Adrenals

[Geny_H]

Hi all. Thank you for adding to me the group. As a recent member of the PMR club I have alot to learn. I am gained from the experience of you all and excellent articles in the FAQ section. My query is on the adrenals. I am currently on 10 mg prednisolone. Aim to reduce by 1 mg every 3 weeks. To help the adrenals from getting too sluggish I was considering some alternative treatments like reflexology to give them a boost. Has anyone tried something like or is it recommended? Thoughts welcome

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Hi and welcome.

As a medical scientist - my line is that there is nothing that will get the adrenal glands up and running is to challenge them with too low a dose of pred for the body's needs. There are no supplements or - in my opinion - "treatments" that will make any difference. Most of the claims in the media or on the internet are at best woo and at worst may be dangerous. Some of the so-called supplements have some very dubious ingredients.

If you want to make it easier I would suggest either slowing it down to not more than 1mg a month or doing 1/2mg every 3 weeks. This isn't a race - especially at this stage below 10mg,

[Geny_H in reply to PMRpro]

Thanks PMRpro. I will of course listen to my body and if reducing by 1mg every 3 weeks is not working I will adjust accordingly. That was a suggestion by my rheumatologist whom I've just had one brief appointment with so far. I am on prednisolone only since July, so this is all very recent. Hence I came to this forum for advice,Regards

Geny

[Kendrew]

Hi there,

I'm currently on 4½mg of pred daily and since 7½mgs have been tapering very slowly and by ½mg at a time.

My tapers take approx 5-6wks before I begin taking the lower dose consistently and then I stay on that dose for a minimum of 4wks before beginning the next taper.

I'm not suggesting you follow this same regime and many others may be able to reduce at a slightly faster rate than I do. However, Img every 3wks is really quite fast and does have the potential to not succeed, particularly as your PMR will probably still be active.

I've just seen my rheumatologist and she agrees with much of the advice here....that slow & steady is both safer and usually more successful.

The adrenals need to be gently & gradually nudged back into life. Trying to force them into action may result in an adrenal crisis.....a life- threatening situation!

I regularly enjoy a reflexology treatment, but I can honestly say it's not in any way facilitated a return to normal function of my adrenals. The treatments do however relax, de-stress and 'settle' me, which in turn is always going to be good for my health and well-being.

There's lots of helpful information in FAQ'S under A for Adrenals. Hope you find the answers you need.

[Geny_H in reply to Kendrew]

Thanks Kendrew. I will of course listen to my body and if reducing by 1mg every 3 weeks is not working then I will have to adjust accordingly. That was a suggestion by my rheumatologist based on my first consultation in July. I also enjoy reflexology treatments. Regards

Geny

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Agree with both PMRpro and Kendrew -This may help on adrenals -

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

-and this for general info - healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

-and just to reiterate it’s not a race….

[piglette]

My recommendation having suffered from the ‘deathly fatigue’ from the adrenals is to stop reducing when you get it and take things slowly. You may be lucky and have no problems, some people don’t.

[Geny_H in reply to piglette]

Thanks Piglette.

[Miserere]

I agree with all the above answers. I reduced by 1mg every 3 weeks until 7mg and then had a flare and another since. I have learned to take it more slowly - .5mg is more than enough for me in a month. I am also about to use DL's slow tapering method now as I am at 7mg again and would rather take it slowly and more surely than trying to rush down to zero.

[Geny_H in reply to Miserere]

Thanks Miserere. I will of course listen to my body. Reducing by 1mg every 3 weeks was a suggestion from my rheumatologist. It will be interesting to see if I have the same experience when I reach 7mg. I am glad of the advice on this forum so I can be prepared for the bumps in the road!Regards

Geny

[Miserere in reply to Geny_H]

Be aware of your stress levels as well - relaxation definitely helps as we don't have the cortisol to get stressed.