Re: Need Prednisolone / Cortef Advice

[Guest guest]

>

> First let me quote two passages from " Amalgam Illness: Diagnosis

and

> Treatment "

>

> " The most common physiological problem mercury toxic people have

are

> with the adrenal and thyroid glands " Page 86

>

> " The most common error in supportive treatment for mercury toxic

(and

> chronic fatigue) patients is failure to treat adrenal

insufficiency. "

> Page 120

>

> I need to address those problems NOW before resuming chelation

> because I crashed doing too much exercise. I need some advices.

TK--- First - How much exercise are you trying to do and what type ?

Exercise mobilizes Hg and must be kept in moderation for a lot of

people to prevent side effects.

>

> Here are some questions I'd like answered before I try to fix my

> adrenal problems.

>

> 1) Should I try a 5 day (P.190) Prednisolone taper as my first

taper?

> 2) Can I use low dose maintenance Cortef < 20mg a day after the

taper?

> 3) My HPA axis is probably already malfunctioning but can it be

> suppressed completely even if I use caution using the Prednisolone

> taper (every 3 or 4 months) and low dosage Cortef in between?

> 4) In the event that my HPA axis get completely suppressed what are

> the signs of that and what can I do to regain control over it?

> 5) I had stomach problems, my doctor prescribed me Nexium (a proton

> pump inhibitor); is this a good medication compared to H2 blockers?

> And can I use it when doing a Prednisolone taper to avoid stomach

> acidity?

> 6) I'm in Canada and getting prescription medication (Prednisolone,

> Cortef) for that use from a doctor is extremely difficult, what can

I

> do to get prescription medication legally?

> 7) At the rate I'm chelating (see below), can I expect my adrenals

to

> return to normal before I die of old age?

TK--- Not at the rate you are chelating - 3 days once a month will

take you forever. You may want to see if DMPS will help with side

effects if that is what is keeping you from chelating only oince a

month.

>

> +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

> Chelation status:

> Amalgam free since: November 5 2002

> Number of chelation rounds: 23; First: January 29 2003; Last: July

26

> 2005

> Protocol: ALA (12.5 mg), every 3 hours, for 3 days; Usual break

time:

> 1 month

> I also tried higher dosage (25, 50mg) ALA rounds (too much side

> effects)

> I also tried rounds of ALA with DMSA 25mg (no changes in the side

> effects)

> Basic supplementation: Vit C, B, E ; Other supplements:

TK--- This is barely the basics and there are many other supplements

that can and do help. [Other supplements] doesn't give us enough

information to help with.

Tried a lot

> but nothing seems to make a difference.

> +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

>

>

> Thanks

>

> ph

>

[Guest guest]

> Chelation status:

> Amalgam free since: November 5 2002

> Number of chelation rounds: 23; First: January 29 2003; Last: July 26

> 2005

> Protocol: ALA (12.5 mg), every 3 hours, for 3 days; Usual break time:

> 1 month

> I also tried higher dosage (25, 50mg) ALA rounds (too much side

> effects)

> I also tried rounds of ALA with DMSA 25mg (no changes in the side

> effects)

> Basic supplementation: Vit C, B, E ; Other supplements: Tried a lot

> but nothing seems to make a difference.

How much vitamin C, B, E? What about magnesium and zinc? and cod

liver oil? molybdenum? milk thistle? Why not try all of the basic

supplements that Andy recommends in his book, at the doses he

suggests, and see if chelation goes better. If I remember correctly,

Andy does say that chelation is rough without them.

TKs idea of trying DMPS is a good one.

Do you have the symptoms of adrenal insufficiency listed on pages

32-33 of From Fatigued to Not Impressed? (

What is your BP usually?

Do you have difficulty recovering from infections?

Do you get dizzy on first standing?

Do you have overwhelming, unbelievable fatigue, every day??

Do you have hypothyroid symptoms? and how severe?

Have you asked Andy if there is a practitioner in your area who is

familiar with his protocol?

Health Canada told me that a person can bring 3 months supply of

medications into Canada at a time (on their person when crossing the

border). Have you thought about seeing a practitioner in the US?

>

> First let me quote two passages from " Amalgam Illness: Diagnosis and

> Treatment "

>

> " The most common physiological problem mercury toxic people have are

> with the adrenal and thyroid glands " Page 86

>

> " The most common error in supportive treatment for mercury toxic (and

> chronic fatigue) patients is failure to treat adrenal insufficiency. "

> Page 120

>

> I need to address those problems NOW before resuming chelation

> because I crashed doing too much exercise. I need some advices.

>

> Here are some questions I'd like answered before I try to fix my

> adrenal problems.

>

> 1) Should I try a 5 day (P.190) Prednisolone taper as my first taper?

> 2) Can I use low dose maintenance Cortef < 20mg a day after the taper?

> 3) My HPA axis is probably already malfunctioning but can it be

> suppressed completely even if I use caution using the Prednisolone

> taper (every 3 or 4 months) and low dosage Cortef in between?

> 4) In the event that my HPA axis get completely suppressed what are

> the signs of that and what can I do to regain control over it?

> 5) I had stomach problems, my doctor prescribed me Nexium (a proton

> pump inhibitor); is this a good medication compared to H2 blockers?

> And can I use it when doing a Prednisolone taper to avoid stomach

> acidity?

> 6) I'm in Canada and getting prescription medication (Prednisolone,

> Cortef) for that use from a doctor is extremely difficult, what can I

> do to get prescription medication legally?

> 7) At the rate I'm chelating (see below), can I expect my adrenals to

> return to normal before I die of old age?

>

> +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

> Chelation status:

> Amalgam free since: November 5 2002

> Number of chelation rounds: 23; First: January 29 2003; Last: July 26

> 2005

> Protocol: ALA (12.5 mg), every 3 hours, for 3 days; Usual break time:

> 1 month

> I also tried higher dosage (25, 50mg) ALA rounds (too much side

> effects)

> I also tried rounds of ALA with DMSA 25mg (no changes in the side

> effects)

> Basic supplementation: Vit C, B, E ; Other supplements: Tried a lot

> but nothing seems to make a difference.

> +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

>

>

> Thanks

>

> ph

>

[Guest guest]

> Do you have the symptoms of adrenal insufficiency listed on pages

> 32-33 of From Fatigued to Not Impressed? (

> What is your BP usually?

102/70

> Do you have difficulty recovering from infections?

Just the last one (fever during one week)

> Do you get dizzy on first standing?

Not really

> Do you have overwhelming, unbelievable fatigue, every day??

Yes

> Do you have hypothyroid symptoms? and how severe?

Yes ?

>

> Have you asked Andy if there is a practitioner in your area who is

> familiar with his protocol?

>

I did not ask but if there is one practitioner in my area who is

familiar with his protocol; he won't practice for long. Here in

Canada medecine is free but doctors have to go by the book or else

they lose their licence. There was one doctor who was testing for

yeast infections and prescribing nystatin or sporanox. He lost his

licence and everything inclusing his house and wife...

His story is known and they don't want to end the same way.

> Health Canada told me that a person can bring 3 months supply of

> medications into Canada at a time (on their person when crossing the

> border). Have you thought about seeing a practitioner in the US?>

No but that sounds expensive, plus the trip all in all I think this

is as last resort only.

[Guest guest]

>

> > Do you have the symptoms of adrenal insufficiency listed on pages

> > 32-33 of From Fatigued to Not Impressed? (

>

> > What is your BP usually?

> 102/70

>

That is low.

Before I got cortef my BP was 80-90/58 or so.

> > Do you have difficulty recovering from infections?

> Just the last one (fever during one week)

>

That is good news. Before I got cortef I had difficulty recovering

from infections for years and years.

> > Do you get dizzy on first standing?

> Not really

>

That is good news too. Before I got cortef this was a big symptom for

me, and it still is sometimes.

> > Do you have overwhelming, unbelievable fatigue, every day??

> Yes

>

Poor adrenal function may be one factor. There may be other factors too.

Before I got cortef I found that changing my diet and adding

supplements made a huge, huge difference. Andy's book gives lots of

suggestions for diet changes and supplement additions that will help.

There were also some posts from Andy recently in this group where he

outlined some of the basic (non prescription) adrenal support

strategies. It's worth reviewing them.

> > Do you have hypothyroid symptoms? and how severe?

> Yes ?

>

This is something that may be worth investigating. Hypothyroidism

contributes to fatigue too. Check out lists of symptoms in Andy's

book and elsewhere.

> >

> > Have you asked Andy if there is a practitioner in your area who is

> > familiar with his protocol?

> >

>

> I did not ask but if there is one practitioner in my area who is

> familiar with his protocol; he won't practice for long. Here in

> Canada medecine is free but doctors have to go by the book or else

> they lose their licence. There was one doctor who was testing for

> yeast infections and prescribing nystatin or sporanox. He lost his

> licence and everything inclusing his house and wife...

> His story is known and they don't want to end the same way.

>

This EXACT same story happened to a doctor in the city where I live.

The college of physician and surgeon rules have changed in Ontario,

recently, making it easier for doctors there to practise alternate

medicine. If it's not too far for you to travel, Ontario might be a

good place to look for a doctor. (I don't know about the rules in

other provinces except that where I live we are still in the dark

ages. Alberta seems a bit better).

If hypothyroidism is something that you want to investigate, check out

the naturalthyroidhormone group on yahoo. There are people there who

use armour thyroid and have used or are using cortef too. That is a

huge group. It is quite possible that if you went on there and asked

for the name of a doctor familiar with treating hypothyroidism and

adrenal insufficiency in one of the major cities close to you, you

just might get an answer.

All the best

> > Health Canada told me that a person can bring 3 months supply of

> > medications into Canada at a time (on their person when crossing the

> > border). Have you thought about seeing a practitioner in the US?>

>

> No but that sounds expensive, plus the trip all in all I think this

> is as last resort only.

>

[Guest guest]

Does Mercury cause adrenal insufficiency?

I have adrenal insufficiency, but no thyroid

problems...

--- lindajaytee wrote:

>

> >

> > > Do you have the symptoms of adrenal

> insufficiency listed on pages

> > > 32-33 of From Fatigued to Not Impressed? (

> >

> > > What is your BP usually?

> > 102/70

> >

>

>

> That is low.

> Before I got cortef my BP was 80-90/58 or so.

>

>

>

> > > Do you have difficulty recovering from

> infections?

> > Just the last one (fever during one week)

> >

>

>

> That is good news. Before I got cortef I had

> difficulty recovering

> from infections for years and years.

>

>

> > > Do you get dizzy on first standing?

> > Not really

> >

>

> That is good news too. Before I got cortef this was

> a big symptom for

> me, and it still is sometimes.

>

>

> > > Do you have overwhelming, unbelievable fatigue,

> every day??

> > Yes

> >

>

> Poor adrenal function may be one factor. There may

> be other factors too.

>

> Before I got cortef I found that changing my diet

> and adding

> supplements made a huge, huge difference. Andy's

> book gives lots of

> suggestions for diet changes and supplement

> additions that will help.

> There were also some posts from Andy recently in

> this group where he

> outlined some of the basic (non prescription)

> adrenal support

> strategies. It's worth reviewing them.

>

>

>

> > > Do you have hypothyroid symptoms? and how

> severe?

> > Yes ?

> >

>

> This is something that may be worth investigating.

> Hypothyroidism

> contributes to fatigue too. Check out lists of

> symptoms in Andy's

> book and elsewhere.

>

>

>

> > >

> > > Have you asked Andy if there is a practitioner

> in your area who is

> > > familiar with his protocol?

> > >

> >

> > I did not ask but if there is one practitioner in

> my area who is

> > familiar with his protocol; he won't practice for

> long. Here in

> > Canada medecine is free but doctors have to go by

> the book or else

> > they lose their licence. There was one doctor who

> was testing for

> > yeast infections and prescribing nystatin or

> sporanox. He lost his

> > licence and everything inclusing his house and

> wife...

> > His story is known and they don't want to end the

> same way.

> >

>

> This EXACT same story happened to a doctor in the

> city where I live.

> The college of physician and surgeon rules have

> changed in Ontario,

> recently, making it easier for doctors there to

> practise alternate

> medicine. If it's not too far for you to travel,

> Ontario might be a

> good place to look for a doctor. (I don't know

> about the rules in

> other provinces except that where I live we are

> still in the dark

> ages. Alberta seems a bit better).

>

> If hypothyroidism is something that you want to

> investigate, check out

> the naturalthyroidhormone group on yahoo. There are

> people there who

> use armour thyroid and have used or are using cortef

> too. That is a

> huge group. It is quite possible that if you went

> on there and asked

> for the name of a doctor familiar with treating

> hypothyroidism and

> adrenal insufficiency in one of the major cities

> close to you, you

> just might get an answer.

>

> All the best

>

>

>

>

> > > Health Canada told me that a person can bring 3

> months supply of

> > > medications into Canada at a time (on their

> person when crossing the

> > > border). Have you thought about seeing a

> practitioner in the US?>

> >

> > No but that sounds expensive, plus the trip all in

> all I think this

> > is as last resort only.

> >

>

>

>

>

>

__________________________________

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[Guest guest]

> > >

> > > > Do you have the symptoms of adrenal

> > insufficiency listed on pages

> > > > 32-33 of From Fatigued to Not Impressed? (

> > >

[Guest guest]

I have both too. V

> > I have adrenal insufficiency, but no thyroid

> > problems...

>

> I have both.

> :0)

>

[Guest guest]

>

> First let me quote two passages from " Amalgam Illness: Diagnosis and

> Treatment "

>

> " The most common physiological problem mercury toxic people have are

> with the adrenal and thyroid glands " Page 86

>

> " The most common error in supportive treatment for mercury toxic (and

> chronic fatigue) patients is failure to treat adrenal insufficiency. "

> Page 120

Also consider using adrenal cortex extract, licorice, 'adrenal

support' supplements, etc. These are often very helpful.

>

> I need to address those problems NOW before resuming chelation

> because I crashed doing too much exercise. I need some advices.

>

> Here are some questions I'd like answered before I try to fix my

> adrenal problems.

>

> 1) Should I try a 5 day (P.190) Prednisolone taper as my first taper?

Yes. Unless you are very comfortable playing with dangerous

chemicals, do something modest the first time around.

> 2) Can I use low dose maintenance Cortef < 20mg a day after the taper?

Yes.

> 3) My HPA axis is probably already malfunctioning but can it be

> suppressed completely even if I use caution using the Prednisolone

> taper (every 3 or 4 months) and low dosage Cortef in between?

I doubt it.

There are no relevant studies.

> 4) In the event that my HPA axis get completely suppressed what are

> the signs of that and what can I do to regain control over it?

Signs are that you don't make adequate cortisol in response to stress.

That is, adrenal insufficiency, which is dangerous. This is why

doctors try not to suppress you.

If you got suppressed you'd need to understand how to handle it, have

access to steroids, wean off them slowly, use every other day or every

third day dosing which is fairly uncomfortable in order to do this,

and it would be wise to wear a medalert bracelet saying you are

adrenally insufficient.

I haven't heard of a toxic person doing what you discuss above

managing to get suppressed yet, but I am sure it will happen to someone.

> 5) I had stomach problems, my doctor prescribed me Nexium (a proton

> pump inhibitor); is this a good medication compared to H2 blockers?

Yes, if you make too MUCH acid, instead of too LITTLE acid.

> And can I use it when doing a Prednisolone taper to avoid stomach

> acidity?

lots and lots and lots of antacid, H2 blockers, nexium, whatever. Eat

lots of protein, that is what the acid is for.

> 6) I'm in Canada and getting prescription medication (Prednisolone,

> Cortef) for that use from a doctor is extremely difficult, what

> can I do to get prescription medication legally?

1 wheedle a doctor into prescribing.

2 get it from a US doctor and carry a 90 day supply back to Canada

with you - that is what they let cross the border. I don't think you

can have it mailed. You might call customs and ask them about the

rules on personal importation of medicines.

> 7) At the rate I'm chelating (see below), can I expect my adrenals to

> return to normal before I die of old age?

I hope so. Only one way to find out.

> +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

> Chelation status:

> Amalgam free since: November 5 2002

> Number of chelation rounds: 23; First: January 29 2003; Last: July 26

> 2005

> Protocol: ALA (12.5 mg), every 3 hours, for 3 days; Usual break time:

> 1 month

> I also tried higher dosage (25, 50mg) ALA rounds (too much side

> effects)

> I also tried rounds of ALA with DMSA 25mg (no changes in the side

> effects)

> Basic supplementation: Vit C, B, E ; Other supplements: Tried a lot

> but nothing seems to make a difference.

> +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

>

>

> Thanks

>

> ph

>

[Guest guest]

>

> First let me quote two passages from " Amalgam Illness: Diagnosis and

> Treatment "

>

> " The most common physiological problem mercury toxic people have are

> with the adrenal and thyroid glands " Page 86

>

> " The most common error in supportive treatment for mercury toxic (and

> chronic fatigue) patients is failure to treat adrenal insufficiency. "

> Page 120

Also consider using adrenal cortex extract, licorice, 'adrenal

support' supplements, etc. These are often very helpful.

>

> I need to address those problems NOW before resuming chelation

> because I crashed doing too much exercise. I need some advices.

>

> Here are some questions I'd like answered before I try to fix my

> adrenal problems.

>

> 1) Should I try a 5 day (P.190) Prednisolone taper as my first taper?

Yes. Unless you are very comfortable playing with dangerous

chemicals, do something modest the first time around.

> 2) Can I use low dose maintenance Cortef < 20mg a day after the taper?

Yes.

> 3) My HPA axis is probably already malfunctioning but can it be

> suppressed completely even if I use caution using the Prednisolone

> taper (every 3 or 4 months) and low dosage Cortef in between?

I doubt it.

There are no relevant studies.

> 4) In the event that my HPA axis get completely suppressed what are

> the signs of that and what can I do to regain control over it?

Signs are that you don't make adequate cortisol in response to stress.

That is, adrenal insufficiency, which is dangerous. This is why

doctors try not to suppress you.

If you got suppressed you'd need to understand how to handle it, have

access to steroids, wean off them slowly, use every other day or every

third day dosing which is fairly uncomfortable in order to do this,

and it would be wise to wear a medalert bracelet saying you are

adrenally insufficient.

I haven't heard of a toxic person doing what you discuss above

managing to get suppressed yet, but I am sure it will happen to someone.

> 5) I had stomach problems, my doctor prescribed me Nexium (a proton

> pump inhibitor); is this a good medication compared to H2 blockers?

Yes, if you make too MUCH acid, instead of too LITTLE acid.

> And can I use it when doing a Prednisolone taper to avoid stomach

> acidity?

lots and lots and lots of antacid, H2 blockers, nexium, whatever. Eat

lots of protein, that is what the acid is for.

> 6) I'm in Canada and getting prescription medication (Prednisolone,

> Cortef) for that use from a doctor is extremely difficult, what

> can I do to get prescription medication legally?

1 wheedle a doctor into prescribing.

2 get it from a US doctor and carry a 90 day supply back to Canada

with you - that is what they let cross the border. I don't think you

can have it mailed. You might call customs and ask them about the

rules on personal importation of medicines.

> 7) At the rate I'm chelating (see below), can I expect my adrenals to

> return to normal before I die of old age?

I hope so. Only one way to find out.

> +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

> Chelation status:

> Amalgam free since: November 5 2002

> Number of chelation rounds: 23; First: January 29 2003; Last: July 26

> 2005

> Protocol: ALA (12.5 mg), every 3 hours, for 3 days; Usual break time:

> 1 month

> I also tried higher dosage (25, 50mg) ALA rounds (too much side

> effects)

> I also tried rounds of ALA with DMSA 25mg (no changes in the side

> effects)

> Basic supplementation: Vit C, B, E ; Other supplements: Tried a lot

> but nothing seems to make a difference.

> +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

>

>

> Thanks

>

> ph

>