I have been with that site for a long time. It is now NTH-Adrenals
I am at a loss. What time do you take your cortef? and at what doses?
I take cortef at 6 am (10mg) 11 am (10mg) 2pm (5mg) and 5mg before I go to bed. If I do not take any before I go to bed I am sicker than a dog in the middle of the night (dry heaving, nausea and cannot hardly function). The NTH (Valerie) suggested taking the last does before I go to bed from keeping me from not having enough in the night and that has kept me from getting so sick.
I started getting so depressed and suicidal and hyper on my thyroid meds and temp. were real low and she said to stop the thyroid meds until temps raised and they did and then got real hypo and started trying the T3 only protocol and the depression is lifted but start with the chest pains real bad, lots of anxiety. When I take T4 only I am suicidal . It is just crazy.
Thanks
Mary Ellen
That seems like a pretty good dose schedule. Are you of average size and build? some people say that thirty is a lot I think thirty is a lot only if the person is petite. I am huge and I take only thirty. 20am and ten at 5. on stressful or really long days I add 5 and take 15 at 5pm. I hope you feel better soon, I better go back to bed before my wife thinks I left. I will talk to you later good luck Mary Ellen.
I am small but any less I start getting real sick.
Mary Ellen,
Some people have found that a higher dose is in order for them. Talk to your endo and see if he/she will let you raise your dose to 40mgs. that is a pretty high dose but you will know in three days if you feel better or not. Watch out for side effects though. Also some people prefer prednisone to cortef. Prednisone is almost the same however it has a 24 hour half life where cortef has a 10 hour one. Prednisone also has more side effects. I hope something works better for you. BIGMIKE
Mary Ellen I want to caution you and anyone reading this forum about STTM and NTH. They are well known for advocating self medication and giving advice they are NOT qualified to give. Those individuals have made a lot of people very ill and some are damaged for life because of their poor “medical advice” they have ZERO qualifications to give.
Please see a REAL endocrinologist and do not advocate sites that are hurting people who are sick and making them worse. It is one thing to take information off the internet to your doctor and a completely different to read it and act on your own without medical supervision as these sites suggest. Yes doctors can be hard headed but keep looking until you find the right one. Do not take the advice of someone who has a very well known bad reputation who is not a doctor and has a history of hurting people by “recommending” too much thyroid medication that make people toxic. Or so much hydrocortisone that people lose all function of their adrenal glands.
Please seek medical help not a name on a message board no matter how smart they may seem.
I take cortef at 6 am (10mg) 11 am (10mg) 2pm (5mg) and 5mg before I go to bed. If I do not take any before I go to bed I am sicker than a dog in the middle of the night (dry heaving, nausea and cannot hardly function). The NTH (Valerie) suggested taking the last does before I go to bed from keeping me from not having enough in the night and that has kept me from getting so sick.
I started getting so depressed and suicidal and hyper on my thyroid meds and temp. were real low and she said to stop the thyroid meds until temps raised and they did and then got real hypo and started trying the T3 only protocol and the depression is lifted but start with the chest pains real bad, lots of anxiety. When I take T4 only I am suicidal . It is just crazy.
Thanks
Mary Ellen
I do have a endocrinologists. I have been diagnosed with Addsion and Hashimoto. She cannot figure out how to get me balanced. She has tried and I do bring her the info I get and she looks and we talk and she makes
recommendation. I am so sick all the time though. It is real bad and my doctor is so confused as to how to help me. I have been to probably 5 endos. Some have ask me to leave there office. I even went to Vanderbilt. I don’t know how to get help it is awful.
Have you ever dealt with anyone from those site.
Thanks
Mary Ellen
Thank you. I have taken medrol before and thought maybe it worked better. I am a bit afraid of that though. I am trying to take more sea salt right now.
Thanks
Mary Ellen
Hi Mary Ellen,
I have struggled to find a good Endo in the nashville area, Maybe I can help you with some contact info in this area.
I also have addissons and hashimoto thyroid.
Do you live in Nashville. I would love to talk to you about who you see in Nashville. Have you been helped. Do you feel better?
Thanks
Mary Ellen
Mary Ellen,
That makes me feel MUCH better!How long ago were you diagnose d with Addison’s? I need to go back and look at what times/doses you’re currently taking meds.Are you near Nashville? If so who did you see at Vandy? I do understand the struggle to get care.
Right now I am also sick all the time but I am fighting to get some quality of life myself. How do you feel?May I ask your age (range)? Perhaps we can put our collective heads together and compare what the doctors have advised. Do you take DHEA?Have you had your hormones and vitamin levels tested?
I’m not a doctor and cannot give you any definitive answers but I can share my experience and you can discuss it with your doctor. Is you doctor willing to consult another endo?
I have been Addisonian for about 15 months now. I was extremely sick when I had my adrenal glands removed so recovery has been incredibly difficult coupled with other autoimmune problems. I have also had a total thyroidectomy (including parathyroid). My pituitary failed after I had surgery. I am a ridiculous balancing act.
I have not dealt with the people on that site because they scare the living h*** out of me. I have read the recommendations on the message boards over the years and often have to pick my jaw up off the floor.
I can think of 3 people that have followed the advice there and became extremely sick after following advice and at least 2 have permanent damage from over medicating themselves at the recommendation of the board
moderators who are NOT doctors. My understanding was STTM was shut down because of a lawsuit from an individual in that position although that is hearsay, I can believe it based on what I read.
Regards,
Renee
I do live in Nashville. Do you? It has been about 15 months for me since I was diagnosed with Hashimoto Thyroiditis. I had adrenal fatigue at that time and did not get enough support for my adrenals when the doctor put me on amour and I got really, really sick and I was already really really sick.
The endo’s in Nashville just ignored me and one ask me to leave his office. I finally found, I think a good doctor but she does not understand why I do not feel well because my blood work looks good.
This is tuff stuff.
Let me know if you are close to me or not.
I would love to continue to share
Take care
MaryEllen
Hi MaryEllen,
I do not live in TN any longer but I used to. Take a peek here http://www.cushings-help.com/doctors-tn.htm for some helpful doctors. The one doctor I started to mention has apparently moved to CA. These are doctors that are recommended by patients not just pulled out of a phone book. I cannot give any recommendation other than Dr. Blevins (who is now gone). How did the doctor treat your adrenal fatigue?
When you say blood work looks good what does that entail? (what did she test?)
It is tough stuff. I completely agree. I wish I was close but I moved about 7 hours north of you now. I’d be more than happy to continue to share despite distance.
Kind regards,
Renee
Just wondering if you received my email back about a good endo
Thanks
Mary Ellen
Hey,
The web page you sent did not come through. It is very difficult to get into endos here. There is one I am trying to get into and she won’t be taking patients to the first of the yea. Yuck
Do you do any supplements are have you tried any alternative medicine
I have been getting intravenous vitamins/minerals and seem to be helping. I go and get one on Monday. They get into you better than just excreting them.
What all do you take for you addisons and did you say you have thyroid problems too. Doctors don’t do much with symptoms they just say you blood is fine… Finding a doctor to deal with real bad symptoms even thought Free T 3 and T3, and TSH is good. I need to get my levels checked. I am so tired of being stuck. ACTH too
Mary Ellen
I do not take supplements other than Multivitamin, the addissons is controlled with dexamethasone, and Florinef. for thyroid disease I take Levothyroxine.
Doy you have a doctor here in Nashville. I thought you might know some doctors here. Any help you could give would be appreciated.
Thanks
I was seeing Dr. Lewes Blevins at Vanderbilt Hospital Is the Doctor that I have been seeing. Unfortunately he is moving away from Nashville. I had a bad experience before him with Dr. Andrea Hayes at Centennial Hospital, she is a wonderful person and a great endo for people with diabetes, she had me on a very high dose of Hydrocortisone witch caused me a lot of weight gain and steroid striations all over my abdomen. I am currently eing treated for all my medical conditions at the Nashville Veterans Hospital for my treatment. The Endo Doctors there have a great deal of respect for Doctor Blevins and are keeping me on his plan
I went to Vanderilt too. They said nothing was wrong with me. What doctor now are you seeing since Dr. Blevins is leaving.
Have you heard of Dr. Jerkins or Dr. Hendrix. Dr. Hendrix is actually who found mine. It took a long time for them to figure it out. They all just said I was crazy.
Dex is pretty strong stuff from what I understand. I am on 30mg of cortef and can’t gain weight for the life of me. I am starting to lose again.
I appreciate your help.
Thanks
Mary Ellen