Low cortisol levels.

[yaf_user681_15459]

My little girl has adrenal insufficiency. (early morning cortisol was 16, instead of 700!!) Putting it down to high pred use until confirmed by endocrinologist in mid sept.

My concern is thst she intermittently shivers/tremors! Says she's cold but doesn't feel it and it's been warm weather.

She is also drinking and weeing lots (negative glucose tolerance test despite high blood sugars)

Are these all side effects of long term pred? Or is it her low cortisol levels causing this??

Anyone??

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hiya - I was on long term pred and also now have a similar insignificant cortisol output, so am on replacement therapy ie hydrocortisone. H-c is much more benign than pred. Your little girl's adrenal glands may ""wake up"" again but mine haven't (am 59 and was on pred many yrs)

but to answer your question, I haven't experienced the s/effects you mention - obviously you will need to tell the endo guy all about that - I hope your visit in sept answers all your questions

polly x

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Sounds like she will need hydrocortisone replacement. I have adrenal insufficiency due to long term prednisolone for asthma. Feel so much better now on the replacement hydrocortisone. Chills/shivering are one of the symptoms. Also irritability, fatigue, mood swings...

Hope she gets sorted soon

xxxxx

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Hi,

My son takes hydrocortisone replacement due to low cortisol levels due to asthma steriods.

He often feels cold also, even in warm weather and he goes through phases when he drinks a lot aswell.

I'm sure it's the low cortisol levels causing these symptoms - however I'm no doctor. May be it means they both need ot increase their pred and hydro??

I'm interested in your level of 700 - will pm you. We're told that the normal level 'spike' is 550, and the level will be much lower at the start of the test.

[Hidden]

I was told a normal spike is 600 - 650, but early morning lower.

I have been struggling for a while with shivering/feeling the cold (but not having a low temperature). I need several blankets at night, and I still wake up sometimes because I'm cold. I'm going to ask my endocrinologist at my next appt, because it's summer (well... summerish!) at the moment, and if I'm this cold now and struggling to warm up, I am concerned about how I'm going to cope in the winter.

[yaf_user681_15459]

Thank you all soooo much for your replies. Means a great deal.

Maddie takes daily maintenance Pred. Should she be on hydro too? The hospital while she was on the ward, seemed to think that the dose of Pred she is on should cover her. Obviously with the additional emergency hydrocortisone injections should she face any stresses etc.

I find this all so scary to be honest. She's only 2 and can't tell me how she's feeling so we constantly are guessing as to what's going on. All we can be sure of is the physical signs and those are hairiness, she's lost muscle tone on her ams and legs (they look wasted away and used to be so chubby :-() she's lost loads of weight, is often grumpy and is more tired. Also she drinks about 400ml every hour and would do anything to get hold of fluids as she's desperate for it! Such a thirst!!

While in costa, they found she had hypothyroidism too! Poor thing!

We haven't seen an endo yet as he was on leave when she was admitted and her app isn't til mid sept!!

Thanks all so much again.

Hope you all get sorted and can have a way of tolerating the cold better.

Take care,

Emily x