Hi,
I have addison's disease and have been taking cortisone twice a day for a total of 30mg. Has anyone had to reduce the amount of cortisone when they started taking DHEA.
Thanks for the info, I will checkout the website. I am in Canada not sure if this product will be available here? I did not realize that cortisol does not last longer in the body , I will have to do some research on that as well.
Thank you for responding.
Hi Thanks for responding to my message can you tell me how much DHEA you are taking?
You take hydrocortisone and DHEA? I did a little reading about DHEA and it sounds like they do the same thing.
I have had Addison's Disease for 21 years and have been on Hydrocortisone (15mg in AM and 5mg(midday) and Florinef (.1mg)during that time.
How are DHEA and cortisone different?
Hydrocortisone is one type of hormone, however DHEA from what I have read helps your body with several hormones which help with fatique, mood and overall well being. I am not taking DHEA right now but from all the research I have seen it seems as though it is very helpful to people whom have Addison’s Disease.
I take 15 mg. My dr. suggested I try 50 - but I started having side effects and realized the dose was too high - so dropped back down to 25. Are feeling differently with the DHEA? And what dosage are you on?
I have been taking DHEA for over a year. I’m not sure if there is any corelation - but I have reduced by prednisone. I was on 5 then down to 4 then to 3 and now I am at 2. Also last year my synthroid (I am also hypothyroid) was adjusted and that helps a lot too. So…not sure if it is the thyroid meds or DHEA or combination - but I am thrilled to be on a lower dose - and it hasn’t been a problem.
I’m not sure either where it will be available, I’m sure most countries. However it’s not released yet, many of us are anxiously awaiting. It’s supposed to be 2011 but I havent found any more info yet.
As for HC being short acting, yes it generally only lasts 4-6 hours per dose. The more synthetics such as prednisone and dexamethasone are very long acting, however they are much less similar to the bodies natural cortisol, whereas HC is very close to it.
DHEA is another adrenal hormone, responsible for many things. I am extremely low in it but cannot tolerate it unfortunately.
If you can and need it I suggest anyone be on a dose suitable, as it has alot of beneficial functions. Lower is usually better as well, more like 10-25mg instead of the 50 and 100mg some Dr's prescribe / advise.
As for your cortisone dosage, it can be lowered to anywhere you feel functional. I unfortunately have secondary conditions CFS/ME and Fibromyalgia, and cannot be on any lower than 40mg HC a day. This is higher I know but I can only just get through a day on that, divided into 6-8 doses! It just wears off so fast.
However, if you're on 30, you could try to go down to 27.5 for a week, see how you go. Also 3 times a day is far better than twice a day dosing for anyone on HC, as it is so short acting. E.G. 15 morning, 10 lunch, 5 (or 2.5) at 4pm, is much better than just twice a day. Most endo's even realise this now. The twice daily dosing is very old since the beggining of addisons treatment with HC.
The adrenals in normal people put out about 15 tiny doses of cortisol per day over the course of 24hrs! Not two huge whacks at once. This causes big dips during the rest of the day. This is why they created a new drug named Duocort, which should be available soon. Half the tablet is instant acting, and the other is slow release, meaning it is slowly taken in by the body over the next 12+ hours (like taking micro doses every 1/2hr or so!) which MUCH more closely mimics the bodies' natural diurnal cortisol rhythm. Check it out at duocort.com :)
~Chris.