3 Hour Dosing vs. 4 Hour Dosing: Building Cortisol Reserves

[Guest guest]

I remember reading a post saying that some people need to dose HC

every 3 hours rather than 4 hours to build up their cortisol reserves.

I'm still confused about this. First of all, how does taking HC help

us rebuild our cortisol reserves? Is it because our body is using the

HC, and the cortisol we would have been using instead is " stored " in

our adrenals?

And how does 3-hour dosing build up reserves more than 4-hour dosing?

I feel ok on 4-hour dosing, but I haven't felt normal since crashing

my adrenals 2-3 months ago. So I'm going to try the 3-hour dosing.

Also, is there any way of telling when our cortisol reserves have

built back up? Does anybody here know how long it takes?

Thanks!

-Jung

[Guest guest]

Cortisol reserves are BOUND cortisol in the blood thta is ready at a

second's notice ot be released for the body's use for emergenceis. When

it is low any thing our boduy perceives as stress will cause an

adrenal;ine dump as the cortisol is not sufficient. You know you have

decent reserves wheny you can tolerate thyroid well. Yes taking it every

three hours helps as when reserves are on empty any little thing causes

the adrenaline which then is counter productive as the little bit of

reserves is used up quickly leaving oyu wiht nothig agian. so by takign

tiny doss every few hours you have a better chance of having the e cess

to store.

--

Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/

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[Guest guest]

So how much can we take if we take HC every 3 hours?

What scheme would you suggest? I cuurently take 12.5 10 5 2.5. I don't

feel comfortable about reducing any one of them , although I am new to

this so maybe I just need to develop some confidence. If I were to use

3 hour dosing then I'd quickly be on alot more than 30mg per day.

Any suggestions?

Is it nessesary tp dose HC high to get effect or is it just as

effective to dose lower but more often?

[Guest guest]

Actually one of the purposes of dosing closer to gether is to make it

work better for you on the same amount. Your dosing rythm is not gret

aright now. most folks that take 10MG inthe AM will need a beditime

dose. It simply causes too much ACTh supression for them to be able to

make enough cortiosl to get through the night. And with the first 2

dises being that high, you need more than 2.5 at night, kind of double

whammy on the ACTH. By lowering those doses an moving them closer to

gether so they carry you through better, you will be able to make more

of your own cortiosl. That is the juggling act we must do to get the

adrenals functional agian. Enough cortiosl to feel decent while not so

much that our own adrenals are totally put to sleep. To go to 3 hour

dosing I would recommend:

12.5 10 5 2.5.

10 - 7.5 - 5 - 2.5 bedtime 5 Say startting at 7 am (or when ever you wake) doing

7am - 10am - 1PM 4PM and bedtime. If you feel shaky or nauseaus around 7-8 PM

you can stick in another 2.5 but it would be best to allow your adrneals to do a

little bit then if they can.

--

Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/

[Guest guest]

Hi Val and others

About 2 years ago I contacted you and you told me to get on HC

otherwise my adrenals would never recover, its taken that long to

find a good doc and get started. Nice to hear from you!

I just called my doc and she said that I can increase my HC dose to

as much as 20mg in the morning! although 15 is better. What do you

make of that? I usually read here that doctors and too reserved

about dosing, esp HC and mine said to just go ahead and try it out!

I said that I still feel tired in the morning, not quite up to speed

and she said that it was probably from the thyroid hormone than the

lack of HC but still go ahead and try 15 or 20mg HC.

It kind of contradicts what you are saying. At the end of the day I

guess we just want what works and is not doing us any harm. Any

thoughts?

Thanks

>

> Actually one of the purposes of dosing closer to gether is to make

it

> work better for you on the same amount. Your dosing rythm is not

gret

> aright now. most folks that take 10MG inthe AM will need a

beditime

> dose. It simply causes too much ACTh supression for them to be

able to

> make enough cortiosl to get through the night. And with the first

2

> dises being that high, you need more than 2.5 at night, kind of

double

> whammy on the ACTH. By lowering those doses an moving them closer

to

> gether so they carry you through better, you will be able to make

more

> of your own cortiosl. That is the juggling act we must do to get

the

> adrenals functional agian. Enough cortiosl to feel decent while

not so

> much that our own adrenals are totally put to sleep. To go to 3

hour

> dosing I would recommend:

>

> 12.5 10 5 2.5.

> 10 - 7.5 - 5 - 2.5 bedtime 5 Say startting at 7 am (or when ever

you wake) doing 7am - 10am - 1PM 4PM and bedtime. If you feel shaky

or nauseaus around 7-8 PM you can stick in another 2.5 but it would

be best to allow your adrneals to do a little bit then if they can.

>

>

> --

> Artistic Grooming- Hurricane

WV

>

> http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

>

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/

>

[Guest guest]

What I have seen is that once people are close to a proper sdose of HC

if they are still tired inthe AM more AM dosingis nto what they need but

a bedtime dose will help the AM cortisol levels MORE. Raising the AM

dose to 20MG is VERY counter productive as then the body has no message

from the pituitary all day to produce ANY of it's own cortisol.

--

Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/

[Guest guest]

Have to say that in my limited experience I would agree with you about

taking too high a dose in the morning. Last Sunday to took nothing in

the morning (felt great but crashed around noon) and took 10mg, in the

evening I felt great. Yesterday I took the 12.5 in the morning and

felt like crap in the evening.

My doc said not to take HC after 4pm as it disturbed sleep - what is

your experience?

Also when would somebody take prednisolon instead of HC? My doc takes

prednisolon (and Armour - I love the fact that shes a fellow thyroid

and adrenal patient)and she said she does better on it. I'm curious if

that would be better, but then I guess the the pituitary as would be

totally undermined? Are there people in this world that function well

with both therapies or will we always be living 'substandard' lives?

>

> What I have seen is that once people are close to a proper sdose of

HC

> if they are still tired inthe AM more AM dosingis nto what they need

but

> a bedtime dose will help the AM cortisol levels MORE. Raising the AM

> dose to 20MG is VERY counter productive as then the body has no

message

> from the pituitary all day to produce ANY of it's own cortisol.

>

> --

> Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV

>

> http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

> http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/

>

[Guest guest]

I prefer HC as it is more natural to the body. Pred is hard on the liver

and also dos not ath the rythym as well as yoiu can dosing wiht HC. I

have ALWAYS needed a bedtime dose of HC! It helps me sleep! If you start

out wiht a bedtime dose it would definitely only add to the too high

cortisol most of us have at bedtime, but once you get your daytime dose

up to 20mg+ most need some little dose at bedtioe to carry the night

time levels as well. I do nto think doctors are good at knowing how to

ramp up cortiosl. but how can they be? We have how many people's

experiences here? They get onyl 1-2 peope's feedback and then only

following their directions.

--

Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/