run the gammot of tests, if I could. I AM self-treating, and I do resent having to do it, just to stay alive, or more alive than I was WITH a doctor. I'm not poo-pooing a GOOD doctor. BTW, it does look like your husband's symptoms are from hypothyroid because of the TSH and weight gain, but I'd bank more on it if I saw a Free T3 and Free T4. If you've already posted those, please forgive me because I don' usually write this stuff down. Maybe I NEED to! > > > Tx > > Re: Re: Cortef > > > What about testosterone, DHEA, estrogens, and progesterone? > > > Tx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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