Adrenals

[alvertta]

I have GCA. started October 2018 at 60prednisone. Now on 12.5. What about my adrenals? Clicking in now?? Too soon ?? Thanks.

[Yellowbluebell]

No your adrenals wont start kicking in until you are at least at 7mg but most often a lot lower. There is the chance they will be sluggish when they do start and the best way to help is to make the last bit of your taper as slow as possible. Good luck. YBB

[SheffieldJane]

Yes a bit soon. Our own Cortisol production is about 7 mg Pred. equivalent . Once you get below that dose your own Adrenal glands will begin to wake up. If your doctor/ Endocrinologist suspects that your own Adrenals are struggling, when you are down to about 3 mgs, you may have a Synacthen Test to ensure that your own Adrenals can produce the Cortisol you need. The fatigue you may feel now is more to do with your illness. I hope this helps.

[alvertta]

Thank you.

[Blearyeyed]

Alot of people don't start feeling the Adrenal Phase until between 6-3 mg . Adrenal function can be tested to see if function has returned . Although you can get a normal Synacthen Test result during this period you Adrenal function can still be inefficient or sluggish causing Extreme Tiredness , Fatigue , Swings in Temperature Regulation and Mood , Brain Fog and Palpitations which can cause dizziness.

At 12.5 mg you are usually on a dose which still masks other sorts of Pain apart from PMR/ GCA , you can be troubled with insomnia , headaches , mood swings , palpitations which can be confused with Anxiety , brain fog , loss of coordination that can cause Falls, sudden , short term periods of Fatigue and Tiredness and can be prone to Flares in Pain and Stiffness. Over 10 mg you can be more prone to sugar spikes and steroid induced weight gain , fragile skin , thin hair and swelling or unusual weight distribution of the face and torso.

Is there a particular reason you feel that your Adrenal Function has become active just now?

[alvertta in reply to Blearyeyed]

No. Just wondering. Thanks.

[Blearyeyed in reply to alvertta]

Oh , good to here it's not anything bad xx

[alvertta in reply to Blearyeyed]

Just wondering what my next steps are. My day to day observation of my health is confused now w our C 19. Hypochondria setting in. I have had weight gain. Puffy face. But clear mind. And pretty good mood and attitude.

[Blearyeyed in reply to alvertta]

If you can keep a good mood and attitude that's the thing that will get you through GCA/ PMR and this current Covid Crisis. Positive Mind , Positive Body , Healthy for the Fight aheadxxx

[alvertta in reply to Blearyeyed]

Yes. Getting tougher. OH is getting sadder ...we are in for another month (Canada). Or longer.

[Blearyeyed in reply to alvertta]

He will be less used to making adjustments in his activity than you , for Healthy people these first few weeks probably feel like the first few weeks did after diagnosis for Us. Chronic Illness does in some strange ways prepare you to deal with the sudden and unexpected.

Has he got things that he always fancied doing that can be done indoors ?

[alvertta in reply to Blearyeyed]

Not a lot. But spring is almost here in Ontario. Then out he goes. I agree I am more used to being unable to move a lot. I have become quite a slug. Compared to two years ago. Lotsa good books to read. Thanks for the advice. Always so great.

[Blearyeyed in reply to alvertta]

You are not a slug , think of yourself as Marlene Dietrich on her Chaise , book in one hand , cocktail in the other , letting people know you want to be alone 😋xxx

[alvertta in reply to Blearyeyed]

🤣🤣🤣😘😘😘

[readingbooks in reply to Blearyeyed]

Greta Garbo ?

[Blearyeyed in reply to readingbooks]

Brain fog , although it could be Freudian as I always preferred Dietrich

[Hidden in reply to Blearyeyed]

Garbo was the one who.... vonted to be ahlone

[Blearyeyed in reply to Hidden]

Yes, Dietrich , however , says virtually the same line in one of my favourite Alfred Hitchcock films " Stage Fright" , hence the added confusion in my fuzzy brain.

As we are all stuck indoors if you want to fall in love with an old classic I suggest everybody watches this one . Romance , Comedy , Alistair Simm and a bit of Murder , you can't beat it.

[readingbooks in reply to Blearyeyed]

Me too ! Remember her in the Blue Angel ? But I couldn't resist being a smart alec !

[Blearyeyed in reply to readingbooks]

I love that too! Stage fright though , such a sweet romance , one of my all time favourites . Love the relationship between Alistair Simm and his wife , living in separate houses because she disapproves of his Bohemian , brandy smuggling lifestyle . Classic 🎬🎥💞

[Joanbill13 in reply to alvertta]

I was pleased to read your post this morning. I’ve tapered from 15 to 7,5-5 and have been achy and keep sleeping. Wondering if adrenals are coming back. Don’t know how that feels.

Then think have I got first symptoms of Covid 19.! The continuous tv news and my PMR HealthUnlocked daily reading gets me a bit too focused on my health I think. Being locked down is not so good for health in some ways. Back to the garden and a stroll round the block

[SnazzyD in reply to Joanbill13]

Needing to sleep more was one of the hallmarks of this phase for me. After being a morning lark all my life I suddenly couldn’t wake up in the mornings. The fatigue was disappointing after being promised by docs that I’d be feeling normal by 10mg. At 10mg I could almost think they were right, then at 7mg the wheels fell off the wagon in terms of general well being. Improved at 5mg, much much better at 3mg, then rubbish again around 2mg.

[Joanbill13 in reply to SnazzyD]

Thank you nice to know someone was feeling the same as me. It’s a lonely place taking Pred. Not looking forward to getting to even lower dose. Thank goodness for this forum.

[SnazzyD in reply to Joanbill13]

The thing is to do it sloowly. The doc’s suggested 1mg per month was way too quick for me. I did 0.5mg per 6-8 weeks then 12-14 weeks under 3mg.

[Joanbill13 in reply to SnazzyD]

I’ll give that a go. Thanks for advice. Keep safe

[alvertta in reply to SnazzyD]

I am doing .5 every few weeks.

[alvertta in reply to SnazzyD]

Darn. Right now I am in a sleepy phase.

[Joanbill13 in reply to alvertta]

That was me yesterday. Better today been gardening

[alvertta in reply to Joanbill13]

Yes. Go outside