Adrenal srartup

[Timek]

Any advice please on how to tell if my adrenal glands are waking up? Im on a v slow taper and just about to start on 7mg. Can you tell or not? Hoping for full blood test in nx few weeks but dont really know what i should ask for. Tia.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

More likely to know when they aren’t working- you may get fatigue ( most common symptom) general stomach issues, irritability and general feeling rubbish.

Some really struggle, for others it easier -I had random bouts of fatigue, nothing else.

Slow taper in doses and time is the way to nudge them into working again - but it’s not like flicking on a switch and everything is up and running.

No point in requesting getting them tested until you get much lower. Under 5mg but nearer 3mg is usual advice.

Have a look at this link from FAQs

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

[SnazzyD]

If your adrenal glands are working you don’t get unreasonable fatigue and weakness in your normal day over and above any deconditioning that has occurred already. Many call it the deathly fatigue when you have nothing in the tank. If you have some function but not 100% you can feel ok pootling around the house but if you have a busy day you can feel wiped out. If you feel ok they may be working. This isn’t an issue until your body thinks your Pred dose has got below what the body needs for daily function.

No point in having any kind of cortisol test until you are well under 5mg because if there is some suppression still it can give a poor result that doesn’t tell you if they will work when the dose drops. My Endocrinologist wouldn’t so Synacthen tests if someone was above 4mg.

[Timek in reply to SnazzyD]

Thanks. Feel ok tbh...bit tired by the evening but functioning dailly at probably 90%

[SnazzyD in reply to Timek]

That’s fair enough. Personally I found 7mg quite difficult because it was high enough to suppress my adrenals but not quite enough for my body’s needs. It took until about 5mg for my adrenals to start getting the message. Even if you feel ok, make sure you carry Pred when you are out of the house; an adrenal crash can come out of the blue and you may need to pop a couple of mg. You know when it happens, you feel completely drained and horrible, nauseated and perhaps diarrhoea.

[Miserere in reply to SnazzyD]

That's sort of comforting, Snazzy. I've been on 7mg again (4th time) for 2 weeks and felt OK except for one day after a massage and this week I had a massage on Tuesday, took my friend around a sculpture exhibition on Wednesday and, once she had gone, couldn't do a thing for fatigue. Have woken up feeling tired this morning but have managed to pootle around. I am now heading for the sofa with a book as an excuse but bet I shall be asleep before I've read a page. I wonder if it's due to the dose or is connected to the massage in some way - she does gua sha massage. Think I'll leave it for a while and see what happens. I've a very long day tomorrow (travelling to a family funeral etc.) so hope to be feeling more like me with an early start.

[SnazzyD in reply to Miserere]

Sounds about right. Massages were right off the menu, I couldn’t cope with them.

[Miserere in reply to SnazzyD]

Ah, so interesting. I must admit I've decided to give it a miss for a while. Thanks, Snazzy.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Basically - you feel OK! If they aren't coping, you don't, you feel fatigued and maybe other bits that have been described. Sometimes you never feel anything and the slower you go, the better the adjustment.

[piglette]

Your adrenals might have raised one eyebrow so far, but won’t have bothered to do much else so far.